May 5, 2012: Norway has upgraded ten of its 104 CV9030 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) to the CV9030NF1 standard (more armor and better electronics and air conditioning) and is now going to upgrade the rest and buy 42 more vehicles. Norway and many other European countries have been quite satisfied with the Swedish made CV90.
Development of the CV90 began in 1988, with production starting in late 1993. The 28 ton tracked vehicle has a crew of three and carries seven passengers (usually infantrymen). With a top road speed of 70 kilometers an hour, the CV90 can go 300 kilometers on internal fuel. The vehicle turret carries a 30mm autocannon and a coaxial 7.62mm machine-gun. Also in the turret is a thermal imager for night operations. The vehicle armor protects against projectiles of up to 30mm caliber.
There are several variants of the CV90, carrying different weapons (120mm mortar, anti-tank missiles, 120mm gun, 25mm gun, 30mm gun, 105mm gun, anti-aircraft radar, and missiles). The CV90 is 6.55 meters (20.3) feet long and 3.1 meters (9.6 feet) wide. The Swedish army has about 555 CV90s, Switzerland 185, Finland 102, Denmark 45, and Netherlands 193.
