The country is looking to eventually replace its fleet of over 500 CV90 tracked IFVs.

Sweden has issued a request for information (RFI) for new infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) ahead of a future procurement programme.

Published on 3 July by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), the RFI aims to assess the market and industry’s ability to deliver new combat vehicles to the military from 2030 onwards.

The vehicles will complement and eventually replace the military’s tracked armoured Combat Vehicle 90s (CV90s) from BAE Systems Hägglunds, some of which have been in-service since the 1990s.

When asked about this, a spokesperson from the FMV informed DSEI Gateway that current planning is to begin introducing the new generation of combat vehicles with brigades specially designed for Sub-Arctic conditions and to use it in parallel with the current fleet of combat vehicles.

Beyond the 2040s the new generation of vehicles will eventually fully replace the CV90, as well as “mechanised units designated for operations in southern Sweden and central Europe”, the spokesperson said.

“The planned timeline for the programme includes achieving initial operational capability with a battalion-sized unit in early 2030s starting with [the] IFV variant and subsequently building up forces in numbers and additional roles [in] the coming years”.

Sweden is not the only country in the region exploring the acquisition of new IFVs. It is currently in discussions with its neighbours Denmark, Finland, and Norway about the possibility of jointly procuring new IFVs to lower procurement costs and support sustainment. Discussions with manufacturers are ongoing.

Sweden is also currently acquiring upgraded versions of the CV90, known as the CV9035 MkIIIC. 50 are being acquired in total.