Interview
Kromek Group will be a new exhibitor at DSEI 2021, stand H2-429. In the latest of our series of interviews with DSEI exhibitors, Norbert Neumann talks to CEO Dr Arnab Basu about the company’s high-accuracy radioisotope identification device, D5 RIID.
go to top
Vehicles
The Finnish Ministry of Defence is the latest in a series of CV90 customers to re-invest in the infantry fighting vehicle platform. Norbert Neumann looks into the country's technological modernisation efforts and the project's tactical importance.
In July 2021, BAE Systems Hägglunds signed a $32m contract to upgrade the Finnish Army’s fleet of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles (IFV). The agreement includes a mid-life extension (MLE) to improve the vehicle’s combat efficiency for the future battlefield into the 2030s.
The CV9030FIN prototype and test series vehicles will receive the first upgrades, with the remaining lifecycle upgrades to take place between 2022 and 2026. The planning and development work will be done in Sweden, and the pre-production series and serial work in Finland.
The Finnish Ministry of Defence's head of communications Kristian Vakkuri tells Global Defence Technology: “The project will secure the capability of the vehicles to the 2030s. At the same time, it will make it possible to eventually have a more extensive mid-life upgrade performed on the vehicles during the latter part of their life cycle.
"The CV90 fleet is an important capability that is mainly used to support mechanised infantry.”
Inspector of the CV90 infantry Colonel Rainer Peltoniemi says: “It is crucial that Finland possesses and acquires maintenance capability and know-how required for emergency conditions through subcontracting cooperation, and strengthens them further. From the perspective of readiness as well it is important that the vehicles stay in Finland while the upgrade work is going on.”
// The CV9030FIN prototype and test series vehicles will receive the first upgrades. Credit: BAE Systems Hägglunds
Of the existing 15 variants, the Finnish Defence Forces only uses the CV90 IFV variant. According to BAE Systems, the 20- to 35-ton model offers agility and powerful combat capabilities and integrates a wide range of weapon systems.
Earlier this year, CV90 upgrades saw the integration and test firing of an anti-tank guided missile using Rafael’s advanced defence system SPIKE-LR for the first time. The intention was to diversify the CV90’s operational capabilities, increase lethality and improve crew safety by enabling indirect fire at long distances or air targets.
”The current project will be focusing mainly on life span extension. The purpose of the MLE is to improve the general availability and maintainability of the vehicle, develop in-service safety and upgrade the system software,” Vakkuri says.
The CV90 capabilities are considered to be a strategic asset for the defence of Finland.
Although Finland is not a NATO member, it shares common values with the alliance and regularly conducts open political dialogue and engages in a wide range of practical cooperation activities, peace support operations and joint exercises. Both agree on the importance of ensuring interoperable capabilities and Finland maintaining close ties with NATO and other partners.
BAE Systems’ Land Systems Hägglunds subsidiary spokesperson Ola Thorén tells us: “The CV90 capabilities are considered to be a strategic asset for the defence of Finland, like other armies. The upgrades of the Finnish CV90s will strengthen the Finnish Army well into the future to continue to provide a threshold for any adversary.”
Originally, the chassis of CV90 was built by BAE Systems Land Systems Hägglunds and Saab Bofors supplied the turret. Currently, BAE Systems Hägglunds produces the entire vehicle. All CV90 variants carry a crew of three: commander, driver and gunner, together with up to eight soldiers.
// Simon Galt is Aurora managing director at QinetiQ about what this means for accelerating defence innovation. Credit: QinetiQ
// The CV90 IFV variant integrates a wide range of weapon systems. Credit: BAE Systems Hägglunds
Vehicle information is displayed on an onboard vehicle information system. The CV90 boasts a low radar, acoustic and infrared signature which makes it relatively stealthy for its size.
The vehicle offers fire detection and extinguishing systems and full nuclear, biological, and chemical protection. It can be fitted with uncrewed or two-person crewed turrets which are equipped with the well-proven 30-35mm Bushmaster cannon product range.
Thorén says: “The CV90 is originally designed for the harsh Nordic conditions, including the ability to negotiate the very difficult terrain.”
However, the vehicle was successfully used in even the desert conditions of Liberia and Afghanistan.
Thorén emphasises that the Finnish Army has extensive experience in operating the CV90s and has concluded that the vehicle delivers the required capabilities.
BAE Systems says the CV90 offers advanced survivability systems without compromising mobility. The platform is fitted with active damping that reduces the vehicle’s pitch acceleration. This allows for increased target-finding ability and hit probability while performing agile sprints.
BAE Systems has not disclosed whether the advanced modular armour protection or other survivability systems will receive any improvements during the upgrading projects, but Thorén says: “The CV90's sensor capabilities will receive enhancement and the electronic architecture will be modernised as well.”
Finland is one of seven countries that operate CV90 IFVs along with Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Estonia, The Netherlands and Denmark.
// Main image: BAE Systems Hägglunds has signed a $32m contract to upgrade the Finnish Army’s fleet of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. Credit: BAE Systems Hägglunds
go to top
Vehicles
The Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle programme is the US Army’s third attempt to replace the M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. Norbert Neumann talks to Rheinmetall about the technological capabilities of its candidate and the importance of the programme.
// Alex Giles, CCO at Iceni Labs
Of the various Rheinmetall Lynx IFV models, the OMFV uses the K41 Australia as the point of departure for the OMFV’s design.
Milner says: “The Lynx itself was not based on any one country’s set of requirements, but on what Rheinmetall saw as the threats armies would face in the future near-peer conflicts around the world. This variant’s raw form iteration meets many of the US Army’s characteristics with no modification and changes necessary.”
The Lynx vehicle’s architecture is already in use in the field by the UK and Australia in the Boxer multirole armoured vehicle.
“One of the unique requirements of the US Army was a two-person crew with those two persons located below the hull line, which generated a requirement for a remote turret concept which is not a traditional Lynx K41 attribute,” Milner says.
No matter who provides it, the OMFV will provide a better vehicle than the Bradley.
That concept was developed earlier, and Team Lynx is currently working on the first iteration of that turret. It will be modular and interchangeable to support a variety of different weapon systems depending on the lethality required for a mission.
After four decades of service, the M-2 Bradley has reached a point where it lacks the size, weight power and cooling capabilities required for a vehicle to adapt and adopt future capabilities as new technologies proliferate the military. Milner says ensuring that the ability to grow over time is the most important aspect of the OMFV project.
“No matter who provides it, the OMFV will provide a better vehicle than the Bradley. In terms of its ability to adapt into the future with a more robust solution, with the prime characteristics being, as the army has requested, survivability, lethality and the mobility to grow,” he says, adding that the modular open system and its electrical architecture are both vital to this concept.
// Possible concept of OMFV outfitted with a 50mm Cannon. Credit: American Rheinmetall Vehicles
The two-crewed interchangeable turret is capable of hosting either the XM813 30mm or the XM913 50mm Bushmaster cannons without any structural or architectural changes. Milner says these calibres are changeable even in the field, given that the crew has the equipment necessary to lift the cannons themselves.
“This gives the army the ability to mix effectors within a formation if they decided to outfit some of them with 30mm, some of them with 50mm. During the modelling simulation design phase, they may find a more optimal solution for mixing effectors,” Milner says.
The vehicle has a multi-missile launcher that is capable of hosting the BGM-71 tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided anti-tank missile system and the Raytheon Coyote expendable uncrewed aircraft system. The former is currently on the M2-Bradley.
The Javelin anti-tank missile is also on the technology growth path, which would equip the vehicle with counter-drone, reconnaissance and counter vehicle capabilities.
Milner says besides the technological capabilities, the transfer of manufacturing technology is also notable, and that the Lynx OMFV will be a fully US-produced vehicle.
“We’re already underway with the transfer of technology necessary to source suppliers and produce this vehicle in the US. We did this before in Australia, we broke ground in Hungary in December and it’s coming along very well,” he adds.
The collaboration of manufacturers provides the OMFV effort with competence where individual companies may lack. American Rheinmetall Vehicles, a subsidiary of Rheinmetall, operates under a special security agreement with the US and as the prime contractor is responsible for the overall system design and integration.
Milner says: “Ahead of the army’s requirement, from the investments made by Rheinmetall, we’ve already designed and we’re bringing prototypes of the Lynx OMFV turret and will have an automotive test rig early next year.”
Raytheon brings sensor and effector capabilities and provides software and system engineering support to the OMFV effort. L3Harris will provide vehicle mission systems, cybersecurity and its modular open system approach to the Lynx.
“L3Harris also brings a very robust cyber capability which will be a critical requirement of this programme, and any other moving forward,” Miner adds.
Textron Systems is Team Lynx’s primary production arm and will be responsible for building a large percentage of the OMFV chassis, alongside American Rheinmetall Vehicles building the turrets at a co-located site at the Textron facility in Louisiana.
Milner says: “Textron also brings perspective and capability in regard to robotic operations and uncrewed teaming based on their robotic combat vehicle medium programme.”
Allison Transmission will develop and build the transmission with drive-by-wire capability that will contribute to the growth path towards hybridisation of IFVs.
// Main image: Team Lynx is bidding to develop a vehicle to replace the M-2 Bradley IFV. Credit: American Rheinmetall Vehicles
In June 2018, the US Army announced a modernisation plan and launched the Next-Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) programme to replace nearly 3,800 M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. In October that year, the army’s decision-making board redesignated the programme as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) programme and decided to increase the number of vehicle programmes added to the NGCV.
American Rheinmetall Vehicles (ARV) has formed a team to execute Phase 2 the project’s requirements maturation effort using digital engineering and model-based system engineering tools. The group, Team Lynx, is made up of ARV, Raytheon Technologies, L3Harris Technologies, Textron Systems and Allison Transmissions.
Michigan-based director for business development strategy for ARV Mike Milner tells us: “The Bradley IFV has been in the field now for close to 40 years and it has served very admirably. It’s not being replaced because it’s a poor vehicle, but it’s reached its age and maturity limits where it cannot be modernised any longer.
“The new vehicle replacing the Bradley can continue to grow into the future and maintain overmatch against our near-peer adversaries and for the next 30-40 years.”
Because of the importance of replacing an obsolete vehicle, the previous failed attempts and because the OMFV is intended to serve a vital part in the US Army’s Armoured Brigade Combat Teams (ABCT), the programme has received a lot of attention.
The contract awarded to the five companies is worth approximately $300m in total, with Rheinmetall receiving $54m. In this phase, the contractors will simultaneously develop a digital model that is tested through physics- and operationally based models to determine what capabilities add value to the project.
“The army will then run those models through the operational and use the outcomes to determine what requirements and capabilities provide the most bang for the buck,” says Milner.
Then the requirements are refined, updated, and sent back to the contractors for further adjustments and updates. In the next step, the data is fed back to the physics and operational modelling to determine whether the requirements increased capability. This process is carried out twice. The phase began at the end of July and is expected to be delivered within 15 months.