The CV90 tracked infantry fighting vehicle program represents much more for the Czech defense industry than simply the production of equipment for the Czech Army. Within the state-owned enterprise VOP CZ, capabilities ranging from development and design through integration and assembly to testing, logistical support, and – in the future – maintenance and modernization are gradually being consolidated under this program. The Czech Republic is thus not only acquiring new combat vehicles but also the know-how necessary to ensure that a significant portion of their life cycle can be managed domestically.

For VOP CZ, this is also one of the most significant projects in its 80-year history. The company, which for decades was primarily associated with the repair and modernization of military equipment, is gradually transforming into a modern manufacturing, development, and engineering firm. The CV90 program is significantly accelerating this process. Thanks to it, VOP CZ is participating in the production of a modern Western tracked platform and gaining technologies and experience whose significance may extend beyond the contract for the Czech Army itself.

The Czech Army is procuring a total of 246 CV90 vehicles in seven variants. The first thirteen vehicles are being assembled directly at the BAE Systems Hägglunds plant in Sweden; however, the main part of the production program is shifting to the Czech Republic. At the end of July, the first vehicle hulls arrived from Sweden at the VOP CZ plant in Šenov, effectively marking the start of vehicle assembly in the Czech Republic.

Each CV90 consists of more than 3,000 components, and its assembly takes several months. At full production capacity, VOP CZ is expected to produce approximately ten vehicles per month, with peak production anticipated primarily between 2027 and 2029. Two production lines corresponding to those used in Sweden were built for this purpose in Šenov – one is intended for combat versions, the other for other variants.

Not Just Assembly, but Also Czech Development

The extent of Czech experts’ involvement is one of the most important aspects of the entire program. VOP CZ is not merely a company that will assemble finished vehicles from foreign components. Its staff also participated directly in the development of two of the seven CV90 variants intended for the Czech Army – the ambulance and the forward artillery observation vehicle.

Czech designers were given considerable leeway, particularly in the case of the ambulance variant. BAE Systems Hägglunds established the basic requirements and platform specifications, but the specific interior layout and technical design were developed at VOP CZ. It is here that one of the most significant Czech contributions to the CV90 program can be found.

The significance of this know-how need not be limited to the 246 vehicles for the Czech Army. Some of the solutions developed by Czech engineers could potentially be applied in other international CV90 programs as well. VOP CZ is thus moving beyond the role of merely receiving technology from a foreign partner to one where it can contribute its own technical solutions to the international program.

The first signs of this expansion beyond the Czech contract are already evident. The company is manufacturing welded cabins for BAE Systems intended for CV90 training simulators, which are also to be used outside the Czech program. This collaboration with the Swedish company thus opens up the possibility of VOP CZ’s gradual integration into the broader CV90 platform supply chain.

Technologies That Will Remain in the Czech Republic

A key element of the collaboration with BAE Systems Hägglunds is the transfer of technology and know-how. Its practical outcome is not only new manufacturing processes but also the ability of Czech workers to understand the vehicle’s design, its systems, diagnostics, and technical support.

This is of fundamental importance, particularly from the perspective of future operations. For military equipment with an expected service life of several decades, production itself represents only one part of the entire program. Equally important are subsequent repairs, maintenance, spare parts supply, technical documentation, modernization, and the ability to respond to the army’s operational needs.

This is precisely why VOP CZ is also preparing to serve as a major service base for the Czech CV90s. From the state’s perspective, this constitutes a strategic capability. If a key portion of the maintenance and repair of combat equipment can be carried out within the Czech Republic, dependence on foreign capabilities is reduced, while the state’s ability to keep the equipment operational even amid a deteriorating security situation is enhanced.

The significance of this capability goes beyond a standard industrial contract. State-owned enterprises under the Ministry of Defense are also part of the state’s mobilization system, and the domestic capability to repair and maintain key ground equipment therefore takes on new significance in the current security environment.

From Mechanics to Engineering and Logistics

VOP CZ’s transformation is also clearly evident in the professions required by the CV90 program. In addition to welders, mechanics, and design engineers, electrical engineers, project staff, and specialists in integrated logistics support (ILS) are involved in the project. The core project team consists of about twenty people, but in a broader sense, roughly one hundred employees will be working on the program.

The ILS field, in particular, illustrates just how significantly the demands on a modern defense company are changing. These specialists focus, for example, on analyzing potential future failures of individual components, conducting safety analyses, and creating and translating technical documentation and manuals. The ability to manufacture the vehicle’s mechanical components is thus only one part of a much broader system of knowledge necessary for the long-term operation of a modern military platform.

As part of the program, VOP CZ has simultaneously invested more than 80 million crowns in its infrastructure. Production facilities and the test range have been modernized, and a new garage and other specialized facilities have been built. Before delivery, the completed vehicles will undergo comprehensive testing, which includes dozens of kilometers of road tests and inspections of electronics, weapon systems, and communications equipment.

Further investments are to be directed primarily toward expanding service capacities and technical infrastructure. After all, the logical continuation of the current production program should be long-term support for the vehicles throughout their lifecycle. It is precisely here that the value of the know-how VOP CZ is acquiring today through their development, integration, and production can be fully realized.

A Czech Footprint with the Potential to Exceed the Domestic Program

For VOP CZ, the CV90 program thus represents much more than just long-term production capacity utilization. Thanks to this program, the company is shifting from traditional repair services toward a combination of production, development, engineering, logistics, and comprehensive lifecycle management of modern military equipment.

At the same time, this is an example of how a large modernization project can be used to build capabilities that will remain in the Czech Republic even after the last vehicle is delivered. Manufacturing technology, trained workers, design experience, logistical know-how, and service infrastructure can be utilized for decades and potentially in other projects as well.

The true Czech contribution to the CV90 program, therefore, is not merely the number of vehicles that will roll off the production lines in Šenov. What is more significant is the gradual development of domestic expertise that will enable the country to develop, integrate, test, maintain, and, in the future, modernize this modern tracked platform. If, at the same time, Czech experience and design solutions can be applied to other international CV90 programs, the current contract could serve as VOP CZ’s ticket to much broader European industrial cooperation.