The Czechs will purchase 210 Swedish-made CV90 combat vehicles
The Czech Republic signed a memorandum with Swedish and British BAE Systems on the purchase of 210 CV90 tracked combat vehicles, the defense minister said on Wednesday.
The memorandum signed on Tuesday ‘confirms the agreement of all three parties on the main parameters for the purchase of CV90 combat vehicles,’ Minister Yana Chernokhova said.
She added that the value of the deal would be up to $2.3 billion, without disclosing further details.
BAE Systems Hagglunds’ CV90 is a tracked combat vehicle with a turret gun that can be considered a light tank or armored personnel carrier.
Cernokhova spoke at a televised ceremony at which the Czech army received the first of 14 Leopard tanks from Germany.
Germany is donating tanks as compensation for the Czech Republic’s military aid to Ukraine, which has been fighting a Russian invasion since February.
Czech Defense Ministry spokesman Jiri Taborski told AFP that the aid is currently worth the equivalent of $200 million.
This year, the Czech army and arms companies also exported $2 billion worth of military materials to Ukraine, three times more than in 2021.
Earlier, the ministry reported that the Czech army also plans to buy another 50 Leopard 2 A7+ tanks from Germany.
Last week, the ministry said it would buy a total of 62 Caesar howitzers from French company Nexter Systems, after increasing the previously agreed number by ten.
This agreement to replace obsolete Czech-made equipment is worth 77.5 million dollars.
The Czech Republic, a NATO member since 1999, has yet to meet its commitment to spend two percent of its gross domestic product on defense.
Last week, neighboring Slovakia signed a deal to buy 152 CV90s worth $1.8 billion.
