The CV 90120 light tank/fire support vehicle has been developed as a private venture by Hagglunds Vehicle AB of Sweden. This company is also the prime contractor for the CV 9030 infantry fighting vehicle for the Norwegian Army and also provides the chassis for the CV 9040 infantry fighting vehicle for the Swedish Army.

The first prototype of the CV 90120 was completed in mid-1998 and commenced firing trials in Sweden late 1998.

The CV 90120 is essentially a CV 90 chassis fitted with a brand new turret designed by Hagglunds Vehicle armed with the Swiss Ordnance Enterprise 120 mm smooth bore gun.

Although developed as a private venture the CV 90120 could be a potential replacement for the Swedish Army's current lkv-91 tank destroyers.

These were built for the Swedish Army many years ago by Hagglunds Vehicle but their 90 mm gun firing HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) projectile is not adequate against the latest main battle tanks.

The all welded steel hull of the CV 90120 is almost identical to that of the CV 9030/CV 9040 covered in detail in the Armoured Personnel Carriers (Tracked) section.

Over the frontal arc the CV 90120 hull and turret provides protection against 30 mm armour piercing attack with protection against 12.7 mm armour piercing attack all round.

The driver is seated at the front on the left with the power pack to his right. Over his position is a single piece hatch cover that opens to the left. This has three integral periscopes, the centre one of which can be replaced by a AN/WS-CV90 passive periscope for driving at night.

The new all welded steel turret is in the centre with the commander and gunner being seated on the right and the loader on the left. The corrrnander and loader have individual roof hatches which open to the rear and both have periscopes to give observation to the front and the sides.

Main armament consists of a Swiss Ordnance Enterprise 120 mm 50 calibre Compact Tank Gun (CTG) fitted with a vertical sliding breech mechanism, pepperpot muzzle brake, thermal sleeve and fume extractor.

This fires standard 120 mm smooth bore tank ammunition which is fed to the gun using a semiautomatic loading system mounted to the turret bustle which has two revolver type magazines each holding five rounds. A full automatic loading system is being studied.

In addition to firing APFSDS-T and HEAT-MP types of ammunition, the 120 mm CTG can also fire the Swedish developed HE round which is used by the Swedish Army in place of the HEAT-MP round. All of these 120 mm natures of ammunition have a semi-combustible cartridge case.

Mounted co-axial to the left of the main armament is a 7.62 mm machine gun and mounted either side of the turret is a bank of electrically operated smoke grenade launchers.

The gunner has a roof mounted stabilised Celsius Tech Universal Tank and Anti-Aircraft System (UTASS) sighting system which is also fitted to the CV 9030/CV 9040 vehicles with day/thermal channels and a laser range-finder. This can be elevated from -10 to +25° and in silent watch mode has a traverse of 18° left and right.

The commander's cupola can be traversed through 110° left and 135° right and in the forward part of the cupola is an Avimo DNGS day/thermal sighting system.

The commander also uses a stabilised Lemur day/ night sighting system incorporating a laser range-finder to enable hunter/killer target engagements to be carried out. This has a traverse of 360° with elevation from -20 to +35°.

If required, four troops or additional 120 mm ammunition can be carried in the hull rear of the CV 90120 and the single large door of the CV 9030/9040 is retained.

Suspension is of the torsion bar type with rotary dampers. Each side has seven road wheels, drive sprocket at the front, idler at the rear and track return rollers. The upper part of the track is covered by skirts.

Tracks are of the forge steel single pin type with detachable rubber pads, each track having 24 shoes. The track has a pitch of 152 mm and a width of 533 mm. A semi-active hydraulic track tensioning system is fitted as standard and operated by the driver.

All optics are protected against lasers and optional equipment includes a laser warning system, fire detection and suppression system for the crew compartment, add on armour and target assignment equipment.

Prototype undergoing trials.