Combat vehicle

A combat vehicle, also known as a ground combat vehicle, is a self-propelled, weaponized military vehicle used for combat operations. Combat vehicles can be wheeled or tracked.

History

Ancient

The chariot is a type of carriage using animals (almost always horses) to provide rapid motive power. Chariots were used for war as "battle taxis" and mobile archery platforms, as well as other pursuits such as hunting or racing for sport, and as a chief vehicle of many ancient peoples, when speed of travel was desired rather than how much weight could be carried. The original chariot was a fast, light, open, two-wheeled conveyance drawn by two or more horses that were hitched side by side. The car was little more than a floor with a waist-high semicircular guard in front. The chariot, driven by a charioteer, was used for ancient warfare during the bronze and the iron ages. Armor was limited to a shield.

Modern

In the modern time, combat vehicle is protected by strong armour and armed with weapons, which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities.

Combat Vehicle 90

The Stridsfordon 90 (Strf 90) (Eng. Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90)) is a family of Swedish tracked combat vehicles designed by FMV, Hägglunds and Bofors during the mid-1980s and early 1990s. The Swedish version of the main infantry fighting vehicle is fitted with a turret from Bofors that is equipped with a 40 mm autocannon, although export versions use 30 mm and 35 mm autocannons. Developed specifically for the Nordic sub-arctic climate, it has very good mobility in snow and wetlands while carrying and supporting eight (later versions were reduced to six) fully equipped soldiers. Other variants include Forward Observation, Command and Control, Anti-air, Armoured Recovery, Electronic Warfare and so forth. It is still produced and being developed further by BAE Systems Hägglunds AB.

History

During the Cold War, in 1983, the Swedish Army required vehicles with high mobility, air defence and anti-tank capability, high survivability and protection. The project group "Stridsfordon 90" was formed by representatives from the Swedish armed forces (Försvarsmakten), the Defense Materiel Administration (Försvarets Materielverk) and Swedish industry including Hägglunds and Bofors, which in 1985 finalized the design for a "unity-vehicle" which originated from an airforce concept. In 1986, the prototypes for Strf 9040 and Strf 9025 were ordered. Five prototypes were constructed, but before delivery in 1988, the 9025-version was discontinued. These prototypes were tested during extensive trials for three years between 1988 to 1991, during which the prototypes for specialized variants (FOV, C&C and ARV) were ordered. The first deliveries started in 1994, and as of 2002 over 1,000 CV90s have been delivered worldwide.