Introduction

Tankograd has released two books on the Swedish Infantry Fighting Vehicle CV90 series. This first one covers the development of the vehicles, as well as its use with the Swedish Army. A review of the second book covering its use by other nations is published on this site and can be found here. The book has 64 pages in high gloss paper and 129 high quality, mostly color photos. All text and captions are in English and German.

The CV 90 family of vehicles was developed from the early 1980’s to replace older IFVs then in service with the Swedish Army. The Swedish Army ordered its first batch of CV9040 in 1991 and the vehicle was continuously improved during its production. The Swedish Variants are equipped with a 40mm gun and other countries field 30mm (CV 9030) and 35mm guns (CV9035). The vehicle has seen action with Norwegian and Danish troops in Afghanistan as well as in Liberia with the Swedish UN-contingent. Over 1000 vehicles have so far been delivered to 6 countries.

Book Contents

The books starts off with a two page background history on the development of Swedish IFVs and then covers its development and the different prototypes in detail in a 5-page text. This is followed by 6 pages of photos of the different prototypes and proposed versions.

The book then focuses on the different variants in Swedish service: 6 pages of “in action” photos of the CV 9040A in different exercises are followed by a two page text detailing the technology of that variant. The next 10 pages are dedicated to more photos of the CV 9040B in exercises, often in combination with the Stridsvagn 122 (Leopard 2S). A 5 page walk around with detail photos of the CV 9040B follows. This is certainly useful for detailing up the available kit of this variant from Academy. 4 more pages are dedicated to the CV 9040C which features additional passive armor and certainly makes for a totally different look. Photos are well selected and show different types of camouflage, from standard Swedish summer camouflage, to white wash, to twigs and branches.

The Swedish army has also introduced an AA variant of the CV 90, the Luftvärnskanonvagn 90. This looks basically the same as the IFV from the outside with the exception of the radar dome on the back of the turret. One page of text and 5 pages of photos are dedicated to this variant.

Other variants the Swedish army introduced are also covered. These are the command vehicle (Stripbv 90; 4 pages), artillery observation post vehicle (Epbv 90; 3 Pages) and the armoured recovery vehicle (Bgbv 90; 5 pages). The final 5 pages are dedicated to the mortar version which features a twin 120mm mortar for a very futuristic look. This vehicle has so far not been ordered and remains a prototype.

Conclusion

This is a very useful book for those wanting to detail the Academy kit or the announced Hobby Boss releases, or those just wanting some inspiration for an ‘in action’ diorama. It is also very useful for those interested in modern military technology as it provides many development and technical details. Photos are all very good quality and the English text has no major translation flaws. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in the CV 90 family of vehicles.

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www.tankograd.com
and please mention that you saw this on Armorama.