CV90 with the Iron Fist active protection system integrated.

Iron Fist APS for Europe’s CV90s

The Iron Fist active protection systems (APS) from Elbit will protect CV90s operated by European states. The contract reflects the increased challenges of protecting infantry fighting vehicles to the extent that they can perform their mission. 

BLUF: 

  • Elbit has been awarded a $150 million contract by BAE Systems to integrate Iron Fist into CV90s for European customers. 
  • IFVs need greater protection to survive on a modern battlefield and have some chance of successfully completing a mission. 

On January 6 Elbit Systems announced it had received a $150 million contract from BAE Systems Hägglunds for the Iron Fist APS, which will be integrated into CV90 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) operated by European NATO member states. The press release didn’t provide much more than that before moving onto Iron Fist’s interception of 120 mm kinetic energy rounds – which we will come back to – but what exactly does this contract mean?

Well, Calibre Defence data on the global armoured fighting vehicle market shows that at least 825 CV90s have been publicly ordered since 2022. The majority will be built at the same standard as the Dutch mid-life upgrade which includes the D-series turret and improved power-pack. Aligning around this standard has been essential for Hägglunds to meet the ambitious delivery time frames set by most of its customers. It also allows for Iron Fist to be integrated into the turret based upon experience gained during the Dutch upgrade.

The Swedish company has also embarked on a significant expansion of its production facilities, and taken a more expansive approach to including the domestic industry of its customers in the production and assembly of vehicles. 

Anyway, the following countries have placed CV90 orders since 2022, which gives some indication of where Iron Fist could be going: 

  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Lithuania
  • Slovakia
  • Sweden
  • Ukraine.

The contract value is slightly higher than the 2024 award for the US Bradley M2A4E1 upgrade, which was expected to upgrade 120 to 150 vehicles. It seems reasonable to assume a unit price approaching $1 million, and so up to 150 CV90s to be upgraded with the system. The first vehicles rolled out for Czechia in August 2025 sporting Iron Fist, but there are many other CV90s on the cards and a 2024 order for the system may have been related to Czechia’s requirement. 

The Nordic states and Lithuania have also clubbed together and are planning a very large order for CV90s in the near future that will be the largest BAE Hägglunds has ever signed, a company representative said at DSEI 2025. The contract is expected to be signed early this year and will push the number of vehicles in service or on order into the 2,000s, with 1,300 already in service. 

What about Iron Fist and the 120 mm intercept?

Most of the January 6 press release is dedicated to the news that Iron Fist had successfully intercepted a 120 mm kinetic energy round during live trials in Europe. “During the trial, the system successfully intercepted more than a dozen 120mm KE APFSDS tank rounds – a rare accomplishment in the APS field. The event, attended by senior military and defense industry representatives, validated Iron Fist’s effectiveness against some of the most challenging anti-armor threats faced on modern battlefields.”

This is quite significant, but Elbit had provided details of this capability back in 2019. Albeit relatively early in its development at that stage, the company had tested the system against several different tank rounds. It does represent a significant achievement; Iron Fist is a pedestal-mounted APS, as opposed to a distributed system. This means that the pedestal carrying the munitions must rotate to face the threat and fire an interceptor in time for an effective interception – not easy against a long rod travelling at 1,500 metres per second. 

That the system intercepted 12 APFSDS rounds is impressive, but tank-on-tank engagements are actually relatively rare. Even in Ukraine kinetic energy is far from the leading cause of tank losses. Mines, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), and loitering munitions tend to account for far more vehicles. Regardless, the tests do reflect the ability of the system to defend a vehicle against the most capable and lethal of anti-armour threats. 

Calibre comment: Wait, tanks aren’t the main threat?

Well, they are and they aren’t. Statistically, more tanks have been knocked out by ATGMs since 1990 than kinetic energy rounds. So, based on that element alone, it is more likely that an APS would be required to intercept something like a Kornet than a 3BM-42 Mango (Russian APFSDS). This is partly because of the conflicts that have dominated the past three decades. Most western forces have been focused on counter-insurgency wars with only brief conventional phases. Russia and Ukraine’s long war, since 2014, has seen some tank-on-tank engagements, but artillery and ATGMs were the primary anti-tank weapons for most of that war. 

Things could shift if NATO and Russia came to blows. But even in that case, Russia’s doctrine emphasises the use of ATGM teams and artillery to destroy armour concentrations more than direct clashes with its own tank forces. 

So what? I’d say that intercepting a 120 mm APFSDS is a “nice to have.” But for vehicles like the CV90, the ability to intercept FPVs, drones, and ATGMs is far more important. Unless Iron Fist can decimate a 120 mm kinetic energy rod, turning it into tiny fragments, it is unlikely that the vehicle’s armour would be able to soak up the residual parts of the rod. This may mean that it is more relevant for tanks than IFVs. Even if it were for IFVs, however, ATGMs represent a very significant threat and being able to intercept four or more would increase vehicle survivability and the probability of mission success quite significantly.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on January 26, 2026. The lead image shows a CV90 with the Iron Fist APS integrated. Credit: Elbit Systems.

 

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