Formula One isn’t just for racetracks anymore. BAE Systems has transplanted the same active-damping suspension technology that made 1990s F1 cars faster and more agile into its CV90 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), enabling the 35-ton armored platform to race over rough terrain up to 40% faster, cut crew fatigue, and sharpen its firepower on the battlefield.
The technology senses vehicle speed and terrain and automatically adjusts the suspension to keep the vehicle level.
On rough ground, the CV90 allows travel 30% to 40% faster than existing main battle tanks, while reducing pitch acceleration by about 40%, according to BAE.
World’s fastest tank off-road
“Adapting the active damping system for the first time from a lightweight car to a heavy tracked vehicle, such as CV90, was a unique challenge for us,” BAE Systems said in a statement.
“This advanced technology will deliver results to our customers in terms of vehicle performance and savings on through-life costs, as well as providing real benefits to the front-line soldier.”
The company said the smoother ride reduces wear on subsystems, extends component life, and cuts through-life repair costs.
It also lessens crew fatigue and improves gunner accuracy by minimizing vertical movement.
Built by BAE Systems Land Systems Hägglunds in Sweden, the CV90 is one of the largest families of armored combat vehicles in service, operated by Norway, Finland, Denmark, and other European militaries.
BAE says more than 1,300 CV90s have been sold to seven European nations, four of them NATO members. The vehicle has been combat-tested in Afghanistan and Liberia and is available in 15 variants.
Despite the added technology, the CV90 retains high mobility. It is powered by a fuel-efficient, high-torque V8 diesel engine, giving it a road range of up to 900 kilometers in new variants.
The active damping system, the company said, increases off-road speed while boosting gunners’ hit probability and extending the life of subsystems.
F1 suspension
BAE touts the CV90’s survivability features as among the most advanced in the world.
The platform offers modular protection against improvised explosive devices, anti-tank mines, shaped-charge warheads such as rocket-propelled grenades, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats through its integrated CBRN/HVAC system.
Additional options include a Defensive Aid Suite that detects and classifies threats, provides maneuver instructions, and deploys countermeasures and “ADAPTIV” multispectral camouflage to help the vehicle blend into its surroundings or mimic other objects.
The CV90 can be equipped with various weapons, typically a two-man turret with a 25- to 35-millimeter Bushmaster cannon.
It supports manned and unmanned turrets, missile integration, and air-burst munitions through an advanced fire-control system to shorten the sensor-to-shooter cycle.
A “hunter-killer” feature allows the commander to independently search for and hand off targets to the gunner.
Fully digitized and compliant with NATO’s General Vehicle Architecture standards, the CV90 integrates intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance technologies to support network-enabled operations.
Optional upgrades such as BattleView 360 provide augmented-reality displays for 360-degree situational awareness.
BAE says these combined technologies position the CV90 as a next-generation armored fighting vehicle capable of sustained, full-spectrum operations with a reduced logistics footprint.