Drone wars: countries are looking for answers but do companies have the solutions?
Manufacturers are speeding up their counter-drone development efforts as countries increasingly focus on procurements to provide battlefield and national protection.
Iron Fist ordered for more CV90 IFVs
Iron Fist on a CV90 IFV. (Photo: BAE Systems)
The Iron Fist Active Protection System (APS) is already in service on BAE Systems Hägglunds CV90 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and is being used on Israeli vehicles conducting operations in Gaza.
Elbit Systems will provide its Iron Fist APS to BAE Systems Hägglunds for installation on the latter’s CV90 IFVs under a US$130 million deal announced on 8 August.
The contract will be completed over the course of this decade but the number of systems and European customer were not disclosed.
Iron Fist is a kinetic system provides armoured platforms with 360° protection from a wide variety of threats, such as anti-tank rockets and missiles, as well as UAS and loitering munitions.
The system has proved popular with the US evaluating it for upgraded Bradley IFVs, Australia contracting it for Redback IFVs and other CV90 operators buying the system as well as proving its worth in Israel’s current operations in the Gaza Strip.
In September 2023 it was announced that Elbit Systems had received $109 million for Iron Fist systems from an undisclosed European customer for use on CV90s which may have been Slovakia.
In September 2019 BAE Systems to integrate Iron Fist onto the Dutch fleet of CV90s following successful testing to integrate it onto the platform.
In May this year received a $37 million contract to deliver Iron First systems for the US Army’s Bradley M2A4E1 IFVs.
It is not known which country the latest order is for but Danish CV90s are being upgraded by BAE Systems under a contract placed in March and Ukraine is also receiving new CV90s to add to existing vehicles of the same class which it already operates.
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