Developed on the proven CV90 infantry fighting vehicle, the CV90 Armadillo is another variant of the family, serving as a heavy armored personnel carrier.

The APC is designed to be versatile in multiple roles, taking the family’s outstanding mobility, protection and payload to a new level.

The CV90 Armadillo shares many components with previous versions, thus reducing logistical requirements. The CV90’s traditional 2-man turret was removed, and replaced with a Remote Weapon Station, further enhancing its payload capability.

The Armadillo layout is almost identical to the older CV90, the Driver is located in the front left of the hull, with the engine bay to his right. The vehicle Commander is stationed in the middle of the hull (left side) in the main vehicle compartment, which then extends to the hull rear. A third crewman (depending on vehicle variant) is seated to the right of the Commander.

This armored personnel carrier is well protected. All-round protection is against 25 mm armor-piercing projectiles. Vehicle is well protected against landmines and IED blasts. Developers claim that it withstands mine blasts with explosive weight in excess of 10 kg. Vehicle is fitted with NBC protection system. It also has external fire suppression equipment. It is intended to protect from urban warfare attacks, such as Molotov cocktails. The Armadillo has a payload capacity of 9 t which can be used to increase protection to even higher levels.

Armadillo’s remote weapon station is armed with 7.62 mm, 12.7 mm machine guns, or 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. The remotely-controlled weapon station can accommodate heavier weapons up to 35 mm caliber. BAE Systems Hägglunds have also stated that the Armadillo could be fitted with their new ADAPTIV camouflage technology. All of this combined, makes the Armadillo the most highly protected tracked APC in NATO.

The Armadillo is powered by a new Scania 810hp diesel engine. It features an improved suspension system and new rubber tracks. These not only lower the vehicle overall noise, but also vibrations reducing the crews and occupants fatigue. The maximum speed is up to 68 km/h, and the range is 900 km. The CV90 Armadillo can be modified to become a personnel carrier, an ambulance, a command and control centre, a recovery vehicle and many other non-turreted variants at low cost due up to 80% commonality among variants.