Canadian American Strategic Review

CASR Home

Mod Prop Index

'Interim' CCVs?

Background CCV Project

Background CV90 Series

CV9040 Lease?

A Modest Proposal  —  CV9040: Does 'Interim' become Future CCV ?

Interim CCV: what happens to CF CV9040s? If a proposed ' Interim CCV ' was implemented, what  would  Canada do with these converted CV9040s once the CF's Kandahar deployment ended ? All loaned CV9040Cs would return to Sweden, of course. The refurbished  CV9040B fleet could have their remote weapon systems removed before being donated to the ANA or these interim CCVs could  be flown to Canada to join training vehicles in future conversions.

But what useful future role could be played by turretless and tired veterans of the Afghan conflict ? One possibility would be to use the CV9040 hulls as test rigs for armament options for the ultimate Close Combat Vehicle choice (which should be related to weapons chosen for any LAV III upgrade. Many of those potential main armament choices are available as remote weapon stations. The image at left shows a former  interim CCV training vehicle fitted with the Rafael RCWS 30 (30mm Bushmaster II ).  Such a conversion would allow engineers to integrate the weapon system to the CV9040 hull (never as simple a proposition as it seems) and then permit CF personnel to put  that combination through its paces on the CFB Gagetown test tracks  as well as  realistic exercise scenarios.

Alternative second uses  for the CV9040B  hulls would be specialty vehicles to support  ultimate CCVs. One possibility might be a dedicated fire- support vehicle to back up CCV infantry carriers (right). Another angle would  be to move under- scale TAPV models –  like the proposed Coyote reconnaissance vehicle replacement – onto CCV hulls. Alternatively, the role could be divided in two, fielding both 'sabre' recce CCV and 'stealth' surveillance TAPV (both using standard  hulls). The overall point is that while interim hulls may have future uses, it's DND who determines whether a vehicle type is retained or disposed of.[1] Predictably, DND's all-on-nothing approach to the CCV project resulted in nothing. Time to see the virtues inherent in interim solutions

[1] The key word is disposal. DND is at the mercy of Cabinet and Treasury Board as to whether a new vehicle type is purchased  –  that is why the CCV and TAPV projects are where they are. But DND not Cabinet determines which existing CF vehicle types are retired. Instead of trepidation over getting stuck with an interim type (always attributed to political interference) DND must become bolder about disposal.