Successful firing of MBDA Akeron MP missiles from Swedish army CV90 IFV
On 8 December, Ronkainen tweeted three pictures taken at the opportunity of the first live fire shots from a Swedish CV90 integrating Akeron ATGM. MBDA’s Akeron-MP missile system has indeed been successfully integrated and fired from a BAE Systems Hägglunds CV9030 IFV. Unfortunately, none of these three pictures shows the firings themselves, possibly for imposed confidentiality reasons. Notice that the integration of the Spike ATGM was already completed.
The Akeron MP (Akeron Moyenne Portée), formerly known as MMP (Missile Moyenne Portée; Medium-Range Missile), is a French 5th generation, network-enabled, anti-tank guided missile system. Featuring both fire-and-forget and command guidance operating modes, it also integrates third-party target designation for indirect firing scenarios through its lock-on after launch capability for non-line-of-sight (NLOS) use.
Entering French service from 2017 onwards, the Akeron MP was developed by MBDA France and is intended as a replacement for the MILAN and American-made FGM-148 Javelin. It is designed for dismounted infantry (being man-portable) as well as for integration on combat vehicles and has a firing range of up to 5 km. A long-range, air-launched missile of the same family, the Akeron LP (Akeron Longue Portée), is also in development. It is intended to equip the upcoming French Eurocopter Tiger MkIII attack helicopter.
Developed specifically for the Nordic sub-arctic climate, the CV90 has very good mobility in snow and wetlands while carrying and supporting six to eight fully equipped dismount soldiers. The CV90 and Hägglunds E-series turrets have been under continuous development with more than 4 million hours invested and are still produced with modern protection, armament and network enabled solutions. Currently, 1,280 vehicles in 15 variants are in service with seven user nations, four of which are NATO members, under BAE Systems Hägglunds AB. The CV90 has undergone four mark shifts to meet different customer requirements, focused on capability enhancements.