Lynx, CV 90, or ASCOD: expert explains why the issue of a new IFV for the Armed Forces of Ukraine remains open

The Lynx infantry fighting vehicle in the latest KF41 modification, which was recently handed over to Ukraine by the German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall, is currently at the training ground, and its real combat performance is being evaluated. It is necessary to check whether it is worth the money and whether Ukraine needs to spend astronomical amounts of money on these particular infantry fighting vehicles.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate for Ukraine to choose CV 90 or ASCOD infantry fighting vehicles. It's not just about money, but also about the characteristics of this military equipment and, most importantly, about the production conditions. This was stated by Defense Express editor-in-chief Oleh Katkov on OBOZ.Talk.

He noted that Ukraine has indeed received one unit of Lynx infantry fighting vehicle for testing, which is necessary for further mass production of equipment ordered by Ukraine.

According to the expert, there are several IFVs that Ukraine may be interested in. Our country needs a lot of this military equipment – about a thousand units. At the same time, the cost of a modern infantry fighting vehicle is about 10 million euros.

"So this is a very powerful potential contract. Of course, it will be divided into many stages, but in general, the costs are astronomical. But we have no other options. We are not going to dig into BMP-1, and BMP-2, which have already expired in the Soviet Union, they are already outdated for Afghanistan. These are coffins on wheels, so we need to switch to BMPs. Which one is an open question. Lynx is one of the options. The second is CV 90, the third is ASCOD. All of these IFVs have been repeatedly tested in numerous tenders and comparative tests and competitions that have taken place in many countries recently," Katkov said.

For example, the Czech Republic and Slovakia did not choose the Lynx but chose the CV90 in the same procurement. Australia chose the Korean KF21 instead of Lynx.

In the United States, tenders to replace Bradley often include Lynx manufactured by Rheinmetall. However, these IFVs may lose out to General Dynamics with an ASCOD-based project.

According to the expert, the weight of the vehicle is important when choosing an IFV. The Lynx is a 44-ton vehicle, which means it can be fitted with full frontal armor from 30mm automatic cannons. It also means a landing capacity of about 8 soldiers in the landing compartment and a wide range of weapons that can be installed in the combat module.

ASCOD weighs 42 tons, and CV 90 weighs 40 tons.

"Objectively, Lynx is a very interesting vehicle. But for us, in addition to the characteristics, the production conditions are also important. Because the cost will depend on our wishes, but it is approximately 10 million euros per unit. The question is where this money will go and how it will be spent. There is a good example of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which have chosen CV 90. This is because BAE Systems offered excellent conditions for its localization. Up to at least 40%, in reality, more than 50%, and they will be produced in these countries very actively. Rheinmetall may not have been able to produce these machines quickly enough," said Katkov.

He added that the main question is not about the APCs themselves, as they all have roughly the same characteristics, but about the conditions of their production, the fate of localization, how much of the production Ukraine will receive, and what the production rate will be.

"In other words, Ukraine needs these armored personnel carriers, objectively, the day before yesterday, but in reality, it needs to be produced as quickly as possible, and it is a question of how much Rheinmetall can provide and how much we can produce. Whatever choice we make, the main thing is that it should be a single one, i.e. we take one armored personnel carrier, not three, so as not to offend anyone," Katkov added.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, in the last days of last year, the German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall delivered to Ukraine the latest Lynx infantry fighting vehicle in the KF41 modification. The BMP has already been provided to the Armed Forces for testing.

In December 2023, Rheinmetal announced that it intends to manufacture its infantry fighting vehicles at production facilities built in Ukraine. Production of Lynx vehicles in Ukraine began last summer.

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