MilDef Boosts CV90 Security with Cutting-Edge Cyber Defense Gear

MilDef to supply cyber gear for CV90 vehicles

At a glance

• MilDef will supply rugged network hardware to help protect CV90 combat vehicles against network attacks.
• The order is worth SEK 40 million (about $3.9 million).
• Collaboration with BAE Systems Hägglunds and Clavister is behind the “cyber armor” program.
• Armored vehicles now carry networks that attackers could target.

Why armored vehicles need cyber protection

Modern armored vehicles carry radios, sensors and computers, and those networks can be attacked. In March 2025, MilDef, a Swedish maker of rugged military electronics, won an order worth SEK 40 million to supply cybersecurity hardware for the CV90 combat vehicles built by BAE Systems Hägglunds.

What MilDef will supply

The CV90 is a tracked armored vehicle used by several European armies. MilDef will deliver ruggedized network hardware that helps protect the vehicles from adversarial network attacks. The order follows a SEK 30 million order in December 2024 and supports a wider contract held by Clavister, another Swedish firm.

Work under the broader program is expected to run from the second half of 2025 until 2029. Clavister has said initial deliveries are planned for early 2027.

Clavister, MilDef and BAE Systems Hägglunds

BAE Systems Hägglunds builds the CV90. Clavister supplies the cybersecurity software, called CyberArmour, based on its security gateway and secure network switch technology. MilDef supplies the rugged hardware it runs on.

The aim is to protect the vehicle’s internal networks, which carry communications and command and control data, from intrusion.

Networks on the battlefield

Armies rely more and more on digital links between vehicles and command posts. Those links are targets. An adversary who can jam, spoof or break into a vehicle network can disrupt a mission without firing a shot.

Clavister CEO John Vestberg said the two companies have a long relationship pairing cyber software with rugged hardware. As armed forces digitize, he said, the need for much stronger cyber security is clear.

What it signals for other platforms

Cyber protection is becoming a standard part of combat vehicle design. The CV90 work could serve as a model for other platforms in European armies.

Hardware and software suppliers are now part of the vehicle supply chain in a way they weren’t a decade ago.

A small order with wider meaning

The MilDef order is small by defense standards, but it shows where vehicle design is heading. Armored vehicles now need protection for their networks as well as their hulls, and suppliers like MilDef and Clavister are building that into the CV90 fleet over the rest of the decade.

Dan Evert, CCNP

Dan Evert is a self proclaimed Router Jockey. Dan got heavily involved in networking right out of high school and has never looked back! Dan is giving back by working with high school students to get them involved and interested in Networking and Security.