BAE Systems has received a contract to test and verify active protection systems on CV90 Infantry Fighting Vehicles for the government of the Netherlands.

The CV90 is an armored vehicle initially developed for the Swedish Army in the early 1990s, and is currently in service with armed forces in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Switzerland. The contract would effectively make the Dutch CV90 the first NATO combat vehicle to receive active protection.

Active protection is a capability affording warfighters defense against rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank missiles, and similar threats. Under the contract with the Netherlands, BAE Systems engineers will provide these defenses by installing Iron Fist, an automated system that uses radar to detect, track and ultimately eliminate threats.

"Iron Fist will give the Dutch Army a highly sophisticated defensive tool on its CV90s to counter threats and improve the safety of the vehicle and its crew," BAE Systems' Tommy Gustafsson-Rask explained in a press release. "Iron Fist is yet another example of the advanced technology BAE Systems and its partners can deliver to our customers."

Dutch defense officials say the effort will pre-qualify the active system alongside industry partners prior to integration.

"We expect to make a decision on the next phase by early 2018. With Iron Fist, the Netherlands is expected to become the first NATO country with an Active Protection System of its kind on combat vehicles," Netherlands Defense Materiel Organization project manager Hans de Goeij added.