From idea to the operator’s hand – the story behind the new CV90 gunner control

07 August 2026 | Electrum Automation AB

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A control handle is a small component in a 30-plus-tonne combat vehicle. But for the gunner, it is one of the most important.

It is the physical connection between human and weapon system. When BAE Systems Hägglunds began looking for a new generation of gunner control for the CV90, the task was given to Electrum after an innovation competition with a few competitors

What followed was not a conventional build-to-print assignment. It became a joint development project combining ergonomics, industrial design, electronics, mechanics and manufacturing.
Designing for both the operator and the future
The new control needed modern electronics and high reliability for a critical application. It also had to be ergonomic and intuitive, while offering enough flexibility for functions and requirements that might emerge later in the vehicle’s life.

Military platforms remain in service for decades. A new control must therefore work not only when it leaves the factory but also as the vehicle and its systems continue to evolve.
BAE Systems Hägglunds describes the CV90 philosophy as soldier-centric: adapting the machine around the human rather than asking the human to adapt to the machine. A gunner control is one of the clearest examples of that philosophy.

Dimensions can be defined in CAD and electronics tested on a bench, but whether a control feels right in the operator’s hand must be experienced. The shape of the handle, the position of the controls and how naturally different functions can be reached all matter.
Development therefore became an iterative process between the teams. Ideas became physical solutions that could be evaluated and refined, with ergonomics, mechanics and electronics developed together.
“The defence industry places extremely high demands on its suppliers. Meeting those demands has developed us as a company as well,” says Thomas Moström responsible for design at Electrum.
More than a replacement product
BAE Systems Hägglunds wanted Electrum to contribute to the solution, not simply manufacture a predefined product.
Håkan Karlsson, Category Manager for Weapons & Fire Control Systems at BAE Systems Hägglunds, highlighted the combination of modern electronics, innovative design and flexibility – including the potential to accommodate functions that had not yet been fully defined.

The result was therefore not simply a new housing around existing electronics, but a control designed as a platform for continued development.
Once the design had been established, the next challenge was industrialisation. Development and production worked closely together at Electrum in Umeå, allowing feedback from assembly and testing to quickly reach the engineers.

That interaction is easily overlooked. A successful prototype is only the beginning; the product must also be manufactured, tested, documented and supported consistently over many years.
In this case, the agreement includes repairs and spare-parts support for 30 years. That long perspective places particular demands on component selection, documentation, traceability and maintainability.

One project became the foundation for another
A few years later, BAE Systems Hägglunds needed another Human Machine Interface for upcoming CV90 programmes – this time a new driver control handle. Electrum was again selected as development and manufacturing partner.
Experience and design elements from the gunner control were deliberately carried into the new project. The original development had created more than one product: it had established knowledge, design principles and a working relationship between the two companies.

Eventually, all those decisions end up in one place: in the operator’s hand.

Try the real CV90 gunner control at DALO
At DALO Industry Days 2026, visitors can experience the result for themselves.
Electrum is bringing a shooting simulator equipped with the real CV90 gunner control. Visitors can take the operator’s position, experience the handle and its controls – and compete for the exhibition’s high score.
Meet Electrum Automation in Hall D, stand D3190, on 19–20 August.

And be prepared to aim carefully.