F1 system on track for military vehicles

Engineers at BAE Systems have applied the new Active Damping upgrade system to current variants of the CV90 combat vehicle family – breaking speed records in rough terrain and increasing the CV90’s agility by reducing its pitch acceleration by about 40 per cent.

First introduced into F1 in the 1990s, the Active Damping system works by sensing the speed of the vehicle and layout of the terrain ahead and responding by pressurising the suspension to keep the vehicle on a level plane at all times.

This increased stability is helping to reduce the wear and tear on the armoured vehicles and cut through-life repair costs for each vehicle, despite them being able to travel 30–40 per cent faster on rough terrain.

For the crew of a CV90, the technology means a smoother ride and a reduction in fatigue – an important factor on the battlefield. The reduced vertical motion also increases the gunner’s probability of finding and hitting targets.