The new CB90 combat boat is really powerful... anti-ship, air defense and can be operated unmanned. Sweden has ordered 36 units

Sweden has ordered 36 new-generation CB90 CX combat boats. (Taken from Saab official website)

[Reporter Tu Jumin/Comprehensive Report] Small combat boats can not only carry officers and soldiers, but can also carry out anti-ship, air defense and even unmanned combat operations. Foreign military news websites reported that Swedish military industry giant Saab has launched a new generation of CB90 CX combat boats. It not only enlarges the hull and improves the payload capacity, but also can be operated by manned or unmanned, and can carry radar, anti-ship missiles and anti-aircraft guns according to mission requirements. Sweden has signed a contract to purchase 36 boats, and the first boat is undergoing final acceptance testing and will become the first country to use it.

Foreign military news website "The War Zone" reported that Sweden has continued to purchase CB90 series combat boats in recent years, ordering 10 in June 2024, 22 more in 2025, and four more in the first half of this year, totaling 36, to be put into the "Amphibious Battalion 2030" modernization plan. Saab said that the new CB90 CX has entered the production stage, but the official delivery schedule has not yet been announced. In the future, it will serve together with the existing CB90 NG, rather than completely replace the old type of boat, to perform traditional troop transport raids and multi-mission operations respectively.

The CB90 series is famous for its high speed, flexibility and suitability for operations in narrow waters. It has been adopted by the navies of nine countries. The new CB90 CX is about 18 meters in length, about 1.4 meters longer than the CB90 NG. It is equipped with two 1,100-horsepower engines each, has a top speed of more than 40 knots (about 74 kilometers per hour), a range of more than 300 nautical miles (about 556 kilometers), and can carry up to 10 people when operated.

It is worth noting that the CB90 CX integrates the "Autonomous Ocean Core" autonomous navigation system developed by Saab, which can operate manned or unmanned according to mission requirements, reducing the risk of casualties in high-risk missions, but relevant decisions still require human supervision.

According to reports, the CB90 CX is armed with three mission configurations. The intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance type is equipped with the "Giraffe 1X" radar, with an air detection range of more than 100 kilometers; the anti-ship type can be equipped with two Marte ER anti-ship missiles with a range of more than 100 kilometers; and the short-range air defense type uses Rheinmetall's Seasnake 30 mm rapid gun, with a maximum rate of fire of 1,100 rounds per minute, which can counter drones and helicopters.

In February this year, the Swedish Defense Materiel Agency signed a contract to purchase another eight Seasnake 30 air defense weapon systems, which are expected to be delivered in 2028 to strengthen the air defense capabilities of amphibious forces. Saab plans to expand its production facilities and produce CB90 CX and CB90 NG at the same time. This new boat also reflects the trend of modern naval warfare, deploying radar, missiles and air defense weapons dispersedly through multiple small platforms to enhance littoral combat capabilities.