As reported by Naval News earlier this year, the Swedish Marines are currently undergoing a major change as the Amfbat 2030-program strives to give them the ability to fight in the littorals both mounted and dismounted – including against surface and air threats. The program took another major leap forward recently, with the release of a Request for Information for a number of key systems.
These cover the remaining three expected major weapons, as well as a remote weapon station (RWS). The size of the vessel these system are planned to go on – 16 to 20 meters in length, larger than the current CB 90 – means that a new vessel class is also planned, though not covered by the RFIs.
The RWS is to be able to target both stationary and moving targets. While Sweden’s most recent CB 90HSM come equipped with Saab Trackfire RWS, the Trackfire is not marketed as able to mount a modern 30 mm autocannon. The reason this is notable is that two other RFIs concern 30×113 mm autocannons and rounds. For the autocannons, the envisioned targets include both land, surface, and airborne targets (helicopters and unmanned airborne systems).
It deserves to be mentioned that a modern system in the described configuration is available on the market in the form of the Kongsberg RS6 RWS with a 30×113 mm XM914E1 Bushmaster cannon ordered for the US Marine Air Defense Integrated System program (MADIS), and as such this configuration could well be the frontrunner.
Related is the requirement for a light air-defence system, either in the form a man-portable very-short range system or a short-range system. Among man-portable systems, there exists the options on the market to integrate these to RWS – such as the MADIS where RS6 can fit a Stinger-launcher – and still retaining the ability for the marines to bring the launchers along when going ashore.
On the other hand, Saab’s domestic RBS 70 NG has been offered as an integrated vehicle-mounted solution, and with the RBS 70 scoring notable successes against Russian helicopters in Ukrainian hands, orders for additional systems (and newer versions) from the Swedish Armed Forces would not be surprising.
The heaviest system is an anti-ship or surface-to-surface missile with range in excess of 70 km, able to be used against both ground targets and enemy shipping. The range requirement points toward a dedicated anti-ship missile rather than a converted anti-tank missile such as the AGM-114C HELLFIRE currently in use, as even modern non-line of sight systems struggle with the range. Coupled with the size of the envisioned launch platform, MBDA’s Marte ER is the likely favourite.
While the planned vessels are larger than the CB 90, they are still small to sport this kind of firepower. In particular mounting a Marte ER-class anti-ship missile on a vessel below 20 meters in length is closer in size and relative firepower to the motor torpedo boats of the immediate post-war era rather than more recent fast attack craft.
