The Swedish CB 90 is once more proving that the sound basic design allows it to stay up to date and remain relevant on the modern battlefield. Sweden just ordered an additional batch while France started testing the combat boat.
Robin Häggblom story, additional reporting by Xavier Vavasseur
The Swedish Navy will receive an additional 22 boats based on the latest CB 90NG standard as part of a new deal which was announced this week, although it was booked during June. This is a follow-on deal to the order for ten new boats announced in June last year, and is part of a greater trend of re-equipping the Swedish marines with new and more modern vessels – a process that has also been sped up somewhat by a number of boats being sent to Ukraine and the expansion of the force with a second unit of marines set up in recent years. The total value for 22 boats is 900 million SEK, or 80 million Euro.
At the same time the French Navy has started trials with the CB 90HSM. During the early parts of the summer a number of French officers and sailors have received training on the vessel by their Swedish colleagues. CB 90HSM being the most modern version of the CB 90 currently in Swedish service. Now the test period itself has kicked off, during which the French Navy will conduct what is described as an “extended period” of testing to determine whether the vessel is suitable for the needs of the French marine infantry units (known as Fusiliers marins) responsible for base protection as well as vessel protection.
As such, the decision has now been made to proceed with evaluating the suitability of the CB 90 for the task, which has now kicked off with trials conducted with the CB 90HSM onboard a Mistral-class amphibious assault ship.
The CB 90HSM differs from the original CB 90H in having ballistic protection, provisions for a remote weapon station, as well as generally updated subsystems including a new propulsion line to take benefit of the developments that have taken place in small craft in the last few decades, as well as taking care of any potential obsolescence issues. These changes also means that the vessel is significantly more capable in roles such as patrol and base protection, as opposed to the original CB 90H which was closer to a ‘pure’ landing craft. Still, the CB 90HSM has not traded any capability here, and is able to transport 21 soldiers at 40 knots, before disembarking them over the bow ramp.
Notable is that the French Navy describes the trials as part of strategic cooperation with Sweden, a cooperation that has seen a number of initiatives in recent times. This includes joint exercises and deployments, but also port visits and defence procurement. This was further confirmed in a roadmap signed by the respective ministers at the Paris Air Show last month.
The French Navy evaluation likely comes as the service is looking for a replacement for its “VFM” interceptor boats. While two “vedettes de fusiliers marins” were delivered from 2023, the French defense procurement arm, DGA, cancelled the contract with Brittany-based shipbuilder Ufast. The company eventually filed for bankruptcy in March 2024.
The VFM boats main tasks included escort missions in maritime approaches, as surveillance and protection of naval bases and French navy units and “defense missions in the context of operations outside of the national territory”. While the CB 90 can fulfill these missions as well, it brings additional capabilities, such as landing up to 21 soldiers ashore.
