Page 46: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2022)

EYE ON THE NAVY COMBAT BOATS

A riverine command boat operates alongside the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zane Ecklund

T e Swedish Combat Boat 90 is a

Warrior and a Workhorse

By Edward Lundquist he Swedish-built Combat Boat 90 (CB 90) has in 2017. The Storebro SB90E civilian and export version is established itself with military forces around the made by Storebro Bruks AB.

world as both a warrior and a workhorse. The 52- Dockstavarvet describes the CB 90 as “an all-aluminum

T foot boats ? rst entered service in 1991 as troop car- fast assault craft, heavily reinforced for forceful landing on riers with the Swedish Marines, which is still procuring them. unprepared beaches.”

There are more than 250 operating worldwide today. The basic troop carrier version usually has a crew of three and

These rugged boats are optimized for high-speed / shallow- can carry about 18 to 20 combat equipped troops, or carry 4.5 draft operations in and around Sweden’s many coastal islands, tons of cargo. The CB90 can make a direct approach to a beach but they have also proven to be ideal for a variety of other ap- or shore line and discharge personnel through the bow ramp. plications and operating environments. The boats can be carried on larger ships or transportable by land.

The CB 90 is 52 feet long, with a draft of just 2 feet 7 inch- Operators include Swedish Police, Swedish Sea Rescue So- es. Standard displacement is about 17 tons. It’s powered by a ciety, Hellenic Army, Hellenic Coast Guard, Mexican Navy, pair of 625 hp Scania V8 diesels and Kamewa waterjets, so Malaysian Navy and the Marina de Guerra in Peru. The Royal they’re both fast—40 knots plus--and maneuverable. In fact, Navy leased four boats for several years.

there are control surfaces in the waterjet tunnels which im- The boats can be out? tted for water sampling or other en- prove maneuverability. vironmental protection missions. Boats that will be operating

The CB 90s are built at Dockstavarvet shipyard on Swe- in the tropics can have upgraded power systems for air condi- den’s east coast. The company was acquired by Saab Defense tioning and fuel cooling.

46 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • November 2022

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