Stridsbåt 90 H(alv) (Strb 90 H; CB90) is a class of fast military assault craft used by several countries after being originally developed for the

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...

Dockstavarvet Dockstavarvet (Eng.: the Docksta Wharf) is a Sweden, Swedish shipyard located in the small village of Docksta, in the Kramfors Municipality, municipality of Kramfors, by the Gulf of Bothnia. The company was founded in 1905 by Nils and Carl Sundin ...

. Its name means Combat Boat 90 Half; the ''90'' refers to the year of acceptance (1990) and ''Half'' refers to the fact that it can carry and deploy a half platoon of amphibious infantry (18 men) fully equipped. The CB90 is an exceptionally fast and agile boat that can execute extremely sharp turns at high speed, decelerate from top speed to a full stop in 2.5 boat lengths, and adjust both its pitch and roll angle while under way. Its low weight, shallow draught, and twin water jets allow it to operate at speeds of up to in shallow coastal waters. The water jets are partially ducted, which, along with underwater control surfaces similar to a submarine's

diving plane Diving planes, also known as hydroplanes, are control surfaces found on a submarine which allow the vessel to Pitch (flight), pitch its bow and stern up or down to assist in the process of submerging or surfacing the boat, as well as controlling ...

s, gives the CB90 its manoeuvrability. In addition to the many variants in service with the Swedish Navy under the "Stridsbåt 90H" designation, the CB 90 has been adopted by the navies of Norway (as the S90N), Greece, Mexico (as the CB 90 HMN), the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(as the Riverine Command Boat), and

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Development and adoption history

In 1988,

won a competition to design and manufacture a replacement for the ageing Tpbs 200 class. Two prototypes, with

pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...

801 and 802, were delivered in 1989. After the completion of field trials, the

signed a purchase order for 120 boats in June 1990. In 2002, the Swedish Navy ordered an additional 27 boats of a slightly different type, designated Stridsbåt 90 HS – where S refers to ''Skydd'' (''protected'') as the Strb 90 HS is armoured and features CBRN protection (the whole boat can be over-pressurized) – intended for use in international peace-keeping operations. Apart from the addition of armour, it sports air-conditioning for deployment in tropical conditions, a fuel cooling system, a 230 V generator and more powerful engines. The manufacturer sometimes refers to the model as the ''CB 90 HI'', where the I probably stands for International. Several of the tasks carried out by the Strb 90 H-variants were originally intended for the

Strb 90 E The Storebro SB90E is a small craft developed by Swedish yacht designer Storebro Bruks AB. It was initially developed for the Swedish Navy, who designated it the Stridsbåt 90 E, the ''E'' being for ''Enkel'' (Swedish for ''"simple"'' (referring ...

, which is now almost completely phased out. The

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...

evaluated the Strb 90 H in early 1996 and subsequently purchased a total of 20 boats, designated 90 N (for ''Norsk utgave'', literally ''Norwegian version''). The

Mexican Navy The Mexican Navy () is one of the components of the Mexican Armed Forces. The Secretariat of the Navy is in charge of administration of the navy. The commander of the navy is the Secretary of the Navy, who is both a cabinet minister and a career ...

acquired 40 units (designated CB 90 HMN) between 1999 and 2001, and obtained a production license in 2002, allowing further units to be manufactured in Mexico. Since then eight additional units have been built. The German Water Police rented a Combat Boat 90H from the manufacturer

for the

33rd G8 summit The 33rd G8 summit was held at Kempinski Grand Hotel, 6–8 June 2007. The summit took place in Heiligendamm in the Northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the Baltic Coast. The locations of previous G7 / G8 summits to have been host ...

Heiligendamm Heiligendamm () is a German seaside resort founded in 1793. It is the oldest seaside spa in continental Europe. Heiligendamm is part of the town Bad Doberan in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and historically belongs to Mecklenburg. The ...

, Germany. This boat was involved in a high-speed chase with three

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

RIB In vertebrate anatomy, ribs () are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the thoracic cavity, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ...

s who were trying to enter the restricted area near the hotel where the meeting was being held. A video clip of the incident was later widely spread around the internet. In July 2007 The United States

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command The Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) is an echelon III command of the United States Navy, which serves as the single functional command to centrally manage current and future readiness, resources, manning, training and equipping of the U ...

(NECC) specified the CB90 for testing as its Riverine Command Boat.

SAFE Boats International Founded in 1997, SAFE Boats International is an American-based Shipbuilding, boat manufacturer. SAFE stands for Secure All-around Flotation Equipped. Their headquarters is near Seattle in neighboring Bremerton, Washington. SAFE Boats Internationa ...

of Bremerton, Washington, was given a US$2.8 million contract to produce one prototype. The CB90 was subsequently adopted, and two were involved in an incident with Iran in 2016. In June 2009 an unknown buyer from Abu Dhabi bought two civilian luxury versions. In 2010, Dockstavarvet Shipyard modified two CB90s to be carried in the davits of Dutch and UK Navy

landing platform dock An amphibious transport dock, also called a landing platform dock (LPD), is an amphibious warfare ship, a warship that embarks, transports, and lands elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare missions. Several navies currently operat ...

s (LPDs). During six-month trials, the two boats and a full Swedish boat squadron were embarked on a Royal Netherlands Navy LPD as a fully integrated element of the amphibious forces aboard and successfully deployed. CB90 outside Gothenburg 2012-05-22

In 2013 JSC

Pella Shipyard Pella () is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It served as the capital of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. Currently, it is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella ...

near St Petersburg in Russia launched the first

Raptor-class patrol boat The Raptor-class patrol boat, Russian designation Project 03160, is a series of Russian high-speed coastal patrol boats. Boats of the class belong to the 4th rank ships in the Russian Navy. This project was developed by the design bureau of JSC L ...

; while the Russian boats are strikingly similar, there is no indication Dockstavarvet has been involved or licensed the design to Pella.

Versions

Swedish version

Several Strb 90 H have been converted by the

to fill various roles: * The Strb 90 L is outfitted for

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

-level command and control, with computer and communications equipment and an auxiliary generator to provide electrical power when the engines are not running. The L stands for ''ledning'' (''command'' or ''leadership''). * The Strb 90 KompL is a plain Strb 90 H in which portable computer and communications equipment have been installed, allowing it to temporarily provide

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

-level command and control. Electrical power is provided by a rather loud portable generator installed on the deck. * The Strb 90 HS is designed for overseas peacekeeping and rescue operations. It is modified to keep its crew comfortable in Mediterranean conditions, with

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

, an auxiliary generator, a

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

, and more comfortable crew stations. More importantly, it is armoured, and its engines have been upgraded to compensate for the added weight. * At least one Strb 90 H, pennant number 802, is equipped with a decompression chamber. * The Swedish Police operate one unarmed Strb 90 H equipped with bunks, a

pantry A pantry is a room or cupboard where beverages, food, (sometimes) dishes, household cleaning products, linens or provisions are stored within a home or office. Food and beverage pantries serve in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen. Etymol ...

and a crew lounge. * The

Swedish Sea Rescue Society The Swedish Sea Rescue Society (, SSRS), formally the Swedish Society for the Saving of Shipwrecked Persons () is a Sweden, Swedish voluntary organisation that works with maritime search and rescue on Swedish lakes and seas. The society runs 70 ...

operates two unarmed Strb 90 Hs converted for

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

Norwegian version

The

operates 20 CB90s under the designation SB90N; the N stands for ''Norsk utgave'' (''Norwegian version''). The S90N differs from the Strb 90 H in a few areas: * It is armed with two

M2 Browning The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered ...

heavy machine gun A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require mounting onto a weapons platform to be operably stable or ...

s (port and starboard), and a Protector

remote weapon station A remote controlled weapon station (RCWS), remotely operated weapon system (ROWS), or remote weapon system (RWS), is a remotely operated light or medium-caliber weapon system, often equipped with a fire-control system, that can be installed on Co ...

. * The

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

winch A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension (physics), tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form, it consists of a Bobb ...

is motorized, and the

is mounted at the

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...

, allowing a grounded S90N to tow itself afloat rather than risk damage to its

impeller An impeller, or impellor, is a driven rotor used to increase the pressure and flow of a fluid. It is the opposite of a turbine, which extracts energy from, and reduces the pressure of, a flowing fluid. Strictly speaking, propellers are a sub-clas ...

s. * It carries an auxiliary generator that provides electrical power to navigation and communications systems even when the engines are not running. * The troop compartment has a higher deck height, making it possible for most people to stand without crouching. * It has two water-tight compartments in the bow, having an extra room for toilets and stores. * It has much more sophisticated navigation equipment based on GPS technology delivered by Kongsberg Seatex AS. At least one S90N has been reconfigured into a floating

ambulance An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...

. In 2004, the Royal Norwegian Navy conducted tests (including a

live fire exercise A live fire exercise (LFX) is a military exercise in which live ammunition and ordnance is used, as opposed to blanks or dummies. The term can also be found in non-military usage. Military Militaries usually use live-fire exercises as an op ...

) to evaluate the effectiveness of the SB90N as an aiming and launching platform for the Hellfire missile. One SB90N was equipped with a stabilized Hellfire launcher based on the Protector, and its machine gun was replaced with a

gimbal A gimbal is a pivoted support that permits rotation of an object about an axis. A set of three gimbals, one mounted on the other with orthogonal pivot axes, may be used to allow an object mounted on the innermost gimbal to remain independent of ...

-mounted sensor package containing visible-light and infrared cameras and a laser designator. Although the tests were successful, there is currently no indication that the Royal Norwegian Navy will deploy SB90Ns armed with Hellfire missiles in regular service. The Hellfire can still be carried on the boats without launching platforms and be fired from shore with the Portable Ground Launch System. The CB90s are used by the Coastal Ranger Commando.

Greek version

* Hellenic Coast Guard also operates since 1998 three CB90 under the CB90HCG designation which is a slightly different version of the Norwegian Navy version.

Incidents and accidents involving CB90s

In mid-1999, one CB90 (No. 820) belonging to the Swedish

Karlskrona Coastal Artillery Regiment The Karlskrona Coastal Artillery Regiment (), designation KA 2, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1902 and 2000. The unit was based in Karlskrona. History Formation of Swedish Coasta ...

(KA2) crashed into a concrete pier at approximately . There were eight soldiers on board; seven of them sustained more or less severe injuries, including fractures, while one soldier who was standing in the machine gun ring mount on mid-deck remained physically unhurt. On June 13, 2004, several Strb 90 H from the Swedish First Marine Regiment (AMF1) were sailing at high speed in convoy formation when one of them abruptly reduced speed (allegedly so its wake would not upset a smaller sailboat). The boat immediately behind it failed to react and rammed it. Two soldiers who were above deck at the time of the accident were hit and thrown into the water; both were killed almost instantly. On the night of October 23, 2006, a CB90 sank off of Hamnudden, east of

Utö Uto, UTO, Utö, or Utō may refer to: People Given name * Uto Ughi (born 1944), Italian violinist and conductor * Uto Wunderlich (born 1946), German sports shooter Surname * Datu Uto (died c. 1900), 18th Sultan of Buayan, Mindanao * Fumiaki ...

in the

Stockholm archipelago The Stockholm Archipelago () is the largest archipelago in Sweden, and the second-largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea (the largest being the Archipelago Sea across the Baltic in Finland). Part of the archipelago has been designated as a Rams ...

. The boat was travelling at due to the bad weather when it suddenly began to take on water from the bow. It then sank in less than ten minutes. All of the crew of 16 were quickly picked up by other ships that were nearby. No one was physically injured, but the crew suffered from shock and hypothermia when picked up. On October 5, 2014, a

Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defence operations. RMN's area of operation consists of 603,2 ...

CB90 bearing registration number CB204 was reported lost at sea due to storms and high tides. There were seven crewmen on board. The boat was last detected at 1.05 pm some 57 nautical miles off

Labuan Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan (), is an island federal territory of Malaysia. It includes and six smaller islands off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capital is Victoria, which is best kno ...

Island. The boat was found on October 6 near Station Lima, after its distress call was heard by KD Paus, a

Jerung-class gunboat The ''Jerung'' class is a class of gunboats in service with the Royal Malaysian Navy. This class is based on the same design as the in service with Argentine Navy, the ''Lurssen FPB/TNC-45'' fast attack craft and are built locally by Malaysia-Ger ...

, with no injuries to all 7 crew. It was reportedly caused by engine and steering problems. On January 12, 2016, two U.S. Navy riverine command boats were "taken into custody" by

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Revolutionary Guards' Navy The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN; ; officially abbreviated in Persian as NEDSA and also known as the Sepah Navy) is the Navy, naval warfare Military branch, service of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps founded in 1985, and o ...

near

Farsi island Farsi Island () is a tiny, barren Iranian island (Bushehr province) in the Persian Gulf. There is an IRGC Navy base on this island. The island has an area of about and is restricted from the public. The center of Farsi Island is located at lati ...

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

. An Iranian state-run news outlet reported that 10 U.S. sailors had been "arrested" even though Iranian and U.S. officials said that none of the sailors were harmed and that they would be released promptly. Officials have stated that one of the boats broke down very close to Iranian territorial waters and after drifting for a short time both were picked up by Iranian forces. According to ''Stars and Stripes'' newspaper, the crews were released a short time later.

Operators

US Navy 110818-N-YO394-075 Sailors from Riverine Squadron 1 perform a live boat demonstration

Current operators

* **

Hellenic Coast Guard The Hellenic Coast Guard () is the national coast guard of Greece. Like many other coast guards, it is a paramilitary organization that can support the Hellenic Navy in wartime, but resides under separate civilian control in times of peace. The ...

: 3 * :

Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defence operations. RMN's area of operation consists of 603,210 square kilo ...

: 5 unit CB90, 12 unit CB90HEX * :

: 48 * :

: 20 * :

Marina de Guerra del Perú The Peruvian Navy (, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Additional missions include assistance in saf ...

: SIMA Peru will build, on behalf of the Peruvian Navy, in agreement with the N.Sundin Dockstavarvet factory, a subsidiary of the Swedish group SAAB, the first 2 ultra-fast combat boats out of a total of 24 that will be used for maritime interdiction work on the Peruvian coast. * :

Royal Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...

: A total of 165 boats delivered with 10 additional CB90 HSM on order. 32 boats will be delivered to Ukraine (10 in February 2024, 6 in September 2024, 16 in January 2025). * :

Ukrainian Navy The Ukrainian Navy (), is the Navy, maritime force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The naval forces consist of five components: surface forces, submarine forces, Ukrainian Naval ...

: At least 19 in service with a total of 38 boats pledged. * :

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

: 2, known as 'Riverine Command Boat'.

Potential operators

* :

Koninklijke Marine The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

: 1 CB90 was leased in 2010 for evaluation by the

Korps Mariniers The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps () is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the four Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishment of the on 10 Decembe ...

as part of the transformation towards its new force structure & littoral strike concept. The

is considering the CB90 to replace existing LCVP's in 2025 - 2030 as part of the new Force Structure. * : The

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...

has been examining procurement of CB90 since 2023. Up to 15 units are to be procured which will be used for port protection tasks and patrols. A possible competitor is the Watercat M 18 AMC from Finnish manufacturer Marine Alutech. * : The Hellenic Army has been reportedly planning to acquire a small number of CB90s.

Evaluation only operators

* :

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

: 4 CB90 were leased from the Royal Swedish Navy in 2011 to evaluate the option of potential acquisition. The boats were later returned to the Swedish Navy.

Related development

* Storebro SB90E * Combat Boat 2010

References

Stridsbåt 90H
at SoldF.com, an unofficial site dedicated to information about Swedish military materiel.
Et fremtidsrettet prosjekt
an article about the Hellfire experiment on the official web site of the Norwegian military.
A series of pictures of a Norwegian S90N

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, CB90-class fast assault craft
Video of CB90 in action on the Amazon River
(Windows Media Player) Note: Commercial video, but shows the boat's capabilities.
(YouTube) CB 90 Hellfire Trials

Patrol vessels of the Royal Norwegian Navy Patrol vessels of the Hellenic Coast Guard Riverine warfare Military boats Landing craft