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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 ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels ...
by
Dockstavarvet Dockstavarvet is a Swedish shipyard located in the small village of Docksta, in the municipality of Kramfors, by the Gulf of Bothnia. The company was founded in 1905 by Nils and Carl Sundin as ''N & C Sundins Båtbyggeri''; the current name of ...
. 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 light 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 its bow and stern up or down to assist in the process of submerging or surfacing the boat, as well as controlling depth when subm ...
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 (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
(as the Riverine Command Boat), and
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
.


Development and adoption history

In 1988,
Dockstavarvet Dockstavarvet is a Swedish shipyard located in the small village of Docksta, in the municipality of Kramfors, by the Gulf of Bothnia. The company was founded in 1905 by Nils and Carl Sundin as ''N & C Sundins Båtbyggeri''; the current name of ...
won a competition to design and manufacture a replacement for the aging
Tpbs 200 Tianjin Renmin Guangbo Diantai (), translated as the Tianjin People's Broadcasting Station (TPBS) is a major radio broadcaster in Tianjin, China. They also operate the Tianjin Television station, also known as TJTV. Tianjin Television (TJTV) ( ...
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 completion of field trials, the
Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels ...
signed a purchase order for 120 boats in June 1990. In 2002, the
Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels ...
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, fuel cooling system, 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 ''single'') - shorten ...
, which is now almost completely phased out. The
Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...
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 two independent armed forces of Mexico. The actual naval forces are called the ''Armada de México''. The ''Secretaría de Marina'' (''SEMAR'') (English: Naval Secretariat) includes both the ''Armada'' itself and ...
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
Dockstavarvet Dockstavarvet is a Swedish shipyard located in the small village of Docksta, in the municipality of Kramfors, by the Gulf of Bothnia. The company was founded in 1905 by Nils and Carl Sundin as ''N & C Sundins Båtbyggeri''; the current name of ...
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 G8 summits to have been hosted by ...
in
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 States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and historically belongs to Mec ...
, 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 Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
RIB In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ches ...
s which 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 Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) serves as the single functional command to centrally manage current and future readiness, resources, manning, training and equipping of the United States Navy's 21,000 expeditionary warfare, expeditionary ...
(NECC) specified the CB90 for testing as its Riverine Command Boat.
SAFE Boats International Founded in 1997, SAFE Boats International is an American-based boat manufacturer. SAFE stands for Secure All-around Flotation Equipped. Their headquarters is near Seattle in neighboring Bremerton, Washington. SAFE Boats International manufacture ...
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 CB90's 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 oper ...
s. During these six months 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. In 2013 JSC
Pella Shipyard Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient ...
near St Petersburg launched the first Russian built
Raptor-class patrol boat The Raptor-class patrol boat, formally identified as 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 JS ...
"Raptor", but while the ships are strikingly similar there is no indication Dockstavarvet has been involved or licensed the design to Pella.


Versions

Several Strb 90 H have been converted by the
Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels ...
to fill various roles: * The Strb 90 L is outfitted for
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...
-level
command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ...
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
employs human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization o ...
, 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 has been installed, allowing it to temporarily provide
company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...
-level
command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ...
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
employs human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization o ...
. Electrical power is provided by a rather loud portable generator installed on deck. * The Strb 90 HS is designed for overseas peace-keeping and rescue operations. It is modified to keep its crew comfortable in Mediterranean conditions, with
air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
, 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 animals ...
, and more comfortable crew stations. More importantly, it is armored, 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, and 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 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 ...
. * Hellenic Coast Guard operate also since 1998 three CB90 under the CB90HCG which is a slightly different version of the Norwegian Navy Version


Norwegian version

The
Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...
operates 20 CB90s under the designation SB90N; the N simply 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 towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, ...
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 Sea PROTECTOR Remote controlled weapon station. * 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 ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek � ...
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 of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attach ...
is motorized, and 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 ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek � ...
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. Or ...
, allowing a grounded S90N to tow itself afloat rather than risk damage to its
impeller An impeller or impellor is a 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. In pumps An impeller is a rotating componen ...
s. * It carries an auxiliary generator which 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 toilet and stores. * It has a 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 which transports 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 med ...
. 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 (as opposed to blanks or dummies) is expended. The term can also be found in non-military usage. Armed services Armed services usually use live-fire exercis ...
) to evaluate the effectiveness of the SB90N as an aiming and launching platform for the Hellfire missile. One SB90N was equipped with stabilized Hellfire-launcher based on the Protector (RWS), 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 actually 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.


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 ( sv, Karlskrona kustartilleriregemente), 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 ...
(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 in the water; both were killed almost instantly. On the night of October 23, 2006, a CB90 sank off of Hamnudden, east of Utö in the Stockholm archipelago. The boat was traveling 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, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of op ...
CB90 bearing registration number CB204 was reported lost at sea due to storm and high tides. There were seven crewmen on board. The boat was last detected at 1.05pm some 57 nautical miles off
Labuan Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capita ...
Island. The boat was found on October 6 near Station Lima, after its distress call was heard by KD Paus, a Jerung-class gunboat, 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, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
's Revolutionary Guards' Navy near Farsi island in
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...
. 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

;: *
Hellenic Coast Guard The Hellenic Coast Guard ( el, Λιμενικό Σώμα-Ελληνική Ακτοφυλακή, Limeniko Soma-Elliniki Aktofylaki, Port Corps-Hellenic Coast Guard) is the national coast guard of Greece. Like many other coast guards, it is a para ...
: 3 *
Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is th ...
;: Malaysian Navy: 5 unit CB90, 12 unit CB90HEX ;:
Mexican Navy The Mexican Navy is one of the two independent armed forces of Mexico. The actual naval forces are called the ''Armada de México''. The ''Secretaría de Marina'' (''SEMAR'') (English: Naval Secretariat) includes both the ''Armada'' itself and ...
: 48 ;:
Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...
: 20 ;:
Royal Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels o ...
: 147 in service, 18 on order ;:
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
: 4, formerly leased from the Royal Swedish Navy, used to evaluate the option of potential acquisition and returned to the Swedish Navy. ;:
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
: 6, known as 'Riverine Command Boat' ;: Marina de Guerra del Perú: 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.


Related development

* Storebro SB90E * Combat Boat 2010


See also

* G class landing craft * Uisko class landing craft * Jurmo class landing craft *
Jehu-class landing craft ''Jehu''-class landing craft (also referred to as U-700 class) are a class of military transport vessels used by the Finnish Navy. Manufactured by Marine Alutech under the designation Watercat M18 AMC, the boats can perform a multitude of tasks r ...
* KMC Komando * Multi-purpose Attack Craft * Project 03160 "Raptor" High-Speed Patrol Boat * Cotecmar LPR-40 *
Centaur-class fast assault craft The Project 58181 Centaur (''Kentavr'')/Project 58503 Centaur-LK class is a series of small armored assault craft being built for the Ukrainian Navy. The first two vessels were laid down at the Kuznya na Rybalskomu in December 2016. The 58181 pr ...
*
Mark V Special Operations Craft The Mark V SOC (Special Operations Craft) was a marine security, patrol, and special forces insertion boat used by the United States Navy and manufactured by VT Halter Marine Inc (Gulfport, Mississippi). It was introduced into service with the ...


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


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