The Swedish government will strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian Navy and river fleet by transferring ten combat boats and dozens more auxiliary vessels.

The news of the boats’ transfer was reported on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.

The Ukrainian military will receive Gruppbat landing craft and CB90 fast assault craft. Most likely, they will come in the basic version from the Swedish Navy.

These boats are expected to significantly enhance the capabilities of Ukrainian marines in river crossing operations, while also providing new opportunities to the Navy and Special Operations Forces in Black Sea operations.

Combat Boat 90/Stridsbåt 90

The Combat Boat 90 (CB90) is a military high-speed armoured landing craft developed by the Swedish company Dockstavarvet, which is part of Saab.

This boat is designed to rapidly deliver assault groups, conduct strike operations, coast guard, patrol, and support special operations.

It can also be used for exploration, water area mining, surveillance, and intelligence gathering. Location radar is installed for the latter on board.

The boat is capable of carrying up to 21 soldiers in full combat equipment or cargo up to 4.5 tons. The landing is located in the central part of the boat under the wheelhouse, and during the landing, it is rushed through the nose ramp. Due to a small draft, the boat can reach an unprepared shore.

The CB90 is armed with three turrets placed behind the wheelhouse and one on each side. The turrels can be equipped with a Browning M2HB 12.7mm machine gun or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher.

In addition, for strike or sabotage missions, the boat can be armed with RBS 17 SSM (Hellfire) light anti-ship missiles. It is also capable of carrying four naval mines weighing 2.8 tons, or six depth charges.

The combat boat is equipped with two 600 kW diesel engines and two pump- jets that allow it to perform sharp maneuvers and reach speeds of up to 45 km in shallow coastal waters.

Boats of this class are perfect for delivering Ukrainian sabotage units through the Black Sea to the Crimean Peninsula due to their seaworthy characteristics and capacity.

It is worth noting that the Russian armed forces and special services have their own licensed copy, known as the boats of Project 03160 Raptor. They were repeatedly destroyed by the Ukrainian Defense Forces during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Gruppbat

The Gruppbat landing craft is one of the smallest boats in the Armed Forces of Sweden. It is designed to move small infantry groups quickly over water on rivers or at sea for traffic within the archipelago.

It is designed to deliver eight fully equipped infantrymen as well as accompanying equipment over short distances. Due to its draft of only 30 cm, it can go to shallow bays, where other boats cannot reach.

With its modest dimensions, the boat is equipped with a 230 horsepower engine that can accelerate the side to a maximum speed of 55 km/h.

Gruppbat is not designed for combat, so there are no turrets with weapons on board. The only means of fire that can be used are small arms and any group weapons that soldiers have on board.

The best place for their use in the Ukrainian theater of hostilities would be the Dnipro River, where this type of equipment is actively used for support bridgeheads on the left bank of the Kherson region. At the same time, due to its small size, Gruppbat is not suitable for high seas operations.