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Defence prime Saab has announced a new series of Combat Boat 90 Capability X vessels with optionally crewed configurations such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, anti-ship warfare and short-range air defence.
The new series of CB90 CX vessels are reportedly designed to expand the role of combat boats beyond troop transport, enabling them to contribute directly to surveillance, surface strike, over the horizon strike and air defence missions.
The new CB90 CX features increased payload capacity and comprehensively updated onboard systems, across a wider range of sea states.
Designed for optionally crewed operations using Saab’s Autonomous Ocean Core, CB90 CX retains the well-regarded characteristics of its troop-carrying predecessors while enabling the integration of a broader range of capabilities.
The ISR configuration focuses on multi-domain situational awareness and uses Saab's Giraffe 1X radar.
The anti-ship warfare configuration provides over-the-horizon strike capability against surface vessels, while the SHORAD configuration uses an anti-aircraft autocannon for air defence at a time when Uncrewed Air Systems proliferate.
By operating together, they provide navies with complementary capabilities that enhance their combined operational effectiveness or as part of a wider joint forces mix.
“The future of naval operations is not just about having more platforms; it is about distributing greater combat capability across the force. As operational realities change, so does CB90,” according to Anders Hellman, head of Saab’s business unit Docksta.
“CB90 CX reflects this evolution, moving beyond troop transport to connecting sensors and weapons and delivering combat capability directly from the boat, whether crewed or uncrewed.”
CB90 CX is currently under production for Sweden as the launch customer and will co-exist alongside the existing smaller CB90 NG. CB90 serves in nine navies and operates across the world from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas.
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