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Ukrainian Navy Adds CB90 Fast Boats Marking New Phase in Coastal and Riverine Warfare.
Ukraine’s Navy has received additional CB90 fast assault boats from Sweden and Norway, completing a new division dedicated to coastal and riverine missions. The move strengthens Kyiv’s maritime resilience and aligns its fleet standards more closely with NATO operations.
On 29 October 2025, Ukraine’s Navy announced the arrival of additional Swedish- and Norwegian-supplied Combat Boat 90 (CB90) craft, completing a full division structured around this platform. The service framed the delivery as part of the Coalition of Maritime Capabilities supporting Ukraine’s fleet renewal, with crews already trained on the type. The CB90 is widely used across NATO for fast landings, coastal defense, patrol and protection of commercial traffic, making this reinforcement immediately operationally relevant, as reported by the Ukrainian Navy.
The CB90 is a high-speed, shallow-draft assault craft designed for rapid troop deployment, coastal patrol, and riverine warfare, capable of exceeding 40 knots while carrying up to 21 armed personnel (Picture Source: DVIDS/U.S. Army)
Developed by Saab’s Docksta shipyard, the CB90 family is a compact, high-speed, shallow-draft assault craft designed for littoral warfare. Recent “Next Generation/HSM” iterations measure roughly 16.3 m in length with a beam near 3.8 m, displace about 18–24.5 t, and use twin waterjets driven by two 900 hp diesels. They cruise at ~38 knots in calm seas and exceed 40 knots at maximum load, with a range around 300 nautical miles. Standard fits support ring-mounted 12.7 mm machine guns or 40 mm AGLs, with provisions for additional mounts and sensors. The class can embark an infantry section (about 18–21 troops, depending on variant) and has been adapted for mine-laying and surface-to-surface missile carriage in some configurations.
Operationally, the CB90 has three decades of service across multiple fleets, notably Sweden’s Amphibious Corps and Norway’s Coastal Ranger Commando (SB90N), and it inspired the U.S. Navy’s Riverine Command Boat used in Persian Gulf security tasks. Norway validated a stabilized Hellfire-launcher concept on SB90N in trials, underscoring the platform’s flexibility for precision strikes and special operations support, even if not fielded widely in that role. This accumulated history in NATO forces is directly applicable to Ukraine’s contested littorals and river mouths.
For Ukraine, the CB90’s speed, maneuverability and beaching ability make it well-suited to amphibious inserts, interdiction of small craft, rapid troop movement between riverine bridgeheads, and armed escort for civilian shipping along coastal corridors. Recent Ukrainian actions in the Black Sea and Dnipro delta, raids against Russian positions on the Kinburn/Tendra spits and persistent littoral operations after Snake Island, illustrate a demand signal for fast boats able to exploit shallow waters, avoid mines, and mass quickly for surprise landings before dispersing. In this environment the CB90’s shallow draft, quick stop/turn performance, and stabilized remote mounts (where fitted) help reduce exposure to shore-based fires while enabling short, sharp strikes and extractions.
Strategically, a full CB90 division strengthens Ukraine’s ability to harass Russian positions around occupied Crimea’s approaches without committing larger hulls, complicates Russian force protection along beaches, spits and inlets, and adds agility to protect the grain corridor and civilian shipping lanes that Kyiv has reopened despite pressure from the Black Sea Fleet. As Russia has displaced assets eastward and tightened coastal defenses, the availability of trained CB90 crews gives Ukraine more options for asymmetric pressure, probing raids, decoy maneuvers, and rapid logistics to forward riverine footholds, while forcing Russia to spread surveillance and interdiction resources over a wider coastline.
This reinforced CB90 division gives Ukraine a timely, scalable tool for littoral combat and maritime security, aligning proven NATO fast-boat tactics with Kyiv’s operational needs in the Black Sea and river estuaries. With trained crews, modernized fits and an active production line in Sweden supporting sustainment, the platform adds credible speed, shock and flexibility to Ukraine’s maritime playbook at a moment when agility at sea and along contested shores carries disproportionate strategic weight.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.