Sweden could sell up to 20 CB90 combat boats to France in 2027 following French Navy trials.

On November 12, 2026, the Swedish government submitted a supplementary budget proposal to the Riksdag seeking parliamentary authorization to sell up to 20 Stridsbåt 90 (CB90) combat boats to France in 2027. The proposed government-to-government agreement would cover the vessels, crew training, and support equipment funded by France to equip the French Navy's Naval Riflemen and Commandos Force (FORFUSCO). This legislative step follows an 18-month French operational evaluation of three loaned Swedish CB90s at Brest and Toulon after France terminated its domestic twelve-vessel VFM Intercepteur 15 program.

On November 12, 2026, the Swedish government included a provision in its supplementary budget proposal asking the Riksdag for parliamentary authorization to negotiate a government-to-government sale of up to 20 CB90 combat boats to France in 2027. (Picture source: French Navy)

Key Tactical Insights:

• Scope of the Proposed Agreement: The mandate covers up to 20 Saab-built CB90 vessels along with crew training and support equipment, with procurement and delivery costs funded by France. The authorization permits Sweden to negotiate an intergovernmental deal during 2027, though it does not constitute a finalized French purchase contract or establish a delivery timeline.

• Ongoing French Navy Trials: Since July 2025, France has been conducting an 18-month operational evaluation of three Swedish CB90s assigned to the Naval Riflemen and Commandos Force (FORFUSCO) at the Brest and Toulon naval bases to assess coastal surveillance, maritime interception, naval installation protection, and amphibious transport.

• Replacement for the Cancelled VFM Program: A potential CB90 acquisition provides France with an alternative to its terminated 12-vessel VFM Intercepteur 15 program, which halted after two deliveries in 2023. Acquiring 20 CB90 HSMs would increase nominal embarked infantry capacity by 275% compared with the original VFM requirement.

• Platform Options and Bilateral Context: France has not yet confirmed a specific variant—such as the 45-knot CB90 HSM (18 troops, 300-nautical-mile range) or the newly unveiled, optionally crewed CB90 CX—and the proposal follows Sweden's August 2026 agreement to procure four French-built FDI-derived frigates.

On November 12, 2026, the Swedish government submitted its supplementary budget proposal to the Riksdag, including a provision that seeks parliamentary authorization to sell up to 20 Stridsbåt 90 (CB90) combat boats to France in 2027, potentially allowing a government-to-government agreement covering the vessels, crew training, and support equipment, with French payments covering procurement and delivery costs. French interest had initially concerned at least ten boats in May 2026, and three Swedish CB90s have already been operating with the Naval Riflemen and Commandos Force (FORFUSCO) since July 2025.

Two are assigned to the Amyot d'Inville Battalion at Brest and one to the Détroyat Battalion at Toulon, where an 18-month evaluation is examining naval installation protection, maritime interception, coastal surveillance, and amphibious operations in Atlantic and Mediterranean conditions. The proposed acquisition also follows the termination of the twelve-vessel VFM Intercepteur 15 program, which produced only two boats before construction stopped in 2023. Twenty CB90 HSMs could increase the nominal infantry transport capacity by 275% compared with the original VFM requirement, but the authorization would only permit Sweden to negotiate the transaction during 2027; it would not itself constitute a French purchase contract, establish a delivery schedule, or determine whether France would acquire the CB90 HSM, the newer CB90 CX, or another configuration. 

Related Topic: Canada tests Swedish CB90 fast assault craft for future amphibious operations

France's requirement for protected fast boats originated from the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA), which initiated the VPDMP program in January 2017. In March 2018, the DGA ordered twelve boats from Ufast in Quimper, with each vessel measuring 15 m in length, 4.3 m in beam, and 0.99 m in draft, displacing 17 tonnes, and using four 350 hp outboard engines generating 1,400 hp for a maximum speed of 40 knots and a 150-nautical-mile range. Its protected cabin accommodated two crew members and eight naval riflemen, supported by two 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine guns and provisions for Akeron MP missiles. The first vessel, the Bir Hakeim (CC 937450), arrived on October 17, 2022, followed by the Laffaux in early 2023, before production stopped with ten boats outstanding.

Since then, Ufast entered insolvency proceedings in March 2024, and TLT Marine et Services acquired the shipyard in June 2025 with sixteen employees. Compared with the VFM, the CB90 HSM would offer ten more embarked infantry positions, twice the nominal cruising range, and a maximum speed five knots higher, but its 24.5-tonne maximum displacement is 44% greater. At the fleet level, twenty HSMs would require eighty primary crew positions under the four-person arrangement, compared with twenty-four for the twelve planned two-person VFM crews, excluding replacements and maintenance personnel. The original Strb 90H, intended to transport infantry through shallow coastal waterways at speeds exceeding those of conventional landing craft, entered Swedish service in 1991. It measured 15.9 m in length, 3.85 m in beam, and 0.8 m in draft, with an empty displacement of 13.3 tonnes and a maximum displacement of 20.5 tonnes.

How the CB90 could improve French naval infantry mobility and amphibious operations

Two 625 hp Scania DSI14 V8 diesels drove Kamewa FF-Jet 450 waterjets, whereas the later CB90 HSM measures 16.3 m long, 3.8 m wide, draws 0.9 m, and displaces 18 to 24.5 tonnes. Its two 900 hp Scania engines generate 1,800 hp, allowing a maximum speed of 45 knots, while cruising speed now reaches 38 knots in Sea State 1 or less, for a nominal range of 300 nautical miles. At cruise, a 50-nautical-mile transit takes 79 minutes, and a 100-nautical-mile transit takes 158 minutes, excluding maneuvering and landing operations. Twin waterjets permit high-speed turns and stopping within 2.5 boat lengths, equivalent to 40.75 m for the HSM, while forward bow doors and a ramp allow eighteen equipped infantry personnel to disembark directly onto suitable shorelines.

A twenty-boat fleet divided equally between Brest and Toulon would consequently provide 180 nominal troop positions at each base if all ten vessels at each location were configured for transport, crewed, and available simultaneously. The CB90's original weapons included two forward 12.7 mm machine guns, a third machine gun or automatic grenade launcher amidships, and alternative arrangements for four M9 mines or six depth charges. The protected Strb 90HS integrated additional ballistic protection, CBRN overpressure, air conditioning, and auxiliary electrical generation, while the HSM introduced improved combat management and Saab's Trackfire stabilized remote weapon station. The Trackfire itself combines a stabilized weapon mount with daylight television, thermal imaging, laser ranging, and independently stabilized electro-optical tracking, allowing surveillance and fire control while maneuvering.

Norway tested an AGM-114 Hellfire launcher with electro-optical/infrared targeting aboard an S90N in 2004, while Sweden announced successful CB90 launch trials with Torpedo 47 on March 28, 2025. This 400 mm anti-submarine torpedo measures 2.85 m, weighs 340 kg, and reaches at least 20 km by combining an electric pumpjet propulsion, a lithium iron phosphate battery, an active/passive MS4 acoustic seeker, and two-way copper-wire communications. Missile and torpedo installations demonstrate the hull's adaptability but consume weight and internal space otherwise available for troops, ammunition, or fuel, and neither weapon is included in an established French configuration. 

CB90 CX: From troop transport to anti-ship warfare and air defense

Saab further expanded the CB90 family on November 2, 2026, with the introduction of the CB90 Capability X (CB90 CX), an 18 m combat boat measuring 4 m wide with a 1.1 m draft, developed for surveillance, anti-ship warfare, short-range air defense, and optionally crewed operations. Its two 1,100 hp diesel engines provide 2,200 hp, 22.2% more than the HSM, while mission payload exceeds 5 tonnes against the CB90 NG's 3 tonnes, a gain exceeding 66.7%. Accommodation falls to a maximum of ten personnel, as more internal capacity is assigned to heavier sensors, launchers, ammunition, and mission equipment. The CB90 CX is also fitted with Saab's Combat Core, which integrates steer-by-wire controls, vessel automation, equipment monitoring, and fire control, while the Autonomous Ocean Core permits remotely controlled or autonomous navigation without an embarked crew.

The surveillance variant carries Saab's Sea Giraffe 1X AESA radar, weighing less than 150 kg and providing 360-degree coverage with a range exceeding 100 km. Raising its antenna from 4 to 11 m increases the geometric radar horizon against a 5 m-high surface target from 18.1 to 23.1 km, while the line of sight against an aircraft at 1,000 m altitude reaches 126 km. The CB90 CX anti-ship configuration carries two Marte ER missiles with active-radar terminal guidance, sea-skimming flight, and a range exceeding 100 km when supported by suitable targeting information. Four missile-equipped boats would carry eight ready missiles, while eight would carry sixteen, with replenishment determining sustained engagement capacity. The short-range air defense variant, for its part, uses Rheinmetall's SeaSnake 30, equipped with a stabilized KCE30/ABM 30 × 173 mm revolver cannon firing at up to 1,100 rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity of 1,050 m/s.

Its turret weighs 479 kg empty or 619 kg with 147 ready rounds, elevates from -25° to +60°, and employs programmable airburst ammunition against drones and other low-altitude threats. Three daylight cameras, a cooled 3-5 µm infrared imager, automatic tracking, and laser ranging support target engagement, with instrumented laser ranges of at least 10 or 40 km depending on configuration. At maximum cyclic rate, 147 rounds would theoretically be expended in eight seconds, making ammunition management relevant during repeated engagements. Sweden ordered eight SeaSnake 30 systems for €63 million on February 17, 2026, including ammunition and support, with options for 29 additional mounts and initial deliveries scheduled for February 2028. Neither the SeaSnake 30 nor Marte ER has been established as part of the proposed French acquisition. 

Dockstavarvet won Sweden's combat boat competition in 1988, completed prototypes 801 and 802 in 1989, and received an initial order for 120 vessels in June 1990. Swedish production subsequently included Series 1 boats numbered 803-814, Series 2 vessels 815-877, Series 2B vessels 878-907, and 27 protected Strb 90HS boats ordered in 2002. International users of the BC90 currently include Norway with twenty S90Ns, Mexico with forty imported and eight license-built boats, Malaysia with seventeen, and the U.S. Navy with two Riverine Command Boats. Sweden ordered ten additional CB90 boats in June 2024 for SEK 400 million and twenty-two in the second quarter of 2025 for SEK 900 million, corresponding to average contract values of SEK 40 million and SEK 40.9 million per vessel. Four further boats ordered in the first half of 2026 raised recent Swedish procurement to 36 vessels, with the first 32 accounting for SEK 1.3 billion.

Swedish CB90 production expands as France considers a new fleet

Saab's new Docksta facility, scheduled for completion in the first half of 2027, is subsequently intended to more than double its production capacity while manufacturing both NG and CX configurations. Ukraine expanded its Swedish- and Norwegian-supplied CB90 force in October 2025, and Canada received two boats for evaluation in September 2026 after training with Sweden's Amf 4 Älvsborg Amphibious Regiment. The French proposal also follows Sweden's 2026 agreement for four French-built FDI-derived Luleå-class frigates, linking the potential CB90 sale to a broader bilateral naval procurement relationship without establishing a direct connection between the programs. 

For France, the principal operational question is how many CB90s would remain permanently assigned to Brest and Toulon and how many would be available for reinforcement or amphibious operations elsewhere. At 40 knots, a CB90 covers 10 nautical miles in fifteen minutes, but against a vessel moving in the same direction at 20 knots, its closing speed falls to 20 knots, requiring thirty minutes to eliminate an initial 10-nautical-mile separation. Against a vessel approaching head-on at 20 knots, combined closing speed reaches 60 knots and the theoretical interception time falls to ten minutes, excluding detection, crew alerting, departure, and maneuvering.

How 20 CB90 combat boats could strengthen security at Brest and Toulon

This makes surveillance coverage and patrol positioning critical to protecting naval installations, including facilities supporting nuclear-powered submarines. A ten-boat detachment at each base would also provide 180 nominal infantry positions per location, while reserving six of twenty boats for mobile operations would leave fourteen for permanent assignments and permit the reserve to transport 108 troops in one lift. The HSM's 0.9 m draft and bow ramp permit landing at suitable beaches, but its specified cruise speed applies to Sea State 1 or less, making Atlantic swell near Brest and Mediterranean operating conditions near Toulon relevant to actual transit performance.

A 100-nautical-mile outbound transit and return would also consume 200 nautical miles of the nominal 300-nautical-mile range before fuel reserves, interception maneuvers, or time on station. The final fleet configuration will therefore determine whether France primarily replaces the cancelled VFM patrol capability with greater transport capacity or also acquires dedicated surveillance, anti-ship, and counter-drone capabilities through specialized CB90 variants.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy - Defense Analyst

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, focusing on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters globally.