Sweden Orders First Eight SeaSnake 30 Naval Guns for CB90 Boats to Counter Drone Swarms.

Sweden has ordered eight Rheinmetall SeaSnake 30 remote naval gun systems for its CB90 Next Generation fast assault craft under a EUR 63 million framework agreement. The move strengthens Baltic littoral combat capability and signals how NATO navies are adapting small craft for drone and swarm threats.

Rheinmetall disclosed on February 17, 2026, that Sweden has placed a first order for eight SeaSnake 30 remote-controlled naval gun systems to arm the Royal Swedish Navy’s new Combat Boat 90 fast assault craft. The initial call-off, valued at around EUR 63 million, sits under a four-year framework agreement that also includes 30 mm airburst and training ammunition, plus spares and services, with an option for up to 29 additional mounts. Rheinmetall plans to deliver the first system by February 2028, making Sweden the first NATO customer for SeaSnake 30 and signaling a deliberate shift in how Stockholm intends to fight in the Baltic’s contested littorals.
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Rheinmetall's SeaSnake 30 remote-controlled naval gun pairs a stabilized 30 x 173 mm KCE30/ABM cannon with an EO/IR sensor suite and laser rangefinder, firing programmable airburst and high-penetration rounds to engage drones, fast attack craft, and shore threats with high-accuracy, high-rate close-in fire from small boats (Picture source: Rheinmetall/Saab).

SeaSnake 30 is a compact, high-end close-in naval weapon system built for the messy, short-range fight: drones skimming low, fast inshore attack craft weaving through clutter, and fleeting targets that appear and disappear behind coastline geometry. At its core is Rheinmetall’s KCE30/ABM 30 x 173 mm revolver cannon, rated at a nominal 1,100 rounds per minute, with selectable firing modes from single-shot precision to scalable bursts and a computer-aided automatic mode intended to raise hit probability while controlling ammunition expenditure. Muzzle velocity is listed at about 1,050 m/s, placing it firmly in the modern Western 30 mm class used across infantry fighting vehicles and naval mounts, which simplifies ammunition availability compared to more niche naval calibers.

Where SeaSnake 30 differentiates itself for Sweden is the combination of stabilization, sensing, and programmable effects. Rheinmetall describes a remote-controlled, stabilized architecture with an optional integrated or detachable electro-optical sensor unit, and a multi-target tracker designed to support simultaneous tracking and automatic target recognition. The sensor suite is unusually detailed for a system in this class: three daylight cameras with multiple fields of view, a cooled MWIR thermal imager in the 3 to 5 micron band, and a laser rangefinder suite advertised with ranges of at least 10 km and, for a second laser type, at least 40 km under favorable conditions. In practical terms, that is a find, fix, and finish package meant to let a small boat prosecute targets without broadcasting itself via radar, while still plugging into a wider combat management system via a safety-qualified bus architecture.

Rheinmetall highlights Air Burst Ammunition enabled by an integrated programming module, alongside MPDS sub-caliber rounds for high-penetration kinetic effects. Airburst matters because the Baltic littoral is rapidly becoming a drone and loitering munition environment, where the ability to place a controlled fragment pattern in space can outperform pure point-impact solutions, especially against small, low-signature air targets. It also provides a credible answer to swarm tactics at sea, where multiple fast craft attempt to saturate a defender’s decision cycle. Rheinmetall explicitly positions SeaSnake 30 as a preferred effector against swarming or high-agility, dynamic tactics, which aligns closely with the threat set Sweden’s naval and amphibious commanders now plan against.

Equally important is what SeaSnake 30 does not demand from the platform. Rheinmetall emphasizes no deck breakthrough, a low silhouette, and a compact stealth form factor. The listed mass is 479 kg without ammunition and 619 kg with 147 ready rounds, with elevation from -25 to +60 degrees and very high traverse dynamics for close-in engagements. On a fast assault craft that must keep its center of gravity tight and preserve internal volume for troops, fuel, and mission kits, a self-contained, top-mounted system is the difference between a realistic fleetwide fit and a bespoke integration limited to a handful of boats.

That platform, Saab’s Docksta CB90 Next Generation, known in Swedish service as the CB 90HSM, is built for exactly this kind of distributed littoral warfare. The all-aluminum craft measures 16.3 m in overall length, 3.8 m in beam, and draws only 0.9 m of water. Powered by two 900 hp diesel engines driving twin waterjets, it can exceed 40 knots and offers a range of about 300 nautical miles at cruise. The design’s tactical value is not only speed but also handling. Its waterjet agility and shallow draft allow it to operate inside archipelagos, river mouths, and narrow coastal approaches where larger combatants are constrained, including the ability to stop quickly and maneuver violently without surrendering control. The latest configuration integrates improved ergonomics, an updated combat management system, and enhanced ballistic and CBRN protection measures tailored for high-threat environments.

Sweden’s requirement for the combined boat plus gun configuration is therefore an operational correction. For years, CB90s excelled as raiders and troop movers for the amphibious corps, yet their default weapon fits leaned toward heavy machine guns and lighter remote stations, adequate for constabulary tasks but increasingly thin against drones, hardened firing points, and well-armed fast craft. Under the broader Amfbat 2030 amphibious modernization effort, Stockholm has signaled a push for organic lethality from the boats themselves, including missile and air-defense options sized specifically for the CB90 footprint. Within that arc, SeaSnake 30 becomes the close-range shield and knife. It can escort missile-armed craft, protect troop insertions, and provide immediate, precise suppressive fire during beach approaches without forcing the assault element to wait for heavier naval gunfire that may not be present in the right coastal pocket at the right minute.

In Western terms, SeaSnake 30 sits in the same tactical lane as Rafael’s Typhoon 30 or Leonardo’s Marlin 30, and it steps beyond common patrol-boat guns like the US Navy’s Mk 38 25 mm family by pairing a full-power 30 x 173 mm cannon with a sensor and fire-control package purpose-built for multi-target, high-tempo close-in defense. What presses an advantage is the explicit airburst integration and the emphasis on automated engagement support tuned to ammunition efficiency, a critical attribute for small craft that cannot carry deep magazines. The result is a Swedish CB90 that is no longer just a fast delivery vehicle for marines, but a self-contained, networkable fighting node that can survive and win in the first brutal minutes of a coastal encounter.