Defense contractor Saab has delivered the first of 18 new and upgraded CB90 HSM boats to the Swedish defense material administration (FMV).

The additional boats were ordered in July 2017 under a $47.3 million contract.

Delivered by Saab’s Dockstavarvet, the new boats have improved speed and maneuverability – as well as attack power and surveillance capabilities.

The other 17 boats will be delivered in the coming months, according to the company.

“The principles are the same, but with stronger engines everything becomes even more impressive. We’ve managed to surpass the speed demand by several knots,” said Andreas Nordstrand, project manager at Dockstavarvet, Saab.

In addition to stronger engines, the 18-ton boats now feature a new combat management system and sensors for surveillance and attack power through the Trackfire system.

Trackfire provides a stabilized independent line of sight (SILOS), with the sensor module decoupled from the weapons axes, allowing the operator to maintain the line of sight on the target.

According to company specifications, the 16-meter boats have a draught of 0.9 meters and achieve a top speed of 45 knots at a maximum load of 24,5 tons. They have a cruise speed range of 300 nautical miles.