The Swedish Defence Materiel Agency, FMV, in cooperation with the Swedish Armed Forces and Swedish defence company Saab has fired Saab’s Lightweight Torpedo (Torpedo 47 or SLWT), from a CB 90 fast assault craft and a Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) during recent trials.
These trials’ goal was to look at integrating the weapon to what Saab describes as “smaller platforms than what [the SLWT] was originally developed for” and studying the ability to mount the torpedo as a “temporary installation”.
The Swedish marines are currently undergoing a major transition as part of the Amfbat 2030-programme, as has been reported on earlier here at Naval News, with one of the key aims being to strengthen the ability to fight from their small craft in addition to the current tactics of dismounting marines with heavy weapons in the Swedish archipelago. While torpedoes have so far not been mentioned, and while the recent test firings are not part of an operational programme to put anti-submarine torpedoes on the CB 90, the wording in the press release does indicate that this is indeed one possible outcome.
Swedish CB 90 have earlier been used in an ASW-role with traditional depth charges dropped over the stern of the vessel while it is moving at speed. This has been seen more as a weapon against non-conventional underwater targets – such as divers and midget submarines – than against submarines, and relies on sensors and targeting data from somewhere else.
The successful test-firings conducted over the stern from two single-tube launchers of the SLWT, also known by the Swedish Armed Force’s designation Torped 47, mounted on the rear deck of a CB 90 does open up new possibilities for integrating the ASW-mission into the mission set the marines are able to handle, or alternatively can be used to allow the Navy to produce a lighter torpedo-carrying platform able to operate either with its own sensors or as part of a networked ASW-effort.
The press release states that the results are currently analysed by the Armed Forces and FMV in cooperation to decide how to best employ these. Notable is, however, that the press release also explicitly states that the tests do show that the combination of CB 90 and SLWT work “very well” together, which might be an indication of what the studies eventually might show as the way forward. Saab, as one parties involved in the test firings, also notably is the company behind both the torpedo as well as the CB 90, following their acquisition of the Dockstavarvet shipyard back in 2017.
Naval News learned during UDT 2025 in Oslo that the test campaign also included torpedo firing from a USV. The USV was a T24 Devil Ray by American company MARTAC. The T24 was fitted with a single torpedo launcher.
Saab likely has an interest in seeing their platform as the preferred carrier for the torpedo but remains open to integrating its torpedo with other light vessels as well, especially for the export market.
In Sweden, the CB 90 has already been chosen as the platform for both the future RBS 18 anti-ship missile and the upcoming 30 mm air-defence system, it would not be surprising to see it equipped with torpedoes as well. The big question will be whether the marines will get organic ASW-sensors, or whether this will be a secondary capability used in support of traditional ASW-capabilities.
© 2025, GDC. © GDC and www.globaldefensecorp.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to www.globaldefensecorp.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
