Sweden will transfer high-speed boats to Ukraine
Speed boats Strb 90H
Over the past two years, the Swedish government has been actively helping the Kyiv regime and regularly provides military assistance of one scale or another. The other day they announced another package of such assistance, with a record price. The central place in it is occupied by naval systems - two types of high-speed boats and various weapons. It is expected that such assistance will have a positive impact on the condition of the remnants of the Ukrainian fleet and other structures.
Another aid package
On February 20, the Swedish government announced the preparation of the next, already 15th, package of military assistance for Ukraine. This time they want to ship military products to the Kyiv regime with a total value of 7,1 billion Swedish kronor (approx. 690 million US dollars). This is by far the largest and most expensive aid package ever. Taking into account this package, Sweden's total costs for assistance to Ukraine reach the level of 30 billion kroner ($2,9 billion).
The new package included various ammunition and missile systems, financing for the purchase of armored vehicles, etc. In addition, Sweden plans to send boats to Ukraine for the first time. It is planned to supply 10 high-speed landing assault boats of the Stridsbåt 90H type and two dozen small Gruppbåtar boats.
According to the official press release of the Swedish government, old boats taken from its own naval forces will be transferred. At the same time, the need to place new orders for the construction of such equipment to compensate for “losses” is noted. How soon such contracts will appear and how many boats will be purchased is unknown.
In the near future, the Swedish Navy will have to select three dozen boats for transfer to the Kyiv regime and prepare them for dispatch. The transfer is expected in the foreseeable future, but the exact timing has not been announced. Apparently, Ukrainian formations will receive new watercraft by the summer - at a time when they can be fully used with the expectation of obtaining the desired results.
Where and how the Swedish boats will be used is not yet entirely clear. It can be assumed that they will be at the disposal of special forces and will be involved in the next attempts to attack the Crimean coast. How successful such stocks can be is a big question with a predictable answer. It is also possible that boats will appear on rivers in the combat zone.
"Boat 1990"
The new Swedish aid package includes 10 high-speed assault boats Stridsbåt 90H (Strb 90H), also known by the English designation Combat Boat 90 (CB 90). Such products have a number of interesting features and capabilities, which is why they are of particular interest in future delivery.
The Stridsbot-90H project (Combat Boat 1990) was developed by Dockstavarvet in the late eighties for the Swedish Navy. The goal of the project was to create a modern boat capable of moving at high speed and transporting half a platoon of marines, which was noted in the name of the project with the letter H (Halv). The craft was supposed to ensure the landing of fighters on an unequipped coast and support them with fire.
The development and testing of the new boat did not take much time. Already in 1990, the first contract for the supply of the first 120 boats appeared. Subsequently, the Swedish fleet placed additional orders. Thus, at the beginning of the 90s, they purchased several dozen modernized Strb XNUMXHS boats (Skydd - “protected”) with additional armor.
Strb 90 in the export version CB 90 enjoys some popularity on the international market. Seven foreign countries, including the United States, have purchased one or another number of boats. In addition, the Swedish product was of interest to the Russian Navy, as a result of which its conceptual analogues appeared - boats pr. 03160 "Raptor" and BK-16.
The speed boat Strb 90H is an all-metal vessel with a length of 15,9 m and a width of 3,8 m with a normal draft of 0,8 m. The weight of the structure is approx. 13 tons. Total displacement - more than 20 tons. A hull is used that is optimized for high-speed movement. In its bow there is a passage for landing troops, behind which there is a wheelhouse. The central part of the hull is occupied by a salon with landing areas. Its roof forms a deck with the ability to accommodate the necessary devices.
The boat is equipped with two Scania DSI14 V8 diesel engines with 625 hp each. and Kamewa FF water jet propulsion. The maximum speed is stated at 40 knots. Cruising range – 240 nautical miles.
The Strb 90H is operated by a crew of three and carries up to 21 passengers. Access to the troop compartment-lounge is provided by a bow corridor and a door in the stern.
Strb 90H (left) and G-båt (right)
The boat can carry a variety of weapons. A turret and mounts are provided for mounting machine guns, incl. large caliber, and automatic grenade launchers. It is possible to install a remotely controlled combat module. The boat can serve as a minelayer or perform anti-submarine missions - for this, mines or depth charges are placed on the deck and dropped through the stern.
"Boat for the Group"
Sweden also includes 20 small boats of the Gruppbåt or G-båt type in the new aid package. These watercraft differ from the Stridsbot-90 in their smaller size and simpler design. Essentially, these are simple motor boats designed to carry a limited number of passengers and/or cargo and are not suitable for combat.
The Gruppbåt (“Group Boat”) project was developed for the Swedish Navy in the mid-nineties by the Finnish company Marine Alutech. Due to the simplicity of the technical specifications, design and testing did not take much time. In 1995, the boat went into production and entered service with the customer fleet. Until 1999, the Swedish side received a hundred of these products. In addition, the Finnish Navy became interested in such equipment, but they limited themselves to purchasing 23 boats.
The G-båt is an aluminum flat-bottomed boat with an open top hull. Inside such a building there are seats for passengers and a fenced control station. The length of the craft is 8 m with a width of 2,1 m and a draft of only 300 mm. Normal displacement is 2 tons, maximum displacement is 3 tons.
Boat Gruppbåt
At the stern of the boat there is a Volvo diesel engine with a power of 230 hp. with FF-Jet 240 water-jet propulsion. The maximum speed exceeds 30 knots. The cruising range is limited to tens of nautical miles - the boat is designed for the simplest trips and operations.
G-båt's own crew consists of two people. There is space for eight paratroopers or 1 ton of cargo. The placement of weapons is not provided, but the landing force can use personal weapon. In this case, shooting on the move, especially at high speeds, is virtually impossible.
Dubious novelty
In the coming weeks or months, three dozen Swedish boats will arrive in Ukraine, and soon the new owners will begin to use them. One can imagine two main ways of using this technique. Thus, they will try to operate light boats on rivers in the combat zone, and larger Strb 90H can be used in the next attempts to land sabotage groups in the Crimea.
In both cases, the two types of boats can fully demonstrate their potential in terms of performance. They are also, in theory, capable of delivering and disembarking militants. However, in practice, Swedish boats will face serious threats and risks that, at a minimum, will interfere with the completion of tasks or make it impossible.
The G-båt product is actually an open boat, which does not provide any protection to the crew and passengers. Such a craft and its crew can be disabled by any means, starting from small arms. The Strb 90H speedboat is closed and also produced in an armored version. In this case, the landing force can count on protection from bullets and shrapnel, but not from more serious weapons.
Last year, the Russian army regularly demonstrated its capabilities to combat enemy watercraft on rivers. Small arms, anti-tank systems, artillery and UAVs were used. It is obvious that this practice will continue. At the same time, Swedish-made boats, once on the corresponding sections of the front, will simply become new targets for our fire weapons.
In this case, the problem for the enemy will be not only the specific and dubious features and qualities of the boats, but also their quantity. There is a risk of rapid loss of the entire “fleet” of 30 boats, and some of these losses may be suffered directly at their bases, i.e. before completing tasks.
Different goals
Thus, the Swedish government has decided to continue supporting the Kyiv regime, is allocating new funds, setting financial records and expanding the range of supplied products. This time they decided to add high-speed boats to the ammunition and weapons for the first time.
However, even before the start of deliveries, it is clear that Stridsbåt 90H and Gruppbåt products will not bring noticeable benefits to Ukrainian formations. Any variant of their combat use is associated with risks and will lead to losses. However, the Swedish authorities do not seem to be interested in such consequences and are pursuing other goals. Apparently, they are more interested in the opportunity to indicate support for Ukraine, as well as write off old equipment and order new ones to replace it.
Information