Sweden orders Rheinmetall SeaSnake 30 gun systems for Combat Boat 90 NG

The FMV has ordered eight Rheinmetall SeaSnake 30 30 mm automatic anti-aircraft gun systems for the Swedish Navy's CB90 NG combat boats, with an option for 29 more. (Rheinmetall)

Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has ordered eight Rheinmetall SeaSnake 30 30×173 calibre automatic anti-aircraft gun systems for the Swedish Navy's Combat Boat 90 (CB90), the FMV and German company announced on 17 February. The FMV said on its website that the systems would be delivered with the Spexer 2000 3D Mk III naval radar system.

Rheinmetall said in a press release that it was the first SeaSnake 30 order by a NATO country and was booked in February under a four-year framework agreement that includes 30 mm airburst and training munition, spare parts, and services, with an option for 29 more guns. The order also includes standalone training systems for training and integration support, the FMV added.

The first order is worth EUR63 million (approximately USD74 million), with deliveries planned to begin in early February 2028 and to be completed at the end of that year.

Emil Waxin Nilsson, project leader at the FMV, said, “The automatic cannon is a powerful weapon that takes out drones or helicopters with high precision ... and thus protects one's own units and increases offensive capability. The automatic cannon complements existing weapon systems for amphibious combat and makes battalions even more dangerous to the enemy.”

The systems will be installed on CB90s and integrated into both the platforms and their command systems. An FMV spokesperson confirmed to Janes on 23 February that the combat boats the systems would be installed in are the CB90 NG (New Generation). Asked by Janes