The Swedish Armed Forces Materiel Administration (FMV) delivered another upgraded Tapper-class patrol boat to the 1st Marine Regiment, the main combat unit of the Swedish Amphibious Corps. HMS Ärlig joined the four patrol boats already handed over to the 17th Amphibious Patrol Boat Company based in Göteborg.
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HMS Ärlig together with two more patrol boats in the port of Gothenburg. (Picture source: The Swedish Armed Forces/Joakim Nilsson)
The five surveillance boats that FMV has now delivered have undergone a service life extension program during which, among other tasks, the command bridge has been rebuilt and engines and sonar have been replaced.
National defense was prioritized in Sweden latest defense policy paper for 2016–2020, including submarine-hunting capability. Patrol boats participate in protecting shipping and Sweden’s territorial waters from intrusion especially in Gothenburg, where 30 per cent of Sweden’s foreign trade passes every year.
The Swedish archipelago constitutes a complex environment which means that the Swedish Navy needs short reaction times. The patrol boats must be able to carry out several different tasks such as maritime surveillance, protection of shipping, submarine hunting and acting in the event of an attack. It requires both sensors and equipment that are adapted to the environment to achieve optimal effect.
HMS Trygg in Stockholm. (Picture source: Wikipedia/Matti Blume)
About the Tapper-Class patrol boat:
In terms of specifications, Tapper-Class patrol boat has a full load displacement of 62 tons and a total length of 23 meters, a beam of 5.4 meters and a draught of 1.9 meters. Fitted with 2 diesel engines each developing 1 200 hp, the vessel can reach the maximum speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph).
Tapper-Class patrol boat's main armaments comprise 2 × 12.7 mm heavy Machine guns, mines & depth charges and anti-submarine rockets.
With the new systems fitted on the patrol boats, “the unit’s operational capability increases in several areas. Together with the expected re-establishment of an amphibious battalion in Göteborg, the capability for armed combat within the naval area will be significantly improved,” Captain Magnus Augustinson, head of the 17th patrol boat company, comments.
