A Torped 47 is launched from a Combat Boat 90

Army Recognition’s Navy News reports, 

On March 28, 2025, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (Försvarets Materielverk – FMV) announced that it had successfully conducted a live-fire sea trial of the lightweight Torpedo 47 (Tp 47), deployed from a non-traditional naval platform, specifically a Combat Boat 90 (CB90). The test was carried out in cooperation with the Swedish Armed Forces and defence company Saab as part of an initiative to explore the possibility of deploying the weapon system beyond its original operational scope.

It should be no surprise that small vessels can carry torpedoes. Torpedoes have allowed small craft to be giant killers since the Civil War, sinking battleships in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I.

MIR USV firing torpedo (Screenshot from SSB video)

Even so, thought it was worth passing this along. We have seen photos of Unmanned Surface Vessels (like the ones above and below) launching light weight torpedos, but this is the smallest modern manned vessel I have seen equipped with torpedoes of any kind.

Elbit Systems’ Seagull unmanned surface vessel (shown firing a torpedo) recently exhibited its anti-submarine detection capabilities using a dipping sonar rig and proprietary software.

The Torped 47 is a light weight torpedo, a bit larger than the NATO standards like the Mk54, 400mm in diameter vs 324mm and about 140 pounds heavier. It is unique among light weight torpedoes in having wire guidance, like the larger heavy weight torpedoes, allowing mid-course corrections and is designed to engage both surface and subsurface targets.

Torped 47 is used by Sweden, Finland, and Ukraine.

The Combat Boat 90 has an overall length of only 52 feet and displaces less than 23 tons full load, one 15th the size of a Webber class FRC and about one quarter the size of an 87 foot WPB.

While there are other weapons that might work, a torpedo that targets propellers, is the only weapon I feel confident would allow a small cutter to reliably, forcibly stop a ship. It also has the advantage of not endangering anyone on an adjacent shore. Used against medium to large ships, it would be unlikely to release the ship’s cargo such as oil or Natural Gas.