Saab Rb 08

The Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration experimented in the 1950s with the development of an anti-ship missile, with the project name M20. Disputes with the Air Force Materiel Administration over responsibility for missile development prolonged the development.

Therefore, in 1962 the Naval Materiel Administration directed Saab, with the assistance of the French Nord Aviation, to develop an anti-ship version of the latter's CT20 target missile. After some test firing, the Halland-class destroyers were equipped with the Rb 08 in 1966. It was the first operational ship-based anti-ship missile in the western world. The Swedish Coastal Artillery organized a coastal missile battery in 1968 to operate the new weapon.[3]

A total of 68 missiles were built for the Swedish Navy and Coastal Artillery.[4]

Rb 08 launching from a Halland-class destroyer.

The missile was propelled by a jet engine and launched using a pair of rockets mounted on a launch sled. The rockets released when the missile was airborne, which took about 2 seconds. At takeoff, the missile's speed would be about 500 km/h, with a top speed of 900 km/h.

The missile was remotely controlled and could be equipped with either cameras for scouting or an explosive warhead. The active radar homing system took control at about 15 km from the target, diving into a ship where a contact fuze would detonate the warhead. The maximum range was about 70 km. Several Rb 08 are still preserved for display today.

A modernized version with a new seek, Robot 08B, was planned, but did not come to fruition. Instead, the Rb 08 was replaced by the RBS-15, capable of both surface-to-surface and air-to-surface operation.