Super grenade launcher 'Bazooka' will be in the hands of the US Army in 2017?

According to the National Interest, the US military is currently planning to purchase the Carl Gustaf gun.

According to National Interest, Carl Gustaf is an anti-tank gun used since World War II and the Korean War, now with many new versions, and is currently being purchased by the US military.

In 1946, two Swedes named Hugo Abramson and Harald Jentzen successfully designed the Carl Gustaf grenade launcher. At the same time as the Carl Gustaf, many weapons were eliminated, especially after the advent of anti-tank missiles, but the Carl Gustaf remained "stubborn with time".

Illustration of Carl Gustaf.

It must also be said that, to help Carl Gustaf survive, Abramson and Jentzen spent a lot of effort to improve it. Today, Carl Gustaf has become one of the anti-infantry weapons with many advantages, especially cost and the ability to use many different types of ammunition.

According to military experts, the reason the US military bought the Carl Gustaf 84mm is because it is very practical for infantrymen, especially in terms of range and destructive power. Some US special forces units are also equipped with this type of weapon.

After 70 years, Carl Gustaf has gone through many ups and downs. Recently, there is a new version, M4. Carl Gustaf is not a rocket launcher, but it can fire round bullets like missiles, extremely powerful, can penetrate the armor of giant tanks, defeat the enemy in the blink of an eye.

Illustration of Carl Gustaf.

Recently, the Swedish company Saab Technologies has won a contract to supply the new Carl-Gustaf M4 to the Slovak army. In the US, the Carl-Gustaf M4 is known as the M3E1, or new multi-purpose personal weapon.

It was officially launched by Saab in late 2014, with superior flexibility and power compared to the previous M2 and M3 variants.

Over a long period of improvement, the Carl-Gustaf M4 now weighs only 6.7 kg compared to 10 kg for the M3. In addition, the M4 has added compatibility with new battlefield technologies such as an intelligent sighting system for programmed ammunition.

In particular, the Carl-Gustaf M4 is capable of handling many tactical situations, suitable for operations in limited environments. Creating strong firepower up to the platoon level when operating in unfavorable environments, with little support from the outside.

In addition, this shoulder-mounted fire god is easy to operate and easy to use for both training and combat purposes.

Illustration of Carl Gustaf.

For the US military, the war in Afghanistan was considered a great test for Carl Gustaf. Thanks to Carl Gustaf, the US military "made waves" on this battlefield.

If a missile launched from an airplane costs $80,000, the cost of a bullet fired from a Carl Gustaf is only 3% of the cost of the missile, but its effectiveness within a range of 1,000 meters is the same, so there is no reason for American soldiers to turn their backs on the Carl Gustaf.

According to Saab Technologies, the Carl Gustaf's launch design remains essentially unchanged, but the M3E1 version is seen as a set of the latest improvements to optimize for future warfare, especially in urban environments.

It is smaller and weighs about 15 pounds (6.7 kg). The reduced weight increases the mobility of soldiers, especially in modern combat environments.

Illustration of Carl Gustaf.

In addition, the M3E1 variant also has an additional "smart" interface feature, allowing soldiers to program bullets to hit their targets and fire at more precise times.

To collect accurate test data, the US is now requiring soldiers to specifically and accurately record in their laptops the number of times they have fired the Carl Gustaf and the mishaps, as well as the advantages of this weapon.

All the parameters of Carl Gustaf will be collected and analyzed, helping the Pentagon to propose new improvement proposals for Saab before signing the official purchase contract at the end of 2017.

About Carl Gustaf

The M2/M3 84-mm Carl Gustaf grenade launcher is a popular anti-tank weapon in the armies of many European and American countries thanks to its simple and effective technical and tactical features.

This is a rear-loading, rifled recoilless rifle. Some notable technical features of the Carl Gustaf (M2/M3 version):

Illustration of Carl Gustaf.

• Caliber: 84 mm

• Length: 1130 mm

• Weight: 6.7 kg (M3E1 variant)

• Maximum bullet speed: 310 m/s (FFV65); 380 m/s (FFV551)

• Weight of shaped charge anti-tank ammunition: 1.7 kg (FFV65); 2.2 kg (FFV551).

• Firing range: 250-300 m against moving targets, 500 m (FFV65) and 700 m (FFV551) against stationary targets, up to 1000 m against clustered enemy groups, up to 1300 m against smoke grenades and up to 2300 m against illumination rounds

• Armor penetration: 400 mm hollow-charge armor piercing projectile against steel homogeneous armor

• Rate of fire: 4-6 rounds/minute

• Gunner: crew of 2

According to Baodatviet