Will the 'Bazooka' super grenade launcher be in the hands of the US military in 2017?

According to National Interest, the US military is currently considering ordering Carl Gustaf rifles.

According to National Interest, the Carl Gustaf is an anti-tank weapon used since World War II and the Korean War, and now has many new variants, which the US military is currently considering purchasing.

In 1946, two Swedes, Hugo Abramson and Harald Jentzen, successfully designed the Carl Gustaf grenade launcher. While many weapons were phased out around the same time as the Carl Gustaf, especially after the advent of anti-tank missiles, the Carl Gustaf remained remarkably durable.

An illustrative image of Carl Gustaf.

It should also be added that Abramson and Jentzen invested a great deal of effort in improving the Carl Gustaf to ensure its continued existence. Today, the Carl Gustaf has become one of the most advantageous anti-personnel weapons, particularly in terms of cost and compatibility with various types of ammunition.

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

Over the past 70 years, the Carl Gustaf has gone through many ups and downs. Recently, a new version, the M4, has been added. The Carl Gustaf is not a rocket launcher, but it can fire round projectiles similar to missiles, with extremely powerful destructive force, capable of penetrating the armor of massive tanks and taking down the enemy in an instant.

An illustrative image of Carl Gustaf.

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

Officially launched by Saab in late 2014, it boasts superior agility and power compared to its predecessors, the M2 and M3 variants.

Through a long period of improvements, the Carl-Gustaf M4 now weighs only 6.7 kg compared to the M3's 10 kg. In addition, the M4 has added features compatible with new battlefield technologies such as a smart aiming system for programmable ammunition.

The Carl-Gustaf M4 is particularly capable of handling a wide range of tactical situations, making it suitable for combat in confined environments. It provides powerful firepower at the platoon level when operating in unfavorable conditions with little external support.

Furthermore, this shoulder-mounted fire weapon is easy to operate and use, both for training and combat purposes.

An illustrative image of Carl Gustaf.

For the US military, the war in Afghanistan was seen as a major test for Carl Gustaf. Thanks to Carl Gustaf, the US military was able to make a significant impact on the battlefield.

If a missile launched from an aircraft costs $80,000, then the cost of a projectile fired from a Carl Gustaf is only 3% of that missile, yet the effectiveness within a 1,000-meter range is equivalent. Therefore, there is no reason why American soldiers would turn their backs on the Carl Gustaf.

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

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

An illustrative image of Carl Gustaf.

Additionally, the M3E1 variant features an "intelligent" interface, allowing soldiers to program the projectile to hit its target and fire at a more precise time.

To collect accurate test data, the U.S. is now requiring soldiers to meticulously and precisely record on their laptops the number of times they fired the Carl Gustaf, as well as any drawbacks and advantages of the weapon.

All data on the Carl Gustaf will be collected and analyzed to help the Pentagon propose new improvements to Saab before signing the official purchase contract at the end of 2017.

A brief profile of Carl Gustaf

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

This is a breech-loading, rifled-barreled recoilless rifle. Some key technical characteristics of the Carl Gustaf (M2/M3 version) worth noting:

An illustrative image of Carl Gustaf.

• Caliber: 84 mm

• Length: 1130 mm

• Weight: 6.7 kg (M3E1 variant)

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

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

• 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 with smoke grenades, and up to 2300 m with illuminating rounds.

• Armor penetration capability: 400 mm shaped-charge armor-piercing round against homogeneous steel armor.

• Rate of fire: 4-6 rounds/minute

• Gunners: a 2-person crew

According to Baodatviet