| Carl-Gustaf 84 mm Recoilless Rifle | |
| Origin: | Sweden |
| Type: | Shoulder-fired recoilless rifle (crew-served multi-role infantry support gun)[1] [2] [3] |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Is Explosive: | yes |
| Service: | 1948–present |
| Used By: | See Users |
| Wars: | See Wars |
| Designer: | Hugo Abramson, Sigfrid Akselson and Harald Jentzen |
| Design Date: |
|
| Manufacturer: | Saab Bofors Dynamics (formerly Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori), Howa (license)[4] |
| Unit Cost: |
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| Weight: | M2: 14.2kg (31.3lb)[6] M3: M4/M3E1: |
| Length: | (M2) 1130mm(M4/M3E1) 950 mm (37 in) |
| Crew: | Two (gunner and loader), but may be used by a single operator at a reduced rate of fire. |
| Cartridge: | 84 × 245 mm R RCL[7] |
| Caliber: | 84abbr=onNaNabbr=on |
| Action: | Recoilless, single-shot, breechloader, laterally, percussion fired[8] |
| Rate: | 6 rounds per minute |
| Velocity: | NaNm/s |
| Range: |
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| Feed: | Hinged breech |
| Sights: | Open (iron) sights; optical 3× laser rangefinder; image intensification system |
The Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle (in Swedish pronounced as /kɑːɭ ˈɡɵ̂sːtav/, named after Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori, which initially produced it) is a Swedish-developed 84mm caliber shoulder-fired recoilless rifle, initially developed by the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration during the second half of the 1940s as a crew-served man-portable infantry support gun for close-range multi-role anti-armour, anti-personnel, battlefield illumination, smoke screening and marking fire,[10] which has seen great export success around the globe and continues to be a popular multi-purpose support weapon in use by many nations. The Carl Gustaf 84 mm recoilless rifle is a lightweight, low-cost weapon that uses a wide range of ammunition, which makes it extremely flexible and suitable for a wide variety of roles.
Development of the initial model started from 1946 as one of the many recoilless rifle designs of that era, based on the experience from the earlier Carl Gustaf 20 mm recoilless rifle and the success of man-portable rocket launchers during World War II, such as the Bazooka and Panzerschreck. Production of the initial model was handled by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori led by Försvarets Fabriksverk (FFV) and the weapon received the designation 8,4 cm granatgevär m/48, (8,4 cm grg m/48 – "8,4 cm grenade rifle", model 1948) in Swedish service. FFV would continue to further develop the weapon for the international market, later being merged into Saab Bofors Dynamics which handles development and export today. While similar weapons have generally disappeared from service, the Carl Gustaf is still in production and remains in widespread use today.
The weapon goes under many names around the globe. It is most frequently called the "Carl Gustaf" or similar for short. British troops, for example, refer to it as the "Charlie G", while Canadian troops often refer to it as "Carl G". In Australia, it is irreverently known as "Charlie Gutsache" (guts ache, meaning stomach pain), or "Charlie Swede".
In U.S. military service, it is officially known as the M3 Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS) or Ranger Antitank Weapons System (RAWS), but is often simply called the "M3 Carl Gustaf" or just "Gustaf".[11]
In Swedish military service, it is officially known as the 8,4 cm granatgevär m/48, m/86 and m/18, depending on the model (M1, M3, M4), but is often simply referred to as the "GRG" (gé-er-gé) after their type designation abbreviation (from granatgevär, meaning "grenade rifle"), since all models fire the same general ammunition and are used in much the same way (although the 84 mm grg m/18 can use programmable and guided ammunition).
The basic weapon consists of the main tube with the breech-mounted Venturi recoil damper, with two grips near the front and a shoulder mount. The weapon is fitted with iron sights, but is normally aimed with the attached 3× optical sight with a 17 degree (300 mil) field of view. The most modern variants fielded by Swedish rifle companies have been fitted with the Swedish Aimpoint sighting system. Luminous front and rear sight inserts are available for the iron sights when aiming at night, and an image intensification system may also be used.
The Gustaf can be fired from the standing, kneeling, sitting or prone positions, and a bipod may be attached in front of the shoulder piece. An operating handle called the "Venturi lock" is used to move the hinged breech to one side for reloading.
The weapon is normally operated by a two-man crew, a gunner who carries and fires the weapon and a loader, carrying two canisters for a total of four rounds of ammunition. One or two extra ammunition carriers can be assigned if heavy use is expected.In the firing procedure it is the loader's responsibility to check the area behind the weapon for people and for obstacles that can interfere with the back-blast; this is needed due to the inherent dangers of the back-blast. Any person within the back-blast cone can suffer severe burn injuries and solid objects closely behind can reflect the blast back onto the crew.
The overpressure, or blast wave, generated by the Gustaf will cause blast- and burn-related injuries to those behind the weapon, and is dangerous to 30m (100feet)[9] and hazardous to about 50to.[6] Repeatedly firing the Gustaf can also cause related shock wave injuries to gunners and those nearby.[12] [13] [14]
Gunners are only allowed to fire six rounds a day during training.[15] The assistant gunners would also often move away from the overpressure zone, so that they too can fire six rounds a day.[15] Sweden, the first user of Carl-Gustaf, has the regulation that both gunner and assistant gunner are allowed to have 20 full caliber rounds each day.[16]
The Carl Gustaf M1 was developed around 1946 by Hugo Abramson and Harald Jentzen at the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration (Kungliga Arméförvaltningens Tygavdelning) and produced at Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori from where it derives its name. Development of the weapons system was preceded by a line of other recoilless developments between 1940 and 1946, featuring relatively small-bore ammunition:
Despite advances in recoilless rifle technology introduced by the development family, it was quickly discovered that small-bore solid steel penetrators were obsolete for shoulder-fired antitank weapons, thus caliber was gradually increased to focus on multirole shell-type ammunition and the recent advances in shaped charge projectiles. By 1946 a caliber of 84 mm was decided upon (although larger calibers were proposed and tested).[19]
The 84 mm weapon was first introduced into Swedish service in 1948 as the 8,4 cm granatgevär m/48, filling a similar role as the U.S. Army's bazooka, British PIAT and German Panzerschreck, albeit with a higher focus on multirole and fire support than pure anti-tank warfare. Unlike the aforementioned weapons, however, the 84 mm Carl Gustaf used a rifled barrel for spin-stabilising its rounds, as opposed to fins used by the other systems. Sweden did, however, also adopt a true man-portable anti-tank system around the same time, the 8 cm raketgevär m/49 (fixed) and 8 cm raketgevär m/51 (foldable) rocket launchers, only featuring anti-tank ammunition.[7]
The use of the recoilless firing system allowed the Gustaf to use ammunition containing considerably more propellant, firing its rounds at 290m/s, as opposed to about 105m/s for the Panzerschreck and Bazooka and about 75m/s for the PIAT. The result was superior accuracy at longer ranges. The Gustaf can be used to attack larger stationary targets at up to 700m (2,300feet), but the relatively low speed of the projectile restricts attacks on moving targets to a range of 400m (1,300feet) or less.
The Gustaf was soon sold around the world and became one of the primary squad-level anti-tank weapons for many West European armies.
The Carl Gustaf M2 was introduced in 1964 as an improved, lighter and slightly shorter version of the original M1 for the export market. It quickly replaced the original version.
The German Bundeswehr maintains a small number of M2s for battlefield illumination.
The Carl Gustaf M3 started development in the 1980s and initially entered service with the Swedish Armed Forces as the \8,4 cm granatgevär m/86 ("8,4 cm grenade rifle", model 1986). While similar to the export M3, it shares some spare parts with the original 1948 M1 model.[20] It reduced the weight even further by replacing the forged steel tube with a thin steel liner containing the rifling, strengthened by a carbon fibre outer sleeve. The external steel parts were also replaced with plastics and aluminium alloys.
The current export Carl-Gustaf M3 version was introduced in 1991. In recent years, the M3 has found new life in a variety of roles. The British Special Air Service, United States Army Special Forces and United States Army Rangers use M3s in bunker-busting and anti-vehicle roles. Many armies continue to use it as a viable anti-armour weapon, especially against 1950s- and 1960s-era tanks and other armoured vehicles still in use worldwide.
In the late 1980s, the Special Operations Forces Modernization Action Plan indicated need for a Ranger Anti-Armor/Anti-Personnel Weapon System (RAAWS) to replace the M67 recoilless rifle in use by the 75th Ranger Regiment. A market survey in 1987 indicated that the Carl Gustaf M3 was the best candidate for satisfying RAAWS requirements. On 29 September 1988, the M3 was selected as the RAAWS from candidate proposals submitted in response to the market survey compiled by ARDEC. A subsequent review of the contractor-supplied fatigue test data determined that the data did not meet U.S. Army requirements. Benét Laboratories conducted fatigue tests of two tubes to establish an interim safe service life for the weapon. Tests were conducted in 1993. The manufacturer's recommended life for the weapon was 500 rounds, but bore surfaces showed no indications of erosion until 2,360 rounds. The U.S. Navy SEALs became interested in the program and moved it to a Joint Integrated Product Team. The program name subsequently changed from the RAAWS to the Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS).[21]
The M3 Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System is the U.S. military designation for the Carl-Gustaf M3 recoilless rifle. It is primarily used by United States Special Operations Command such as the Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, Marine Raiders, Navy SEALs, and JSOC operators. When used by the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, the M3 is known as the Ranger Anti-tank Weapons System (RAWS).
Army Rangers found the M3 was best employed using a two-man team. One person would carry the launcher and be armed with a pistol for personal protection, and the other would carry 5–6 rounds of ammunition and act as a spotter for the gunner. Although the single-shot AT4 is lighter and can be carried by one person, a Gustaf team with the heavier recoilless rifle can reload and fire more rounds.[22]
The M3 MAAWS fires the following ammunition:
While the M3 MAAWS provided enhanced effectiveness over other launchers, its 9.5kg (20.9lb) weight burdened troops. On 28 March 2013, USSOCOM announced a call for sources to develop a kit to lighten the weapon and reduce overall length without affecting handling or ruggedness. By that time, Saab was developing a weight-reduced version prior to the SOCOM release that demonstrated no decrease in performance, no increase in recoil, and nearly equivalent barrel life that could be ready for government testing in 2014. Saab has also developed a new high explosive round that has a direct fire range of 1,500 meters when using a fire control system.
The Carl Gustaf M4 was revealed by Saab at Association of the U.S. Army 2014. Compared to the M3 MAAWS, the M4 is 3.4kg (07.5lb) lighter, weighing 6.6kg (14.6lb), and shorter with a 950mm overall length. The shorter length was in response to the need to wield the weapon in urban terrain, and weight savings were achieved through using lighter components whenever possible including a carbon fibre tube with titanium liner, and a new venturi design. Other new features include a red-dot sight, a travel safety catch to allow the M4 to be carried while loaded, an adjustable shoulder rest and forward grip for improved ergonomics, a shot counter to keep track of how many rounds have been fired to manage the weapon's 1,000-round barrel life,[23] double that of the M3,[24] [25] picatinny rails for grips and sight mounts, and a remote round management function so intelligent sights can communicate with programmable rounds.[26] [27]
Following its reveal in 2014, the US Defence Department agreed to evaluate the shorter and lighter M4 version over the next two years;[28] testing and qualifications were planned to be completed in spring 2017, and the weapon type classified as the M3E1 Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System in fall 2017, making the system available for procurement to all Department of Defence services.[29] The first unit was planned to be equipped with the M3E1 in 2018.[30]
In April 2019, a contract of SEK 168 million (US$18.1 million) was approved to supply the Australian Army with ammunition for the Carl-Gustaf M4 84 mm multipurpose weapon systems ordered by the service in September 2018.[31]
M3 was the name used for decades worldwide for the basic weapon. For the new, improved, lighter, titanium-employing weapon first displayed in 2014, most used the name M4, except for the US. In the US, the Army designation for the US version of the improved M4 mentioned above is M3E1.
In 2017, the U.S. Army approved a requirement for 1,111 M3E1 units to be fielded to soldiers as part of an Urgent Material Release. The M3E1 is part of the Product Manager Crew Served Weapon portfolio. A key benefit of the M3E1 is that it can fire multiple types of rounds, giving soldiers increased capability on the battlefield. By using titanium, the updated M3E1, based on the M3A1 introduced in 2014, is more than six pounds lighter. The M3E1 is also 2.5 inches shorter and has an improved carrying handle, shoulder padding and an improved sighting system that can be adjusted for better comfort without sacrificing performance. The wiring harness was included in the M3E1 configuration that provides a foregrip controller and programmable fuze setter for an interchangeable fire control system. For added safety and cost savings, an automatic round counter enables soldiers and logisticians to accurately track the service life of each weapon. The M3E1 uses the same family of ammunition as the M3, which has been successfully tested.[32] In November 2017, the U.S. Marine Corps announced they planned to procure the M3E1 MAAWS. 1,200 M3E1s would be acquired with one fielded to every infantry squad. In addition to infantry use, the Marines are considering it to replace the Mk 153 SMAW in combat engineer squads. The weapons perform similar functions and the improvements incorporated into the new M3E1 place it in the same size and approximate weight class as the SMAW. While the SMAW weighs 2.5lb less when loaded, the MAAWS has a greater variety of ammunition available and a maximum effective range of 1,000 meters, twice that of the SMAW. The Marines plan to test both weapons' effectiveness against bunkers to inform their decision.[33]
In 2018 the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (Swedish: Försvarets materielverk, FMV) signed a contract with Saab to purchase the Carl Gustaf M4 as the 8,4 cm granatgevär m/18 ("8,4 cm grenade rifle", model 2018),[20] often written without the "m/" to distinguish it from older m/18 (model 1918) systems (8,4 cm granatgevär 18, abbr. 8,4 cm grg 18).[34] The M4 will replace the old M1 models (8,4 cm grg m/48) models still in service as some units are pushing 70+ years in service.[34] The 8,4 cm grg 18 will feature an advanced laser rangefinder and will be acquired with new programmable ammunition (preliminary name HE 448), and a new, improved HEAT shell.[34]
Saab announced in September 2022 that it would establish a manufacturing facility to produce the Carl-Gustaf M4 weapons system in India. It will be the company's first facility producing the M4 system outside Sweden. The facility is expected to open in 2024 and will produce weapons for the Indian Armed Forces as well as export components to users worldwide.[35] [36] Construction of the facility started on 4 March 2024.[37] Previous versions of the Carl Gustaf system have been in service with India since 1976.[38]
As part of the Congo Crisis 1960–1965, Swedish troops were sent to Congo as ONUC peacekeepers in mid to late 1960. They initially lacked any heavy weaponry, but due to rising threat levels they received tgb m/42 KP infantry fighting vehicles and heavy weaponry such as the M1 Carl Gustaf in time for the violent fighting in Elisabethville in 1961.[39] [40]
The weapon proved its worth as a man-portable multi-purpose weapon and came to great use during the conflict. One famous incident happened on 14 September 1961, when Swedish soldier Torsten Stålnacke, then part of a M1 Carl-Gustaf squad, had his two squadmates shocked in connection with repelling a Gendarmerie armoured car attack on a refugee camp and their nearby depot, forcing him to operate the M1 on his own. Stålnacke advanced by himself against an enemy firing position, meanwhile managing to take out an enemy armoured car and a number of enemies before his jaw was shot to pieces.[41] [42] His chin hung down to his chest and he was suffocating. With his fingers he cleared the throat from bone fragments and pulled the tongue up, thereby able to breath again. During the retreat, and with whistling bullets around him, Stålnacke kept his chin up with one hand and held the M1 with the other and managed with hand gestures and kicks get his two badly shocked comrades with him from the battlefield.[43]
In November 2011, the U.S. Army began ordering the M3 MAAWS for regular units deployed in Afghanistan. Soldiers were being engaged with RPGs at 900 meters, while their light weapons had effective ranges of 500–600 meters. The Gustaf allows airburst capability of troops in defilade out to 1,250 meters, and high explosive use out to 1,300 meters.[44]
In late 2012, the Army fielded 58 M3s and 1,500 rounds of ammunition to units deployed to Afghanistan to destroy enemy targets out to 1,000 meters. This was because RPG and machine gun teams could attack 900 meters away, while existing weaponry such as the M141 Bunker Defeat Munition, M72 LAW, M136 AT4, and MK153 SMAW have effective ranges of only 500 meters. The AT4 is lighter and cheaper but is made of reinforced fiberglass, while the M3's rifled metal/carbon fiber launch tube allows for reloading. Employing the 22 lb M3 is easier than the 50 lb FGM-148 Javelin with its launcher with missile and reusable command launch unit, is faster than waiting on mortars, and is cheaper than the Javelin and artillery shells for engaging targets in hard cover.[21] Although Special Operations forces had been using the M3 since the early 1990s, light infantry unit commanders in Afghanistan had to submit operational needs statements to get the weapon. The M3 became an official Program of Record in the conventional Army in 2014, and a conditional materiel release was authorized in late 2015 to equip all brigade combat teams with one M3 launcher per infantry platoon.[45]
Since 2022, the Carl Gustaf has been used in combat in the Russian invasion of Ukraine by Ukrainian forces, being used to target both tanks and infantry. According to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, a Carl Gustaf was used to destroy the first Russian T-90M main battle tank of the war.[46] [47] [48]
The Carl Gustaf 84 mm recoilless gun fires a 84 × 245 mm rimmed recoilless (84×245R RCL) cartridge with a blowout base for propellant gas ventilation.[7] Ammunition initially consisted of high-explosive (HE), high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), airburst (HE-TF) and smoke shells, not counting target-practice (TP) ammunition, but improvements to the ammunition family have been continual. While the older HEAT rounds are not particularly effective against modern tank armor, the weapon has found new life as a bunker-buster with a high-explosive dual-purpose (HEDP) round. Also, improved HEAT, high explosive (HE), smoke and illumination (star shell or flare) ammunition is also available. For full effectiveness, illumination rounds must be fired at a very high angle, creating a danger for the gunner who can be burned from the backblast. For this reason, several armies have retired the illumination rounds, while the U.S. Army requires that they be fired from a standing position. AEI Systems Ltd., a British defence products manufacturer headquartered in Ascot, Berkshire, offers a variant of the platform dubbed the AE84-RCL designed to fire the M540/M550 line of 84×245 mm R ammunition manufactured in Belgium by Mecar.
Note that the following are the Swedish manufacturer designations (other countries use similar terminology, replacing the "FFV - Försvarets Fabriksverk")
| +Comparison[53] | ||||||||
| Origin | Weapon | Diameter (mm) | Muzzle velocity (m/s) | HEAT Warhead (kg) | Armor penetration (est.) (mm) | Effective range (m) | Sight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | M3-E1 Carl Gustaf | 84 | 310 | 400 | 450 | 2× | ||
| United States | M67 recoilless rifle | 90 | 213 | 350 | 400 | 3× | ||
| France | LRAC F1 | 89 | 300 | 400 | 600 | N/A | ||
| Soviet Union | RPG-7 with PG-7VS grenade | 72 | 140 | 400 | 500 | 2.7× | ||
| Israel | B-300 | 82 | 280 | 400 | 400 | N/A | ||
| China | PF-98 | 120 | 310 | 800 | 800 | 4× | ||
| Sweden | Pansarvärnspjäs 1110 | 90 | 700 | 800 | 900 | N/A | ||
Argentina[54] [55]
Australia:[56] M2 replaced by M3 variant. M4 on order.[57]
Austria
Bangladesh[58]
Belgium[59]
Belize
Botswana
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Canada
Colombia:[60] M3 variant
Chile[61]
Czech Republic[62]
Denmark: M1 officially called M/65, M2 called M/79, M3 called M/85. M4 to be delivered in 2022.[63] With each new variant, older variant phased out. All variants have commonly been referred to as "Dysekanon" in the Danish army.
Estonia: M2, M3 variants. Purchased 250 M4s in 2021 for $12.7 million to replace M2 variants.[64] [65]
Germany
Ghana
Greece[66]
Hungary: M4
Honduras
India: A modified version has also been developed by the DRDO which is significantly lighter due to use of advanced composites.[67]
Indonesia: Used by the Komando Pasukan Katak (Kopaska) tactical diver group and Komando Pasukan Khusus (Kopassus) special forces group.[68]
Ireland: Defence Forces specialist units, including Army Ranger Wing (ARW).
Israel
Japan: M2 called 84 mm Recoilless Rifle, M3 called '
Kenya
Kuwait.[71]
LatviaM4 on order.
Malaysia: M2 and M3 variant in service. 110 new units of M4 variant ordered in 2021.[74]
Myanmar: Used by divisional heavy weapon companies in bunker busting/infantry support/light artillery role for counter-insurgency campaigns.[75] Clones made as BA-84(MA-84) MK and MK-II.
Nepal
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway: M2, M3, M4[76]
Poland: Used by special forces.[77] On 5 March 2024, the Polish Armament Agency announced the purchase of over 6,000 Carl Gustaf M4 anti-tank weapons, complemented by a vast arsenal of various types of ammunition, such as armor-piercing, high-explosive, smoke, and training rounds, among others.
Portugal: M2 and M3 variants used by Portuguese Army and Portuguese Marine Corps.[78] [79]
Saudi Arabia[80]
Serbia[81]
Sierra Leone
Slovakia: M3, launch customer for the M4 variant, which became operational in July 2017.[82] [83]
Sweden: M2, M3. M4 on order will replace all old M2, M3 between 2020 and 2023.
Thailand
Ukraine 100 units with 2,000 rounds of ammunition donated by the Government of Canada due to the Russo-Ukrainian War.[84] [85]
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom: M2 variant was used as the L14A1 Infantry Anti-Tank Gun[86] [87] or Medium Anti-Tank Weapon[88] from the 1960s until the early 1990s, when it was replaced by LAW 80.[89] [90] [91] Procurement of M4 variant was announced in 2023 to replenish munitions granted to Ukraine.[92]
United States: Used by USSOCOM, U.S. Army Ranger battalions,[93] and some regular U.S. Army infantry units in the War in Afghanistan.[94] [95] In February 2014, the M3 MAAWS was designated as a Program of Record within the U.S. Army and became standard-issue in Army Light Infantry units.[96] [97]
Netherlands: The M2 was in service with the Royal Netherlands Army since 1964, known as the Terugstootloze vuurmond (TLV) 84 mm, Carl Gustaf M-2. It is used in combination with the Kijker, richt, recht, 2x12 Wöhler scope.[98] The same model was also used in the Dutch Marine Corps, where it was known as the Terugstootloze vuurmond (TLV) van 84 mm, Carl Gustaf, M2.[99] It was replaced by the Panzerfaust 3.[100]
Singapore: Replaced by MATADOR in 2013.[101]
Libya
Lithuania
Zambia