Page 12 - Defense & Security 2023 - Day 2

Saab’s More Capable Carl-Gustaf M4

Attracting Royal Thai Army Interest

The Royal Thai Army (RTA), which is an It can also be fitted with a wide range of The HE 448 is a powerful high-explosive
existing operator of Saab’s Carl-Gustaf M3 sights to ensure maximum effect in any round designed for use against unprotected
man-portable weapon systems, is reportedly tactical situation and flexibility for the user. troops, troops in defilade, and soft skin tar-
also interested in upgrading to the newer The system is attached with standard clip- gets including vehicles. It is a successor to
Carl-Gustaf M4 multirole weapon system. on telescopic sight, and additional options, the HE 441 explosive round. Saab reduced
Saab is showcasing the Carl-Gustaf M4 include an open sight, red dot sight and the HE 448’s weight and made modifications
at the ongoing show. The Carl-Gustaf M4 advanced fire control devices, available. It to the composition to help increase the
is the latest version of the long-serving also has a Fire Control Device (FCD) 558. range, fragment distribution and lethality
man-portable weapon system which in its There are no range knobs on the M4 and of the round. The HE 448 can be used in
various variants is in use with 40 customers it has built-in ballistics data for all Carl- both direct attack and air burst mode. This
worldwide. Till date, out of 40 customers Gustaf ammunition, allowing rapid reloading new HE round has better ability to defeat
for Saab’s Carl-Gustaf family of weapons, and adjustment, and improved sensors for
at least 16 have opted for the new M4 temperature and air pressure. Saab’s HE body armour. Hostile forces are increasingly
variant. This has included many first-time 448 high-explosive round and FCD 558 fire wearing such armour which can limit the
customers, bringing new operators into the control device also take the Carl-Gustaf effectiveness of fragmentation rounds. To
Carl-Gustaf fold. combat this, Saab took two steps; it re-
user experience to a new level. An interface placed the mechanical fuze of the HE 441
in the round allows it to communicate with
The weight of the Carl-Gustaf M4 is less with a much smaller electro-mechanical
than half that of the older M2 version. The the new fire control device (FCD), greatly fuze in the HE 448. The 800 steel balls in the
M4 weapon is backward-compatible with all enhancing accuracy. HE 441 were replaced with 4,000 tungsten
legacy Carl-Gustaf ammunition, an import- pellets in the HE 448, increasing fragment
ant consideration for militaries that have density and the overall probability of striking
large numbers of the recoilless weapon in vulnerable areas on the enemy combatant.
their inventory. The Carl-Gustaf M4 is short-
er by one meter and weighs less than seven
kg as compared to its predecessors. The Saab’s legacy FCD and HE round allowed the
M4 variant is 3 kg lighter than the older M3 engagement of targets at up to 1300 metres.
variant, providing troops with much greater By reducing the overall weight of the HE
agility in the combat field. 448 by 500 grams compared to the HE 441,
the former now weighs 2.7 kg. The reduced
The M4 also has shot counter, which allows weight provides higher muzzle velocity and
operators to record the numbers of rounds ability to cover more ground. Improvements
fired from the weapon. The shot counter in ballistics have also ensured that not only
records all 84 mm rounds fired from the does the HE 448 fly further but is also able
weapon. The Carl-Gustaf M4 has a life of to maintain outstanding levels of accuracy
1,000 rounds. over that distance.
12 NOVEMBER-07-2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/DAILY NEWS