EURENCO, European leader in the field of propellants and explosives for the Defense sector, and SAAB AB, global player with world-leading products, services and solutions from military defense to civil security, are finalizing a new long-term contract for the supply of solid rocket motor propellants & explosives for the “Carl Gustaf” medium caliber man portable multirole weapon system. EURENCO has been a long-term supplier of energetic materials (propellants and explosives) for the “Carl Gustaf” program for more than 40 years. Both companies have established a strong relationship of trust over the years. This new agreement is the fruit of this partnership and the basis on which it will grow even stronger.
The Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle is a Swedish developed 84 mm (3.3 in) caliber man-portable shoulder-fired recoilless rifle, initially developed by the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration during the second half of the 1940s as a close-range anti-tank and support weapon for infantry, which has seen great export success around the globe and is today a popular multi-purpose support weapon in use by many nations. The Carl Gustaf 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. In U.S. military service, it is officially known as the M3 Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS) or “Ranger Anti-tank Weapons System” (RAWS), but is often just called “Gustaf”.
The Carl Gustaf is still in production and remains in widespread use today. Improvements to the ammunition 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 an HEDP round. In addition, improved HEAT, high explosive (HE), smoke and illumination (star shell or flare) ammunition is also available. For full effectiveness, illumination rounds have to be fired at a very high angle, creating a danger for the gunner as the backblast from firing can burn him. For this reason, several armies have retired the illumination rounds, while the U.S. Army requires that they be fired from a standing position.
EURENCO was created in 2004 from the merger between SNPE “Explosifs & Propulseurs” and NEXPLO. EURENCO inherited from these companies a presence in several European countries and a high level of know-how in the field of energetic materials. As the European leader in military explosives, propellants and fuels, EURENCO also supplies explosives for the civil sector (oil and gas drilling, mining) and has the world’s largest production capacity for 2-EHN (fuel additive). EURENCO is a key player in the defense sector serving the sovereignty of France and Europe. The company design, produce and supply innovative products and solutions with high added value in the fields of pyrotechnics and chemistry.
