Saab has received an order from the Norwegian Armed Forces (Forsvaret) for deliveries of ammunition for the recoilless Carl-Gustaf rifle. The order is signed within a 15-year framework agreement that allows the Norwegian Armed Forces to place orders for Carl-Gustaf ammunition and weapons. This includes the new programmable high explosive round HE 448, among other ammunition types. In January 2021, Norway became the 14th user of the latest Carl-Gustaf M4. The wide range of ammunition available for Carl-Gustaf further strengthens the system’s tactical flexibility, enabling faster engagement, increased hit probability and greater effectiveness for Norwegian soldiers.
“We are pleased to continue to support the Norwegian Armed Forces with our Carl-Gustaf ammunition. These munitions will further strengthen Norwegian defence capability,“ says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.
The programmable high explosive ammunition HE 448 gives the Carl-Gustaf operator the ability to quickly configure a chambered round. Saab’s programmable Carl-Gustaf munition, designated HE 448, was fired for the first time in front of an audience at a live fire event in Karlskoga, Sweden. The new HE 448 programmable round has the ability to communicate with the new Fire Control Device 558 via a new protocol known as Firebolt®. The HE 448 round provides the FCD 558 with the exact information on round type and propellant temperature and combines this with target distance entered by the operator to determine the best trajectory. This means that Carl-Gustaf operators will be able to quickly configure a chambered round and so increase their operational effectiveness.
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 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.
