Saab has signed framework agreements with NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for the Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon system and the AT4 anti-armour weapon. The NSPA has also placed call-off orders with a total value of approximately SEK 350 million. The NSPA has placed a call-off order for Carl-Gustaf ammunition with deliveries planned 2023-2025 as well as a call-off order for AT4 with deliveries planned 2023-2024. The AT4 framework agreement will be valid until 2026, whilst the Carl-Gustaf agreement, which includes ammunition, will be valid until 2027. Saab’s ground combat systems provide defence forces with the necessary effectiveness and precision to give them the advantage in combat, whilst enabling soldiers to carry out their missions safely. Several NATO members, including the U.S., Canada and the UK, are already users of Saab’s ground combat solutions.
“We are proud that our combat solutions are making a difference for our customers. These framework agreements will further strengthen our relations with NATO and facilitate the order process for Carl-Gustaf and AT4 for its members,” says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.
The Carl Gustaf 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. 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. Compared to the M3 MAAWS, the M4 is 3.4 kg (7.5 lb) lighter, weighing 6.6 kg (15 lb), and shorter with a 950 mm (37 in) overall length.
The AT4 is a Swedish 84 mm (3.31 in) unguided, man-portable, disposable, shoulder-fired recoilless anti-tank weapon manufactured by Saab Bofors Dynamics. The AT4 is not considered a rocket launcher as the explosive warhead is not propelled by a rocket motor; similarly, it is not exactly a recoilless rifle, but rather a recoilless gun, as the launcher is smoothbore and not rifled. Saab has had considerable sales success with the AT4, making it one of the most common light anti-tank weapons in the world. The M136 AT4 is a variant used by the United States Army. The name AT4 is a word play on the 84 mm caliber of the weapon, (84) ‘eighty four’ being a homophone of ‘A-T-4’. The name also doubles as an alpha-phonetic word play on the weapon’s role, due to “AT” being a common military abbreviation for “anti-tank.
