Swedish company SAAB to deliver anti-tank weapon system Carl-Gustaf M4 to Latvia and Estonia


Swedish company Saab has received orders from Latvian and Estonian Armed Forces for deliveries of Carl-Gustaf M4 portable anti-tank weapon system. Deliveries will take place in 2021-2024. The orders are placed within a framework agreement signed by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) in June 2019, which allows Sweden, Latvia and Estonia to place orders for Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon systems during a ten-year period.
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Swedish-made Carl-Gustaf M4 portable anti-tank weapon system. (Picture source Army Recognition)


“We are pleased to announce Latvia and Estonia as our latest customers on Carl-Gustaf M4. Both nations have a history of more than two decades of Saab’s Carl-Gustaf system. We look forward to further strengthen their ground combat capabilities with the latest version of the system,” says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.

“The new generation anti-tank grenade launcher Carl-Gustaf M4 is definitely a big step forward for a soldier who has been trained in this field and has dealt with older versions, the M2, especially in terms of walking with a weapon. The new weapon is half as light. This joint procurement is a very good example of cooperation with neighbouring countries, where the parties reached the most economically advantageous and best deal. Co-operation between defense countries is one of the most important ways to increase the defense capability of our region,” says Ramil Lipp, Chief of Category (Armament) for the Estonian Centre for Defence Investment.

“Acquisition of the most recent generation recoilless rifle marks another key milestone in Baltic and Nordic cooperation. Joint procurement provides significant economic benefits to both Latvia and Estonia, as well as increasing regional interoperability and cross-training with our allied forces. Procurement of Carl-Gustaf M4 together with earlier ammunition procurements also greatly improves operational capabilities of the Latvian National Armed Forces and paves way for long-term modernization of our armed forces,” says Artis Pabriks, minister of defence of Latvia.

The Carl-Gustaf M4 (CGM4) is the latest generation of multi-role anti-tank weapon system in the family of Carl-Gustaf developed and manufactured by the Swedish Company SAAB. The key characteristic of the Carl-Gustaf M4 is to offer a multirole weapon for modern infantry units. It is fully optimized for dismounted soldiers who need a light-weight, and high-impact weapon.

The Carl-Gustaf M4 has been specially designed to destroy main battle tanks, armored vehicles but also buildings or bunkers. It has an effective firing range of up to 500 m against armored vehicles or tanks and 700 m against buildings and stationary targets. Some types of ammunition have a rocket booster for an extended range to up to 1,000 m.

The Carl-Gustaf M4 system is able to fire a wide range of 84mm caliber ammunition including anti-armor, anti-structure, multi-role, anti-personnel and support rounds. It can fire all the ammunition that can be used with the M3 version of the Carl Gustaf. The HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) ammunition can penetrate up to 400 mm of rolled homogeneous armor. Ammunition with a tandem HEAT warhead is able to penetrate up to 500 mm of rolled homogeneous armor behind explosive reactive armor. The rate of fire is around 6 rounds per minute.