Lithuania Receives Carl-Gustaf M4 RD Launchers to Boost Infantry Anti-Armor Capability.

Lithuania has confirmed the delivery of new generation 84 mm Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifles under a €14 million contract with Saab Bofors Dynamics. The move strengthens infantry-level firepower on NATO’s eastern flank and reflects a shift toward sustained, high-tempo ground combat readiness.

Lithuania has begun fielding the latest 84 mm Carl-Gustaf M4 RD multi-use recoilless rifles, replenishing army stockpiles under a €14 million procurement completed with Saab Bofors Dynamics AB, according to the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence. The first deliveries arrived in December 2025, marking a tangible upgrade in infantry firepower for a frontline NATO state that openly plans for rapid manoeuvre and close combat against armored and fortified threats.
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Lightweight 84 mm Carl-Gustaf M4 RD recoilless rifle delivering reusable multi-role firepower against armor, bunkers, and troops out to 2 km plus (Picture source: Lithuanian MoD).

The delivery closes a procurement loop that started with a regional framework. Lithuania joined Sweden, Estonia, and Latvia under the same Carl-Gustaf framework agreement, streamlining acquisition and sustainment across the Baltic region. Within that structure, Lithuania’s Defence Materiel Agency signed an executive contract with Saab Bofors Dynamics AB worth €14 million for M4 launchers and spares, with deliveries scheduled across 2025 and 2026. The contract was concluded at the end of 2024, and the first batch arrived in December 2025, allowing the army to introduce the system progressively rather than through a single mass delivery.

The Carl-Gustaf M4 is a modernization built for dismounted speed. The launcher weighs about 6.7 kg and measures roughly 950 mm in length, a reduction achieved through a lighter barrel and redesigned components. A Picatinny rail supports modern-day optics, thermal sights, and digital fire control. The real operational value lies in ammunition breadth and rapid role switching. Lithuanian infantry can tailor effects shot by shot, using tandem and rocket-assisted HEAT for anti-armor tasks, HEDP and anti-structure rounds against walls and field fortifications, and smoke or illumination to shape manoeuvre and night combat. Effective range varies by munition from roughly 300 m to more than 2 km. The system is also compatible with programmable ammunition when paired with modern fire control devices, enabling airburst or impact modes against troops in cover or defilade.

That mix matters in Lithuania’s tactical reality. The country hosts NATO forward forces and routinely trains mechanized and infantry elements within the Iron Wolf brigade framework, meaning short-range anti-armor and anti-structure fire must be immediately available at platoon level during fast, confused contact. The Carl-Gustaf M4 complements heavier anti-tank layers already present on Vilkas infantry fighting vehicles, which field Spike LR missiles and a 30 mm cannon for longer range engagements. In practice, the recoilless rifle fills the gap when guided missiles are too scarce or too expensive to use against light vehicles, firing points, or buildings.

Within NATO inventories, the M4 sits between disposable launchers and guided tank killers. Saab’s AT4 family is lighter and simpler but single-use, limiting flexibility during prolonged fighting. NLAW offers a guided anti-tank punch out to several hundred meters and excels against main battle tanks, but it is not designed to serve as an everyday multi-target weapon. Germany’s Panzerfaust 3 remains a capable disposable competitor for short engagements, yet it lacks the Carl-Gustaf ecosystem of specialized ammunition, reusable launchers, and growth potential through programmable effects.

Lithuania’s requirement is also financial and structural, not only tactical. Vilnius has committed to sustaining exceptionally high defence spending through the second half of the decade, reflecting lessons drawn from the war in Ukraine about ammunition consumption and infantry firepower. Against that backdrop, the Carl-Gustaf M4 RD is a pragmatic choice. It modernizes a familiar weapon family, preserves compatibility with existing training and ammunition stocks, strengthens NATO interoperability, and gives Lithuanian infantry a reusable, adaptable launcher capable of engaging armor, structures, and exposed troops while conserving more expensive guided missiles for the targets that truly demand them.