Australian Defence orders Saab Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifles.

Saab has received an order from the Australian Department of Defence for the supply of additional Carl-Gustaf M4 weapons. The order value is SEK 400 million with deliveries during 2024-2025. The Carl-Gustaf M4 weapons will be delivered with Saab’s new Fire Control Device, FCD 558.
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Saab ground combat systems - Carl-Gustaf M4 with FCD 558 (Picture source: Saab)

“This order continues Saab’s longstanding relationship with the Australian Defence Force. We are proud to deliver modern and user-focused weapon systems that ensure the Australian armed forces’ ability to meet a wide range of challenges on the battlefield,” says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.

The Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle, named after Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori which initially produced it, 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.

Development of the initial model started in 1946 as one of the many recoilless rifle designs of that era, based on the experience from the earlier Carl Gustaf 20 mm recoilless rifle and the success of man-portable rocket launchers during World War II, such as the Bazooka and Panzerschreck. Production of the initial model was handled by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori lead by Försvarets Fabriksverk (FFV) and the weapon received the designation 8,4 cm granatgevär m/48, (8,4 cm grg m/48 – "8,4 cm grenade rifle", model 1948) in Swedish service. FFV would continue to further develop the weapon for the international market, later being merged into Saab Bofors Dynamics which handles development and export today. The Carl-Gustaf system is supplied to more than 40 countries around the world.

Defense News July 2023