US Army and Marine Corps servicemembers may be getting their hands on a batch of new laser-guided munitions for the 84-millimeter, man-portable Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle in the near future.
Raytheon announced last week that it would soon be demonstrating its new munitions for the Carl Gustaf system, which is produced by Saab Bofors Dynamics in Sweden. The companies have been working with one another since 2017 to develop new weapons for infantry forces, according to a Friday Raytheon release.
The US defense contractor will conduct three live test firings of the guided munitions in Sweden in 2020 alongside Saab. Though no specific date was offered, Raytheon did indicate in its release that the firings would be conducted against “threat-representative targets.” The demonstrations will include two stationary targets and one moving target.
“The Carl-Gustaf system paired with this new guided munition gives US and coalition dismounted forces a tremendous advantage on the battlefield,” Kim Ernzen, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president, said in a statement. “The munition is intended to enable ground troops to engage multiple targets precisely at distances up to 2,000 meters, including moving targets.”
Townsend Blanchard, a senior manager with Raytheon's Land Warfare Systems, offered more insight into the new munitions' features, telling the Army Times in an article published Tuesday that the multi-target warheads would be able to defeat “bunkers,…
