The US military, together with the command of the special operations forces, purchased Carl Gustav M3 recoilless anti-tank guns from the Swedish company Saab. The contract value is $ 31.5 million. This is the first acquisition by the United States of Swedish MSW.
The anti-tank recoilless gun is based on the Pvg m / 42 anti-tank rifle, developed back in 41 by Mr. Abramson. The tasks carried out by PTBO "M2 / M3 Carl Gustav" make it possible to call it a multipurpose weapon. The breech-loading rifled recoilless weapon, reduced to the size of an RPG, has a caliber of 84 mm, designed for use in ground forces.
The M2 / M3 Karl Gustav anti-tank recoilless gun is designed to destroy any enemy armored vehicles, armored fortifications and enemy personnel.
PTBO device
Anti-tank recoilless gun consists of holding devices, sight, firing device, rifled barrel with breech. The breech is connected to the barrel in a hinged way and has a bell and a nozzle. To charge the PTBO, it is necessary to use the locking ring on the breech by turning it, then raise the breech along the longitudinal axis to the left and up, lay the grenade and return the breech to its place and close it with the ring.
The service crew produces approximately 5-7 rounds per minute. The loader stands in position behind the shooter and slightly to the side. To increase the rate of fire, the loader can put a special cover on the gun nozzle to reduce the likelihood of getting burned when loading the PTBO.
We note the precautions taken at the PTBO: for the production of a shot, the breech must be completely closed (the firing device will not react to the actions of the shooter until the breech is closed to the end). After the shooting, the empty cartridge case is either thrown out by itself, or it is pushed out by the next grenade. The device for lowering the ammunition is located to the right of the barrel; to put it in a firing position, it is necessary to move the lever, which is located near the pistol grip, forward. On the handle itself there is a flag-type fuse.
Under the barrel, a casing, a shoulder rest, a pistol grip and a gun holding handle located in front are attached. In front of the shoulder rest, a special two-support bipod is attached, which is necessary when shooting from shelters and from a side of vehicles, it is possible to mount this bipod near the muzzle end of the barrel. The belt for moving the anti-tank recoilless gun is fastened on the right side of the barrel.
Ammunition used
The unitary shots were developed by the FFV company. The ammunition is collected in the cartridge case itself with holes near the bottom. The holes of the grenade are closed with a plastic disk, this provides the creation of pressure for the production of movement of the grenade along the bore and acquiring its initial velocity. The disk collapses under pressure, and powder gases begin to come out through the holes, which come out through the nozzle, compensating for the recoil from the shot. The grenades for this gun had a leading belt made of plastic for obturation, and in flight the grenades were stabilized by rotation.
The FFV65 cumulative munition was equipped with a head fuse and a rod piezoelectric element, which ensured the operation of the cumulative munition at a given distance from the obstacle. The platoon of the fuse took place during the flight of the ammunition, in addition, the cumulative grenade was provided by the tracer.
FFV441 fragmentation ammunition contains spherical fragments inside, provided with a remote fuse.
The FFV545 illuminating ammunition can illuminate an area of 500 square meters for 0.5 minutes.
Smoke ammunition creates a smoke screen equal to 15 meters.
The FFV502 dual-use munition is designed to destroy lightly armored vehicles at a distance of a quarter of a kilometer and defeat enemy personnel at a distance of up to one kilometer. Has a shaped charge and half-finished fragments. A distinctive feature of this ammunition in the detonation of the fuse: based on the assigned tasks, the ammunition can form a cumulative jet or create a high-explosive fragmentation effect.
For educational purposes and training of service personnel, a practical ammunition was used, which had a barrel with a 6.5 mm rifling, and then had a rifling for a 9 mm cartridge with a tracer to simulate the flight of the used grenade at a distance of up to 0.4 kilometers.
The PTBO "M2 / M3" sight had a 2x magnification and a 17-degree viewing angle. Also, the sight was provided with a device for introducing a correction for temperature and crosswind. The mechanical sight on the gun had auxiliary functions.
In 1964, a modification of the anti-tank recoilless gun called the M2-550 Carl Gustaf appeared. PTBO received new ammunition and an improved sight.
Active-reactive ammunition FFV551 cumulative performance received a sharp fairing, a jet-powder engine. The grenade stabilizer has six feathers and the ability to fold. The engine, thanks to the pyro retarder, turns on after 18 meters of the grenade's flight and performs its function of accelerating the ammunition to 380 m / s in about one and a half seconds.
Thanks to this, the aiming range increases to 0.7 km.
A new FFV441B ammunition is being produced, which has a jumping fragmentation element. Practical ammunition for the gun receives an insert 7.62 mm barrel.
PTBO M2-550 Carl Gustaf can use previously released ammunition for "M2 / M3" for firing.
The improved sight FFV555 gets three times magnification and is equipped with a monocular rangefinder with a ballistic computer. The viewing angle has slightly decreased - to 12 degrees.
Anti-tank BO "M3 Carl Gustaf"
In 1991, a modification of the M3 Carl Gustaf appears. PTBO receives a thin-walled steel barrel in a plastic case. The surface of the casing is fiberglass reinforced. Many steel parts were replaced by analogs made of plastic and aluminum. As a result, the weight of the TBO decreased to 8.5 kilograms. Carl Gustaf's M3 sight gets a laser rangefinder. The means of restraint have undergone minor modifications.
Produced above-caliber 135-mm ammunition FFV597 cumulative execution. The mass of the grenade is 8 kilograms, armor-piercing is 90 centimeters. Ammunition is loaded into the gun from the muzzle.
One of the disadvantages of anti-tank BO is a high acoustic load, equal to 184 dB. But due to good hitting accuracy, ease of use, good mobility and multipurpose nature, the anti-tank recoilless gun has become the most popular in the world. It is in service with many countries, produced under license in France.
Another of the important characteristics of the Swedish anti-tank BO is its relatively low cost, even with special CLASS units, it is much cheaper than its competitors.
Key features of the M3 Carl Gustaf:
- caliber 84 mm;
- length 1.1 meters;
- muzzle velocity from 240 to 310 m / s;
- maximum speed of ammunition from 310 to 380 m / s;
- weight with sight - 9.6 kg
Sighting range:
- up to 300 meters on moving vehicles;
- up to 700 meters on a stationary target;
- up to 1 kilometer to enemy personnel;
- use of smoke ammunition up to 1.3 kilometers;
- up to 2.3 kilometers using lighting ammunition;
- service personnel - 2 people.
Additional Information
Earlier it was reported about the delivery of 437 anti-tank BO "Carl Gustav M3" with thermal imaging sights to Australia. The cost of this batch of grenade launchers is estimated at $ 110 million.
