The Raytheon Company and Swedish aerospace and defense firm Saab are developing a guided munition for the Carl-Gustaf man-portable, shoulder-launched weapon system under a U.S. Army contract. This new munition answers a U.S. Special Operations Command requirement to increase the capability of the multirole Carl-Gustaf weapon system built by Saab.
Under the contract, the team will provide all-up-rounds for three test firings against threat-representative targets. Test firing of the guided Carl-Gustaf munition is planned for 2020 in Sweden. In 2017, Raytheon announced its partnership with Saab to develop new weapons for infantry forces.
“The Carl-Gustaf system paired with this new guided munition gives U.S. and coalition dismounted forces a tremendous advantage on the battlefield,” said Kim Ernzen, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. “The munition is intended to enable ground troops to engage multiple targets precisely at distances up to 2,000 meters, including moving targets.” The munition’s advanced warhead penetrates light armor, bunkers, and concrete structures while minimizing collateral damage. With increased range, the new munition offers greater protection for ground troops by enabling them to fire at targets from inside structures.
The recent contract continues work on “Massive Overmatch Assault Round” (MOAR) awarded to Saab Dynamics in 2016. “Focused on the Carl-Gustaf and AT4 shoulder-fired weapons, which are already fielded and procured under U.S. Army Programs of Record allows the research to remain focused on the munition itself, rather than developing a completely new solution, we are seeking to apply improved capabilities to existing systems” Görgen Johansson, Head of Saab’s Dynamics business area said at the time of the MOAR award.
