Ukraine’s Armed Forces have already begun training on Carl Gustaf – one of the most widely deployed anti-tank grenade launchers in the world
Kharkiv Territorial Defense Force is among the forces being trained to use this weapon, as seen from photos on the Web.
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Canada was among the countries that, on the first days of Russia’s invasion, committed to sending a quantity of the Swedish-designed Carl Gustaf launchers into Ukraine. It may well be that, in addition to Canada, other Ukraine’s allied nations have shipped these weapons to Ukraine, considering that some four dozen armies worldwide have Carl Gustaf grenade launchers in their arsenals.
The Carl-Gustaf ows its popularity to its ease of use and high lethality, achieved through the four major upgrades it underwent since it was developed in 1946. The currently most widely deployed (and seen in the photo) version is Carl Gustaf m/86 introduced in 1991. It weighs 10 kg and is aimed with the attached 3x optical sight.
Morerecent version, the M4, is 3.2 kg lighter in weight and utilizes a more powerful optic; it is present in more or less significant numbers in the U.S. Army, where it is gradually replacing the M3 MAAWS’s.
As with any other grenade launcher, the grenade’s capabilities are what matter in combat, and there is a complete range of ammunition types available for this weapon. Most commonly used are High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) rounds capable of 350-400mm RHA penetration. The tandem-warhead HEAT version penetrates 500 mm RHA behind reactive armor.
In addition to anti-armor anti-tank rounds, the weapon can fire high-explosive dual-purpose (HEDP) and high-explosive (HE) rounds designed for combat in built-up areas and for incapacitating enemy personnel under cover inside a building or some type of fortification.
Compared to the Soviet RPG-7 series of launchers, the Carl Gustaf fires and sends its projectile at a twice greater speed, penetrates thicker armor, and can fire at 1.5 times longer distances.
Defense Express reported earlier that Ukrainian soldier explained from his own experience which of the two is more effective against russian armored targets - Javelin or NLAW.
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