The Carl Gustav is the common name for the 84mm recoilless rifle anti-tank weapon from Bofors Anti Armour AB in Sweden. The Carl Gustav was first introduced in 1946, and while similar weapons of the era have generally disappeared, the Carl Gustav remains in widespread use today, and is even being introduced into new roles. British troops refer to it as the Charlie G. Canadian troops often refer to it as the 84 or Carl G. US troops often refer to it as the RAAWS or Ranger Anti-Armor Weapon System, the Gustav or simply the goose. In Australia it is irreverently known as Charlie Gutsache (guts ache, slang for stomach pain). In its country of origin it is officially named Grg m/48 (Granatgevär, meaning grenade rifle, model 48) and sometimes nicknamed Stuprör (drainpipe) due to the fact that the weapon mainly consists of a long tube.

The use of the recoilless firing system allowed the Carl Gustav to contain considerably more propellant, firing its rounds at 290 m/s, as opposed to about 105 m/s for the Panzerschreck or Bazooka and about 135 m/s for the PIAT. The result was superior accuracy at longer ranges. The Carl Gustav could attack larger stationary targets at up to 700 metres, but the relatively slow speed of the projectile confined attacks on moving targets to a range of 400 metres or less.

In 1964 an improved version, known as the M2, was introduced and quickly replaced the original version. A newer M3 version was introduced in 1991, which used a thin steel liner containing the rifling, strengthened by a carbon fibre outer sleeve. External parts were replaced with aluminium alloys or plastics. This reduced the empty weapon weight considerably, from the 14.2kg M2 to the 8.5kg M3.



Weight  8.5 kg, 0.8 kg Mount
Length  1.1 Meters
Crew  1 Minimum, 2 Optimal
Caliber  84 mm
Rate of fire  6 Rounds/Minute
Muzzle velocity  230-255 m/s
Feed system  Hinged Breech
Sights  Telescoped optical 3x; Laser range finder; image intensification system

Specifications: Wikipedia, the free encycelopedia.

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