Saab has secured a 400-million Swedish kroner ($36.8 million) contract to supply additional Carl Gustaf M4 multi-role weapons to Australia.
The agreement will deliver the rifles to the Australian Defence Forces along with the company’s new Fire Control Device (FCD) 558 programmable munition components.
Deliveries will take place from 2024 to 2025.
“This order continues Saab’s longstanding relationship with the Australian Defence Force. We are proud to deliver modern and user-focused weapon systems that ensures the Australian armed forces’ ability to meet a wide range of challenges on the battlefield,” Saab Dynamics Head Görgen Johansson stated.
Saab’s Carl Gustaf M4
The Carl Gustaf M4 recoilless rifle is a multi-role system developed to secure dismounted troops during combat.
The weapon is easy-to-use and portable, weighing approximately 7 kilograms (15 pounds) and measuring less than 1 meter (3 feet) in length.
Alongside its mobility, Carl Gustaf offers compatibility with a range of munitions depending on user requirements.
Compared to its M2 predecessor, the M4 variant is lighter, uses “intelligent” optical systems, and can be integrated with advanced weapon capabilities, such as FCD 558 programmable munitions.
In 2019, Saab received a $15.46-million order to provide Carl Gustaf ammunition to the Australian Army.
It followed the initial order of the system’s M4 variants in 2018, during which Australia became the sixth customer of the weapon since its launch in 2014.