Tag Archives: Carl Gustav 84

Battlefield fires are getting more deadly, for sure

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Raytheon and Saab recently announced that the guided munition for the venerable Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle has gone 11 for 11 in tests. This is big news as the 84, which has been around since the 1940s in one form or another, is super popular but is a “dumb” rocket, much like the bazookas of its birth era. A guided round is a serious game-changer. The new semi-active, laser-guided munition will allow users to accurately engage stationary or moving targets at distances up to 1.2 miles (2,000 meters).

“Raytheon and Saab have spent the last 12 months working together to develop a precision-guided munition that will penetrate multiple targets, such as light armor, bunkers, and concrete structures, at extended ranges,” said Sam Deneke, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. “This lightweight round can overmatch potential adversaries while decreasing collateral damage, making it an ideal weapon when fighting under restricted rules of engagement.”

My favorite, albeit fictional use, of the CG84 is in the otherwise forgettable action film Men of War where Swedish muscle-man/nerd Dolph Lundgren gets all reverse Ikea with one.

Going long with the 155

The South African G6 Rhino is a beast and is getting beastlier, as is the German PZH2000

Meanwhile, in South Africa, the folks at Denel, using a G6-52 self-propelled 155mm and a German PZH2000 mounted gun, used a new Rheinmetall-Denel Munition (RDM) to reach targets at an average range of 76.2km, reportedly “exceeding expectations” in both accuracy and range. Dubbed the Rhino in service, the G6 was first fielded in the 1980s after input from the somewhat infamous Gerald Bull, shelling insurgent positions far across the border in Angola and previously had “only” been stretched out to 73km using special M9703A1 V-LAP rounds, which is still a record of sorts for production artillery pieces in that caliber.

“The artillery produced by Denel Land Systems is still considered to be the yardstick against which all other long-range systems are measured,” says du Toit. “With the latest tests we have raised the bar even further and I have no doubt that defense forces and potential customers will take note of our achievements.”

Para swag, circa 1970s-80s

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“Studio portrait showing a British army paratrooper surrounded by his weapons and equipment. Private A Basey, 1 Parachute Regiment is shown wearing the uniform of red beret, Denison smock, overall trousers, boots, puttees, PX parachute and reserve. Laid out on the ground in front is his personal equipment container with helmet, a general purpose machine gun in sustained fire role, Carl Gustav 84mm recoiless gun with round, and a [9mm L2 Sterling] sub-machine gun.”

The Sterling, designed by one Mr. Prachett in the last days of WWII, was standard with the British Army throughout the Cold War and last saw service in Iraq in the first Gulf War. Replaced by the SA80/L85 and in some cases the M16-style HK417 in the past couple decades, many Paras in the Falkland Island Campaign during the battles of Goose Green and Mount Longdon picked up surplus Argentine FN FAL’s at the first opportunity to extend their engagement range past the 9mm’s envelope.