M2 Carl Gustav

M2 Carl Gustav
The M2 Carl Gustav is an eighty-four millimeter (84mm) recoilless rifle manufactured by Saab Bofors Dynamics. It is a man portable reusable anti-tank weapon capable of destroying heavy armor and low flying/slow moving helicopters. It has a muzzle velocity of two hundred fifty five meters per second and comes with a detachable 3x optical sight (not NVG capable). When used by a skilled gunner, mobile targets can be effectively engaged out to seven hundred meters or one kilometer if stationary.

Ammunition


The Carl Gustav, more commonly referred to as the Carl G, fires an eighty-four by two hundred forty-six millimeter (84x246mm R) round that detonates on impact. Two types of ammunition are currently in use; the FFV441 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose (HEDP) and the FFV551 High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT).

A newer model of the Carl Gustav, currently a work in progress, replaces the FFV441 HEDP round with the FFV502 HEDP.

HEDP rounds are used to disable or destroy lightly armored vehicles or to engage large numbers of enemies, due to it’s large explosive radius and fragmentation effect. HEAT is used against heavily armored targets, designed to punch through the armor before detonating.

Team and Firing Procedures
A Carl Gustav team is comprised of two men, the gunner and the ammo bearer/spotter.

Like the M72A6, firing procedures are the same. You get permission from your IC or 2IC, alert others to your intentions, wait for the call that back-blast is clear, then fire. While the Carl Gustav is not technically a section weapon, it is occasionally carried by one or two section members. It is usually a part of the weapons detachment, along with the C6, and under the command of the platoon’s Warrant Officer.