Tango01 | 24 May 2016 10:48 p.m. PST |
"The United States Army will soon begin distributing a weapon system introduced in 1946. The M3 Carl Gustav rocket launcher will bolster the firepower of rifle platoons, giving them a much-needed edge. Developed by Bofors (now Saab), the Carl Gustav is a lightweight, man-portable recoilless rifle. Recoilless rifles are like a cross between an artillery gun and a bazooka: While they have propellant at the base of the projectile like a rocket, the propellant doesn't burn beyond the barrel, meaning the projectile flies unpowered like a bullet or artillery shell. Unlike artillery, propellant gasses are directed backwards, counteracting the weapon's recoil and making it "recoilless". The weapon is referred to as a "rifle" due to the spiral rifling in the barrel, which stabilizes the projectile…" See here link Amicalement Armand |
Mako11 | 24 May 2016 11:43 p.m. PST |
Yep, saw it on the news today. What's old is new again. |
Navy Fower Wun Seven | 24 May 2016 11:45 p.m. PST |
Blimey, if that's the 84mm Charlie G I was lugging one of those around in 1984 – stroll on! "TANK ACTION!" |
Fish | 25 May 2016 12:03 a.m. PST |
In the late eighties I did my service with heavy recoilless rifle RSSKO 95 S 58-61 aka "Musti" ("Blackie", akin to dog's name). Sadly it was dropped from service some years back. It is a bit cumbersome, but would still kick ass against lightly armored targets and, with shrapnel shell, against infantry. Below you have a pic of guys giving Musti the walkies:
YouTube link |
gunnerphil | 25 May 2016 1:50 a.m. PST |
All very well till Sweden refuses to sell parts and ammo because they object to the war. |
Lion in the Stars | 25 May 2016 2:21 a.m. PST |
Hell, the US dug the old M67 90mm Recoilless Rifles out of storage to try to convince the grunts to not use Javelins on caves and bunkers. Loaded M67 is about the same weight as a Javelin+CLU, and 90mm reloads are a lot lighter than a Javelin. |
Jamesonsafari | 25 May 2016 3:36 a.m. PST |
Yep why use an expensive missile system on grape huts and dug outs? |
Legion 4 | 25 May 2016 10:00 a.m. PST |
Agreed … and most importantly … use what works. And in this era of cutting back on military spending. An old school Carl Gustav would work well against the structures the West is encountering in Iraq and A'stan. And I'm always in favor of giving the Infantry more firepower. |
troopwo | 25 May 2016 10:09 a.m. PST |
Might be a tad lighter version than the Mk2 versions most of us carried. |
cwlinsj | 25 May 2016 10:13 a.m. PST |
The US will probably design a vehicle-mounted delivery system, and after years of study and billions invested, will issue a $10 USDmillion Toyota pickup. |
Fish | 25 May 2016 10:46 a.m. PST |
Haven't fiddled Carl Gustav myself (we fiddled with Apilas) in realm life, but I do recall how silly powerful Carl Gustav was in Osprey's Force on Force game when we played some scenarios where it was present. |
Bangorstu | 25 May 2016 12:10 p.m. PST |
IIRC there's a shotgun round for that thing which the Swedes developed for 'vegetation clearance' in Congo…. |
trance | 25 May 2016 1:14 p.m. PST |
This is not an old weapon nor is the ammo the same.come on guys! |
cwlinsj | 25 May 2016 1:24 p.m. PST |
This is not an old weapon nor is the ammo the same.come on guys! What'choo talkin' about? The Carl Gustav was first issued in 1948 and has been in continued service since. |
cfielitz | 25 May 2016 1:25 p.m. PST |
They mean the recoilless rifles have been around since 1946, not the Carl Gustav. Recoilless rifles were in use at the end of WWII with the M18. |
cwlinsj | 25 May 2016 3:13 p.m. PST |
The 84mm Carl Gustav recoilless has been in continued service since 1948. |
troopwo | 25 May 2016 3:22 p.m. PST |
Essentially the same weapon capable of firing the same rounds,,,but,,, Latest versions are built out of fibreglass and composites, not steel. New ammo rounds devepolopped in the last fifteen years are awesome and give it way more flexibility. |
Legion 4 | 25 May 2016 4:21 p.m. PST |
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Fatman | 25 May 2016 10:26 p.m. PST |
cfielitz Actually the first usable recoilless rifle, the Davis Gun, was developed by an American naval officer before WW I. It saw some use with the US and British, mostly mounted on aircraft! The USSR also developed several RR during the interwar period. The first really practical RR were issued by the Germans to their Airborne and Mountain troops. They first saw combat during the invasion of Crete. This was a 75mm version and a larger 105mm was developed. The US Mk 18 was the most common RR during the war though. Fatman |
Legion 4 | 26 May 2016 7:47 a.m. PST |
In '87 our Combat Engineers were still using the 90mm RR. While the Infantry was using the M-47 Dragon. I think I might have preferred the 90 in my Mech Co. |
javelin98 | 26 May 2016 8:44 a.m. PST |
My first unit (combat engineer battalion) had the 90's in our inventory back in 1991. We never trained on it and didn't know if we'd ever get ammo for it, but we had to pull it out and clean it all the same. I think we had 2 per platoon and I was told that they were for bunker-busting and weakening obstacles. Once I moved on to my next unit, I never saw them again. Since combat engineers were never issued the Javelin, TOW, MAAW, etc., I did wonder why we weren't equipped with the 90's. Sure, we had AT4s, but those aren't reloadable, and when your primary mission is to breach obstacles, you want as many rounds as possible at your disposal. |