Similar in appearance to individual rocket launchers, recoilless cannons are also a common "barrel" weapon on land battlefields. The Carl Gustav M4 recoilless cannon from Saab, Sweden, is one of the best weapons in this category. According to public information, the equipment has been purchased or imported for imitation by dozens of countries around the world, and a large order was signed with the United States last year. Currently, the level of tank armor technology is constantly improving, and the development momentum of portable anti tank missiles is strong. In the situation where there are blockades in front and pursuers behind, many people believe that using recoilless guns to counter tanks no longer has much advantage. Why did the "Carl Gustav" M4 recoilless cannon "rise against the trend" and gain attention from many countries? Analyzing the reasons behind it not only provides a better understanding of the recoilless cannon, also known as the 'infantry cannon', but also leads to more contemplation on the development of individual weapons. As is well known, the prerequisite for the use of individual weapons is portability and ease of use. Over the years, the Carl Gustav recoilless cannon has made significant efforts in weight reduction. The Carl Gustav M4 recoilless gun continues this tradition. It extensively uses titanium alloy and carbon fiber materials, reducing the gun weight to 6.7 kilograms and the gun length to less than 1 meter. A soldier can easily carry 4 rounds of ammunition and can maneuver and deploy relatively easily on the battlefield. Meanwhile, equipped with various sights such as low light sights and infrared night vision sights, it can play a role in more combat scenarios. Obtaining longer range and better strike efficiency is a common pursuit for individual weapons. Compared to rocket launchers, the Carl Gustav M4 recoilless gun has a longer range, reaching up to 2000 meters when using extended range shells. It has rifling inside the barrel, allowing the projectile to spin after firing, ensuring flight stability. The new ammunition has higher strike efficiency due to its ability to communicate with the new fire control system and select the corresponding explosion mode. The most important point is that the Carl Gustav M4 recoilless gun can fire different types of ammunition, such as armor piercing rounds, high explosive rounds, illumination rounds, flash shells, etc., to achieve different purposes. As a result, this type of weapon has evolved from a single anti tank weapon to a multi-purpose weapon system. In recent years, Swedish company Saab has also developed HE448 programmable high explosive ammunition. With the assistance of a new fire control system, this ammunition can be flexibly transformed into different attack modes, such as using collision mode to strike unarmed vehicles or using airburst mode to kill infantry, making the use of ammunition more convenient. There used to be a common problem with recoilless cannons - a large tail flame. This common problem makes it impossible to use in limited spaces. The Carl Gustav M4 recoilless gun has to some extent solved this problem. The new ammunition developed by the developer for it can be fired in relatively enclosed spaces, which partially compensates for the shortcomings of recoilless guns. In addition, the price of the Karl Gustav M4 recoilless cannon is relatively low. Its launcher can be reused and is compatible with ammunition used in earlier models. This good applicability has made it favored by multiple military forces. However, as a recoilless cannon, it also has some shortcomings that cannot be ignored. For example, it is not possible to use super caliber grenades like rocket launchers, which limits their effectiveness in killing. In addition, the noise and high voltage generated during firing may cause harm to the gunner and may also expose their location. (New Society)
Edit：Xiong Dafei Responsible editor：Li Xiang
Source：PLA Daily
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