The Army just awarded a $31 million contract to the Swedish defense company Saab for more Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon Systems, UPI is reporting.
Also known as the M3 Carl Gustaf, the 84mm recoilless rifle has long been a favorite of Special Operations Forces for its ability to destroy enemy targets out to 1,000 meters.
The Army fielded 58 M3s and 1,500 rounds of ammunition to units in Afghanistan late last year after commanders complained that their disposable AT4s were ineffective at engaging the enemy at long ranges.
It’s still unclear how many M3s and ammo the $31 million will buy.
“This is another great milestone for Saab and the Carl-Gustaf system,” said Tomas Samuelsson, senior vice president and head of Saab’s Dynamics business area Dynamics business area, according to UPI. ”This new order demonstrates the continued belief by the customer in the capabilities and versatility of our product.”
The M3 has enjoyed success with units such as the 25th Infantry, 10th Mountain and 82nd Airborne divisions in Afghanistan. The launcher weighs approximately 22 pounds with each round of ammunition weighing just under 10 pounds. There is an effort to lighten the load of the rifle by five to six pounds, Army officials say. By comparison, the AT4 weighs about 15 pounds and the Javelin’s launcher with missile and reusable command launch unit weigh roughly 50 pounds.
Here are a couple of videos to give you a closer look at two of Israel Weapons Industries latest products. IWI was showing off its Flat Top version of its X95 Micro Tavor at Eurosatory 12 in Paris, a weapon that seems to have come along way from the original Tavor that sported a fixed integral sight.
Daddy got a new toy for Father’s Day! I know the headline for this post has already got the blood of Glock fans out there starting to boil over. So first let me point out that I am not writing this to say in any way that Smith & Wesson M&P9s are better than the venerable Glock line.
I wrestled with the choice for months. I have been shooting a Browning Hi-Power MK III since 1989 and it wasn’t until I attended a tactical pistol course taught by Larry Vickers last summer that I realized it was time for an upgrade. The Browning is a great gun, but it lacks modern features. I won’t go into all the reasons I decided to switch, but magazine changing alone is downright painful with the Hi Power compared to pistols like Glock. My Browning’s mags stick so bad that you have to pull them out manually. Inserting fresh mags is no easier since the Hi-Power doesn’t have a flared magazine well.
PARIS — Israel Weapon Industries showed off its new 40mm grenade launcher here at Eurosatory 12. The GL 40 opens with a thumb latch that’s similar to the old M203 grenade launcher. But once the barrel is pushed forward, the breech swings out to the left side to accommodate longer 40mm rounds.
As with most of IWI’s products, the GL 40 was developed with the Israel Defense Forces feedback. The single-shot launcher weighs about 3 pounds and is made of a reenforced polymer. IWI officials had the GL 40 mounted onto versions of the Tavor assault rifle, but it can be mounted on most weapons that are equipped with a rail system. It can also be fired in the stand-alone mode.
Paris — Heckler & Koch displayed its new HK 121 MG here at Eurosatory 12. It’s a 7.62mm version of its MG4 light MG. The HK 121 comes on the heals of Israel Weapon Industries release of its NG7 7.62mm Negev LMG.
It’s hard to tell much about it from the show floor, except that the HK 121 weighs in at approximately 24 pounds, which is a noticeable seven pounds heavier than the NG7. It’s also six pounds heavier than FN’s MK 48 LMG.
Oh well, it weighs slightly less than the Germany Army’s MG3, the MG H&K officials hope to replace with the 121. It has a cyclic rate 600 to 800 rounds per minute. Like the MG4, its stock folds to the left side of the weapon.
According to their press release, brought to our attention by the Firearm Blog, General Dynamics has unveiled a new medium machine gun chambered in .338 Norma Magnum.
It looks like it is based on the FN MAG / M240 machine gun with a new fire control system, AR-14 pistol grip, M4-style stock and quad picatinny rails.
The .338 Norma Magnum’s performance is very similar to that of the much more popular .338 Lapua Magnum. The .338 NM has a slight advantage in that when loaded with a .300 grain Sierra HPBT MatchKing projectile, its overall length is shorter than the .338 LM loaded with the same bullet…
Colt Firearms displayed its new M2012 Competition Rifle at this year’s National Rifle Association’s Annual Meeting in St. Louis. Details are scarce right now (mainly because I’m in Virginia), but the new bolt gun is chambered for .308 and features a 22-inch barrel with a 1:10 twist.
The M2012 comes with a SureFire Muzzle Brake, a Cooper Firearms receiver and a Mapul pistol grip, according to gun bloggers. It weighs 13.2 pounds without optic and retails for about $3,800 — Ouch!!!! It’s scheduled to be available by early summer. Haven’t heard anything on performance yet, so if anyone hears anything, please let us know.
