On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces (SG WP) announced on social media the ongoing training of soldiers from the 17th Greater Poland Mechanized Brigade, named after General Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki, in the operation of the Swedish Saab Carl-Gustaf M4 (CG M4) anti-tank grenade launcher.
Photos: General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces via X
“The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland are consistently modernizing their equipment by introducing gear that enhances soldiers’ operational capabilities. Training on the latest version of the Carl-Gustaf grenade launcher, produced by the Swedish company Saab, is currently underway in the 17th Greater Poland Mechanized Brigade. At present, the unit in Międzyrzecz possesses several units of this state-of-the-art weaponry, along with a set of training simulators,” it was announced on the social media platform X.
Earlier, from November 11 to 22, training was conducted in Karlskrona, Sweden, for soldiers, including those from the Territorial Defense Forces Training Center (CS WOT), on the operation of the grenade launcher at the manufacturer’s headquarters, Saab Defence and Security. Subsequently, additional training sessions will be held at CS WOT for soldiers from various Territorial Defense Brigades across the country.
On March 4, 2024, the Polish Armament Agency, on behalf of the Ministry of National Defense, ordered 6,000 of the aforementioned anti-tank grenade launchers from Saab Defence and Security, along with new FCD 558 (Fire Control Device) fire control systems and various types of ammunition: anti-tank, high-explosive fragmentation, anti-tank fragmentation, demolition, multipurpose, smoke, illuminating, training, and practice rounds. Along with the grenade launchers, the Polish Armed Forces will also receive logistical and training packages as well as technical documentation. The contract is valued at 12.9 billion SEK net (4.958 billion PLN / 6.5 billion PLN gross), with deliveries scheduled for 2024-2027 (on June 7, 2024, the manufacturer announced the commencement of order fulfillment).
The Carl-Gustaf M4 was unveiled in September 2014 at the Bofors Test Center range in Karlskrona, 23 years after the debut of the previous generation of the system. Qualification tests were conducted in 2015. Weighing 6.7 kg, the M4 is 3.4 kg lighter than its predecessor due to its titanium-composite barrel and casing, as well as the redesign of certain steel components. The new grenade launcher is also shorter (measuring 950 mm in length compared to the 1,015 mm of the M3). It is equipped with a Picatinny rail, allowing for the mounting of additional observation and aiming devices.
The CGM4 is designed to be compatible with all 11 types of 84 mm x 246R ammunition used in the previous generation, including the FFV751 with a tandem-charge HEAT round, FFV551 with a rocket-assisted HEAT round, FFV502 with a HEDP round, FFV441B with a high-explosive round, FFV469 with a smoke round, FFV545 with an illuminating round, FFV552 as a training round with the same characteristics as the FFV551, and FFV752 as a training round with the same characteristics as the FFV751. The Carl-Gustaf M4 grenade launcher has an effective range of 300 to 2,100 meters, depending on the type of ammunition used.
Work is currently underway on the implementation of programmable ammunition, which will double the effective range to 1,500–2,000 meters. The M4 version also features a two-stage safety system, allowing the weapon to be carried with a round loaded in the barrel.
Carl-Gustaf grenade launchers have been adopted by the armed forces of over forty countries, with the latest M4 version in service in fifteen, including Australia, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary, and the United States. Most users are replacing older Carl-Gustaf M2/M3 grenade launchers, which are also part of the Polish Armed Forces’ arsenal, specifically within the Special Forces.
https://twitter.com/SztabGenWP/status/1899819999570645088
