Live Firing of Saab’s Ground Combat Systems in Vilnius
Saab has held a demonstration of its dismounted weapons support systems – the NLAW, Carl-Gustaf®, and AT4 – at the Pabrade shooting range, located near Vilnius, in Lithuania. The event was an occasion to demonstrate the versatility and effectiveness of its systems when facing a variety of threats.
The live firing included the engagement of all three systems against targets, which included a tank, armour plates, and reinforced walls. The site near Vilnius was chosen because of the availability of environments which realistically correspond to the various combat conditions that operators of the systems could find themselves in.
“By bringing our ground combat solutions to the shooting range, we demonstrated one important thing. We showed that by using the dismounted troops you gain a critical advantage against a varied spectrum of threats. When you want to knock out a Main Battle Tank, breach a wall, take out troop formations effectively – there is nothing more proven than a Saab ground combat solution“, says Görgen Johansson, Senior Vice President and Head of Saab business area Dynamics.
The first shooting was performed with the NLAW system against a T72 tank at 600m which was effectively destroyed. Subsequently, the Carl-Gustaf® M4 was used in a multirole capacity with four different types of ammunition rounds: HEAT 551 against steel plate at 500m, HEDP 502 against a wooden wall in delay mode, and later against an APC/Container in impact mode, HE 441 in airburst mode against a mock-up troop formation, and, finally, the SMOKE 469 in a screening capacity. Lastly, the AT4CS AST was used in delay mode against a concrete wall with a 20ft container behind. Then, in breach mode, against a double brick wall to create a breach hole.
The NLAW (Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon) is the first ever, non-expert, single soldier anti-tank missile, which allows troops to defeat any Main Battle Tank in just one shot by striking it from above with the Overfly Top Attack (OTA) mode.
Saab’s Carl-Gustaf® system, sold to more than 40 countries around the world, employs a wide range of ammunition types. The system allows dismounted soldiers to defeat multiple challenges – from neutralising armoured vehicles to clearing obstacles and engaging enemies in buildings.
The AT4 family is a range of lightweight, man-portable, fully disposable weapons characterised by ease of use and handling. The AT4 is equally effective against threats in buildings and fortifications. It can also be used to protect fixed installations, supply points and other vital assets.
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Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions within military defence and civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents around the world. Through innovative, collaborative and pragmatic thinking, Saab develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.
