The defense ministries of Latvia and Estonia have awarded Swedish defense major Saab contracts for the deliveries of Carl-Gustaf M4 grenade launchers.
According to Saab, deliveries are scheduled to take place between 2021 and 2024.
The orders are placed within a framework agreement signed by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) in June 2019, which allows Sweden, Latvia and Estonia to order Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon systems during a ten-year period.
“We are pleased to announce Latvia and Estonia as our latest customers on Carl-Gustaf M4. Both nations have a history of more than two decades of Saab’s Carl-Gustaf system,” Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics, said.
“The new generation anti-tank grenade launcher Carl-Gustaf M4 is definitely a big step forward for a soldier who has been trained in this field and has dealt with older versions, the M2, especially in terms of walking with a weapon. The new weapon is half as heavy,” Ramil Lipp, Chief of Category (Armament) for the Estonian Centre for Defence Investment, explained.
“This joint procurement is a very good example of cooperation with neighboring countries, where the parties reached the most economically advantageous and best deal.”
Carl-Gustaf M4 is the latest version of the portable, shoulder-launched, multi-role weapon system. The M4 is compatible with intelligent sighting systems and future technology developments, such as programmable ammunition. Since the launch in 2014, Saab has signed contracts with thirteen different nations for the Carl-Gustaf M4.
“Acquisition of the most recent generation recoilless rifle marks another key milestone in Baltic and Nordic cooperation. Joint procurement provides significant economic benefits to both Latvia and Estonia, as well as increasing regional interoperability and cross-training with our allied forces,” Latvian defense minister Artis Pabriks added.
