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A series of guided flight tests of the shoulder launched Guided Carl-Gustaf Munition have been carried out by Saab and Raytheon at the Mile High Range in Sierra Blanca, Texas, and the Saab Bofors Test Centre in Karlskoga, Sweden.
The tests featured a semi-active laser guidance system for the weapon to guide the munitions to target, with three munitions fired in total; two against static targets and one against a moving target. Other seeker technologies including imaging IR were also demonstrated as optional solutions for the munition. The demonstration in Sweden further included dynamic warhead tests against various targets.
The Carl-Gustaf guided munition will allow armed forces to accurately engage stationary or moving targets up to and beyond 2,000 metres. The increased range, in combination with a confined space capability, will offer troops greater tactical flexibility when selecting a firing position.
The munition is being developed by Saab and Raytheon under a partnership for new weapons for infantry forces announced in 2017.
Guided Carl-Gustaf Munition in test firing | Shephard
A series of guided flight tests of the shoulder launched Guided Carl-Gustaf Munition have been carried out by Saab and Raytheon at the Mile High …
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"We can shoot at longer range. It basically doubles the range of the current ammunition, and we can pinpoint it and we can shoot from confined spaces," Höglund said.
The team demonstrated the technology in Sweden in September, firing two inert rounds at stationary targets from 1,400 meters away and a third inert round at a moving target from 1,800 meters away, he said.
"When we did the third and final demo, and it was spectacular ... we used a moving target at a range of about 1,800 meters, and we shot it from within a confined space as well and it was a perfect hit," said Höglund, adding that future tests will exceed 2,000 meters.
The team has a requirement for this capability through Special Operations Command, said Ty Blanchard, who manages the Guided Carl-Gustaf Munition for Raytheon.
In September 2018, the Pentagon awarded a $2.5 million rapid innovation fund contract to the team "to go out and demonstrate three guided shots with a warhead next spring," Blanchard said.
Currently, the technology requires operators to "laze the whole way in to the target," he said.
"We are looking at potentially down the road ... at some different seekers that will upgrade that capability," Blanchard said, adding that the munition will still be extremely effective at hardened targets such as bunkers and armored vehicles.
During the demonstration next spring, the team will shoot the new munition at triple-brick wall, eight inches of double-reinforced concrete and an up-armored sport-utility vehicle, he said.
"What this really does is it tries to bring a precision, extended-range capability down to the infantry and squad level within the U.S. and international markets," Blanchard said.
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