Poland orders Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifles

Polish Treasury and Armaments Agency ordered over 6,000 Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifles from Saab on 4 March 2024. (Saab)

The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND), Armaments Agency (AA), and Saab announced an order for more than 6,000 Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifles on their websites on 4 March.

Saab valued the agreement between it and the Polish State Treasury and AA at SEK12.9 billion (USD1.26 billion), although the AA gave a higher value of over PLN6 billion (USD1.53 billion). A Saab spokesperson told Janes on 8 March that the contract was awarded in SEK.

The AA said the Carl-Gustaf M4s would be supplied with FCD (fire-control device) 558 sights and several thousand munitions: anti-tank, high-explosive (HE), armour-piercing, multifunctional, smoke, illumination, and training ammunition. Saab expects the contract to come into effect by mid-2024, and deliveries are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027.

In addition to the Carl-Gustafs and their ammunition, the order comprises a logistics package, including spare parts and special tools, and a training package, including simulators and training in the employment of the weapons and their munitions and in servicing and repairing the M4s.

“This is one of the most important contracts for [the] equipment that has already proven its worth in combat in Ukraine,” said Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz during a meeting with Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson on 4 March.

The Polish MND and AA noted that the Carl-Gustaf is designed to combat heavy armoured vehicles, including tanks, and fortified targets, as well as illuminate the battlefield.

The Carl-Gustaf M4 has an effective range of 300–2,100 m, depending on the ammunition used, according to the Polish MND and AA.