Since 1976, Indian infantry platoons have carried the 84-millimeter (mm) Carl-Gustaf M3 rocket launcher, developed by the Swedish weapons giant Saab and manufactured by India’s Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).
This has proven to be a deadly infantry weapon when used against enemy tanks. It has also proven lethal in Jammu and Kashmir, where it has blown up enemy bunkers or outhouses where militants have taken refuge.
Manufacturing facility in India
However, Saab believes that the Carl-Gustaf M3, which is still in service with many militaries around the world, is ready to be replaced by a new-generation M4 rocket launcher. Saab has applied to set up a manufacturing facility in India to build the new Carl-Gustaf M4 rocket launcher, as the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) promotes the “Make in India” policy.
The new M4 version, which is carried and fired by a two-man crew, has a longer range of 1,500 metres, a sophisticated new sighting system that makes it difficult to miss the target, and weighs only 7.5 kg compared to the M3 version’s 11 kg. Production at the new facility is set to begin in 2024.
Neither the MoD nor the Army have expressed an interest in purchasing the new rocket launcher, but Saab believes they will do so in the future. Until then, India will serve as a manufacturing and supply hub for Saab, allowing it to supply the M4 Carl-Gustaf to militaries all over the world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the slogan “Make in India; Make for the World” during his address to the World Economic Forum in Davos last January.
Saab FFV India
“The new company, Saab FFV India, currently under registration, will make the latest generation of the state-of-the-art [rocket launcher] in India. Saab will also be partnering with Indian sub-suppliers and the systems manufactured in the facility will fully meet the requirements of ‘Make in India’, Saab stated in a press release on Tuesday.
Saab has applied for a manufacturing licence for a 100 per cent Saab subsidiary. There is a 74 per cent cap on foreign ownership of defence firms, and 100 per cent foreign ownership is permitted only when there is going to be an inflow of high technology. Saab says it will cross that bar, with the latest technologies going into the 84 mm Carl-Gustaf M4.
“Saab FFV India will deploy complex technologies including the latest sighting technology and apply advanced manufacturing techniques like carbon fibre winding for the Carl-Gustaf system including the latest M4 weapon,” stated Saab.
Given that the Indian Army is a major user of the Carl-Gustaf M3 rocket launcher, and that the M3 is manufactured in India, it is only natural for the Army to progress to the “Made in India” Carl-Gustaf M4, according to Görgen Johansson, a senior Saab executive.
Saab believes that its partnership with the OFB, as well as the OFB’s new corporatised versions – Munitions India Limited (MIL) and Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) – which manufactured the Carl-Gustaf M3 and its ammunition, positions it well to transition to manufacturing the M4 rocket launcher.
Also Read: Meet IAF’s 1st woman Su-30 weapon system operator, ready for any challenge along China border
