20 Feb 14. Saab´s man-portable weapon system Carl-Gustaf has been chosen by the U.S. Department of the Army to be a Program of Record within the U.S. Army. This means that the world leading shoulder fired weapon system, with a long service record with the U.S. Special Operations Forces, will now become standard issue to the U.S. Army’s Light Infantry units. The Carl-Gustaf system will provide the U.S. Army with a capability that units using disposable shoulder fired munitions currently lack. This system has been a key component of the U.S. Special Operations Forces for over twenty years. As true multi-role, man-portable shoulder-fired weapon, the Carl-Gustaf weapon system is currently in use in more than 40 countries worldwide. The highly modern system has a long and successful history, and it has been continuously modernized to adapt to the users’ ever changing needs. Anticipating future operational needs, Saab is constantly working to make a great system even better. A new, lighter weight, version of the Carl-Gustaf is currently under development. Furthermore, advances are also being made to the Carl-Gustaf ammunition family with the recent release of the new 655 CS (Confined Space) High explosive anti-tank (HEAT) round. This is the first in a new generation of munitions for the Carl-Gustaf designed to reduce back blast. This will allow soldiers to safely employ the weapon in confined spaces, minimizing the hazardous effects of traditional shoulder fired munitions.
BATTLESPACE Comment: This is good news for Saab as it proves the endurance of the ‘Charlie G’ which has been in service with many armies since the 1980s. It is also good news for Aimpoint which developed the FCS12 Fire Control system under contract from the Swedish Government for the Carl Gustav and other systems. Aimpoint told BATTLESPACE that the Company is actively marketing the system in the USA.
20 Feb 14. Lockheed Martin recently demonstrated the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) dual-mode guidance section engaging a laser-designated moving target during an internally funded flight test at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The rail-mounted JAGM guidance section flew six kilometers, engaged its precision-strike, semi-active laser and hit the moving target. The flight test, which was part of Lockheed Martin’s internal research and development program, is an important risk reduction milestone critical to Lockheed Martin’s performance on the U.S. Army’s 27-month Continued Technology Development (CTD) program. Prior to the flight test, Lockheed Martin completed an extensive Critical Design Review demonstrating that the dual-mode design meets all customer-specified requirements. The dual-mode seeker features the HELLFIRE precision-strike semi-active laser and the all-weather fire-and-forget LONGBOW millimeter wave radar sensors demonstrated in prior JAGM guided flights. Lockheed Martin’s JAGM guidance section will be manufactured on the existing HELLFIRE production line. The modularity and open architecture of Lockheed Martin’s JAGM design readily support a low-risk spiral to a tri-mode seeker, should the Army’s Incremental Acquisition Strategy require it in the future. Platforms for JAGM include the U.S. Army’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopter and MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aerial system. Lockheed Martin’s JAGM is also compatible with other HELLFIRE platforms.
17 Feb 14. Raytheon Company demonstrated its latest variant of the combat-proven Griffin® missile, the Griffin Block III, throughout a series of test shots culminating in several direct hits against a variety of static and moving targets.
“The Griffin is already well known for its ability to destroy targets with pin-point accuracy using an advanced GPS and semi-active laser guidance. The Griffin Block III introduces an improved semi-active laser seeker and a new Multi-Effects Warhead System that maximizes the weapon’s lethality against a variety of targets,” said Mike Jarrett, vice president of Air Warfare