Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS)
US Army Soldiers conduct new equipment training for the Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS), also known as the M3 Carl Gustaf. The Carl Gustaf also known as, Gustaf Bazooka and M2CG) is an 84 mm man-portable reusable anti-tank recoilless rifle produced by Saab Bofors Dynamics (formerly Bofors Anti-Armour AB) in Sweden. Although most rounds fired by the Carl Gustav work on the classic recoilless principle, modern rounds sometimes add a post-firing booster that technically make it a rocket launcher.
The first prototype of the Carl Gustaf was produced in 1946 as a lightweight anti-armor weapon, one of many similar designs of that era. While similar weapons have generally disappeared from service, the Carl Gustaf remains in widespread use today. A combination of light weight, low cost and widely varied ammunition types, makes the Carl Gustav extremely flexible and able to be used in a wide variety of roles where single-purpose weapons like the M72 LAW passed out of service as newer tank designs rendered them ineffective.
Video Credits: U.S. Army video by Staff Sgt. Dillon Heyliger | United States Department of Defense