AT4

This article is about the unguided anti-tank weapon of Sweden. For the guided anti-tank missile of the Soviet Union/Russia, see AT-4 Spigot.
"M136" redirects here. For other uses, see M136 (disambiguation).

AT4
TypeDisposable anti-tank launcher
Place of originSweden
United States
Service history
In service1987–present
Used bySee Operators
WarsSee Wars
Production history
DesignerFörenade Fabriksverken
Manufacturer
Unit costUS$1,480[1]
No. built600,000+[2]
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass6.7 kg (14.8 lb) (AT4)[3]
8 kg (18 lb) (AT4-CS)
Length102 cm (40 in)[3]
Caliber84 mm
Muzzle velocity290 m/s (950 ft/s; 1,000 km/h), 220 m/s (720 ft/s; 790 km/h) (CS)[4]
Effective firing range300 m (point target)[3]
Maximum firing range500 m (area target)
2,100 m (maximum)
SightsIron sights, optional AN/PVS-4 night vision unit
FillingOctol
Filling weight440 g high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) round
External images
Prototype AT4 Sweden tested 1981/82
image icon Early AT4 with Swedish Soldier
image icon Early AT4 launcher and projectile

The AT4[a] is a Swedish 84 mm (3.31 in) unguided, man-portable, disposable, shoulder-fired recoilless anti-tank weapon manufactured by Saab Bofors Dynamics (formerly: FFV Ordance, later, Bofors Anti-Armour Systems).[5][unreliable source?] The AT4 is not a rocket launcher strictly speaking, because the explosive warhead is not propelled by a rocket motor. Rather, it is a smooth-bore recoilless gun (as opposed to a recoilless rifle, which has a rifled barrel).[6] Saab has had considerable sales success with the AT4, making it one of the most common light anti-tank weapons in the world.[7][8] The M136 AT4 is a variant used by the United States Army.

The name AT4 is a word play on the 84 mm caliber of the weapon, (84) 'eighty four' being a homophone of 'A-T-4'.[9] The name also doubles as an alpha-phonetic word play on the weapon's role, due to "AT" being a common military abbreviation for "anti-tank".[10] The name was created for export purposes as the nickname "eighty-four" was already a common English nickname for the Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle after its caliber.[9]

The AT4 is intended to give infantry units a means to destroy or disable armoured fighting vehicles and fortifications, although it is generally ineffective against more modern main battle tanks (MBTs), especially those with reactive armour, unless weaker sections of armour are exploited. The launcher and projectile are manufactured prepacked and issued as one unit of ammunition, with the launcher discarded after one use.

  1. ^ M136 AT4, FAS, archived from the original on 3 April 2007, retrieved 3 April 2007
  2. ^ Kemp, Ian (April–May 2006), "The law gets tougher: the shoulder-launched light anti-armour weapon has evolved to become a multipurpose assault weapon much in demand for asymmetric warfare", Armada International, ISSN 0252-9793
  3. ^ a b c McManners, Hugh (2003). Ultimate Special Forces. DK Publishing. ISBN 0-7894-9973-8.
  4. ^ Owen, William F. (2007). "Light Anti-Armour Weapons: Anti-Everything?" (PDF). Asian Military Review. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  5. ^ "AT4 Light Anti-Armour Weapon". Army Technology. 30 April 2018. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016.
  6. ^ "84mm M136 (AT-4) Projected Grenade". Collective Awareness to UXO. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  7. ^ Atlamazoglou, Stavros (20 February 2024). "AT4: NATO Orders Proven Anti-Tank Weapon Used in Ukraine". The National Interest. Retrieved 15 April 2024. Made in Sweden by SAAB, the AT-4 is one of the most successful weapons in its category, with over a million sales.
  8. ^ "France buys AT4 man-portable anti-tank weapon". mil.in.ua. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2024. Currently, the AT4 is one of the most popular and successful man-portable, disposable anti-tank weapon in the world.
  9. ^ a b Åkerström, Linda (2018). Den svenska vapenexporten. Sweden: Leopard Förlag. p. 72. ISBN 9789173438384.
  10. ^ Hewish, Mark, "FFV's Lightweight AT4, first of a new family of Swedish anti-armour weapons" International Defense Review, May 1980, p. 70.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).