Hello everyone. You are watching another episode of Military TV.
In today’s session we will discuss everything related to The AT4
which is the ‘Old’ Tank-Killer Missile Hitting Russian Armor in Ukraine.
The AT4 is a Swedish 84 mm unguided, man-portable, single-shot, disposable,
recoilless smoothbore anti-tank weapon developed by Saab Bofors Dynamics. Saab has had considerable
sales success with the AT4, making it one of the most extensively used light anti-tank weapons in
the world. The AT4 is designed to allow infantry troops a means to destroy or disable armoured
vehicles and fortifications. Although it is generally ineffective against current modern
main battle tanks (MBTs), especially those with reactive armour. The name AT4 is a word play on
the 84 mm caliber of the weapon, 'eighty-four' being a homophone of 'A-T-4'. 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". It was also created for export purposes as the nickname "eighty-four"
already was a common English nickname for the Carl Gustaf 8.4cm recoilless rifle after its caliber.
On March 16, the White House announced that Ukraine would receive 6,000 AT4 anti-armour
weapons. The AT4 is one of the most basic anti-tank weapons that new U.S. Army troops
usually are taught to use early in their career. Because of their simple design, these weapons can
be easily employed. The AT4 will also be helpful to Ukrainian reserve territorial defence units.
Also, the volunteers with no prior military experience can
be force-multipliers with these weapons as many reservists are only armed with AK-47s.
The following are the basic concepts behind the AT4 and the reasons why these weapons
are still able to kill a lot of Russian tanks and armour despite being older.
First, these weapons have been in operation with numerous countries.
The recoil-less AT4 can be employed against lighter tanks even it is ineffective against
main battle tanks and armoured personnel carriers, plus enemy bunkers and defensive emplacements.
After improving the sights and sling and adding rear and front bumpers, the U.S. Army was one
of the first customers in the early 1980s and they are now operated by at least 20 countries.
Second, these weapons are similar to Carl Gustaf Recoilless Rifle.
The AT4 was based on the 74mm Pansarskott M68 anti-tank weapon, which dates back to the 1960s.
In 1982, the Army held a six-entrant competition to replace the M72 LAW, and the AT4 came out
on top. It was also designed to resemble the Carl Gustaf 84mm recoilless anti-tank system.
Third, they are easily fired The AT4s are simple to fire guns.
Operators need to remove the safety pin, move the sight covers, and aim through the
iron sights that pop up. Then simply push the red firing button forward with their thumb.
One essential safety consideration is to make sure that the backblast area is free of anything,
if not, soldiers who stand behind the weapon can be seriously wounded when the guns are fired.
Fourth, the AT4s have many different types of projectiles
The AT4 measures just over three feet in length. It is about 15 pounds in weight. In one second,
the round can reach 820 feet. The AT4 can destroy armour up to 16 inches thick. The effective range
is around 1,000 feet. For urban combat, the projectiles can be anti-tank high-explosive,
dual-purpose delayed penetration, high-penetration, and anti-structure.
Fifth, the AT4s have no Javaline of NLAW The AT4 is most likely going to be the last
anti-tank weapon. It isn't a replacement for the Javelin or NLAW guided missile systems,
which are used to destroy main battle tanks. It is, however, simple to operate, and novices to the
military. In which they can be trained in a short period of time. In close-quarters street fighting,
it also has an advantage. If the Russians continue to attack suburban and urban regions.
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