Poland has joined the European Defence Agency Joint Procurement Initiative scheme for the common purchase of ammunition for the Carl Gustav recoilless rifle.
The scheme, initiated by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in March 2013 is run by the EDA, which acting as a central purchaser, pools and consolidates demand and allows member states to purchase ammunition according to their national requirements.
Poland initially expressed an intention to join the scheme in early July but it is only now that the formal signed letters have been lodged with the EDA. Following Poland’s lead, the Czech Republic has signalled its intention to join the JPI and benefit from the cost savings it provides, which are estimated to be somewhere between 20 and 50%. The original contract between the Baltic States and the EDA was said to be worth up to €50 million.
At the time it was signed, Ingvar Pärnamäe, National Armament Director of Estonia said “This joint procurement case is a manifestation of the trust between the three Baltic States and the European Defence Agency. We appreciate the support by the Agency and invite other member states to join this initiative.”
The Carl Gustav recoilless rifle has been in production since 1948, and is a multi-role man-portable reusable weapon, effective against armour, personnel and buildings and is also used for battlefield illumination. The M2 and M3 variants in use by the Estonian Defence Forces were first produced in 1967 and 1991 respectively. Produced in Sweden by Saab Bofors Dynamics, it is one of the only weapons of its era still in use.
Picture courtesy of Estonian Defence Forces.
