NEW DELHI,

SWEDISH defence company Saab on Thursday said it has been awarded a contract to supply single-shot anti-armour weapon AT4 to the Indian Armed Forces.

The company has been awarded the contract for the lightweight and fully disposable weapon after going through a “competitive programme”, a statement issued by Saab said. “AT4 will be used by the Army and the Indian Air Force,” it said. Operated by a single soldier, the single-shot system has proven efficacy against structures, landing craft, helicopters, armoured vehicles and personnel, the statement said.

Its 84 mm calibre warhead offers enhanced power and performance, it added.

The name AT4 is a word play on the 84 mm caliber of the weapon, (84) ‘eighty four’ being pronounced similarly to ‘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”. The name was 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.