The name "NLAW" initially referred to the original British development programme which Saab won the contract for with the "MBT LAW".[15][17][19] NLAW stands for Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon or Next-Generation Light Anti-armour Weapon. The N is short for "Next generation"[15] or "Next-generation",[2] while LAW is an abbreviation of "Light Anti-tank Weapon"[2][15] or "Light Anti-Armour Weapon".[8][20] MBT LAW stands for Main Battle Tank Light Anti-armour Weapon.[15] NLAW has since development become the international designation of the weapon, while MBT LAW exist as a designation for the weapon in the British Army.[15]
The name "RB 57" derives from the weapon's designation in Swedish service – robot 57 ("guided missile 57") – which has the abbreviation rb 57.[21][5][15] At times the specified form pansarvärnsrobot 57 ("anti-armour guided missile 57"), pvrb 57 for short, can also be found.[22][23] The 5 indicates its missile class and the 7 indicates its consecutive number in that class (robot 57 = 7th missile of the 5th class).[citation needed]
It was developed in Sweden and produced in the United Kingdom, with final assembly done by subcontractor Thales Air Defence. The contract signed in June 2002, between Saab and the two defence authorities, was worth approximately 4.8 billion SEK, including development and serial production; Sweden's share in the serial production was estimated at one billion SEK.[27]
With the finalising of agreements between Sweden and the United Kingdom in 2003,[23] the development of the system continued until 2008, when it entered production in the UK.[4] Deliveries of the weapon began in December 2008; it entered the service of the Swedish, Finnish and British armed forces the following year.[5][19] It has been estimated that the UK requirement for the British Armed Forces was for 14,000 units, or more; it replaced the obsolescent LAW 80 system and the ILAW (AT4 CS) which was used as a substitute until its deployment.[8][19] In 2005, the Swedish government placed a first order for 2,000 units from Saab.[13] Finland has placed three orders between 2007 and 2017, for a total of 3,000 units.[13][18] This was followed by Luxembourg,[28] Indonesia,[14] Malaysia,[29] and Switzerland.[30] As of 16 March 2022, the United Kingdom confirmed that it had delivered more than 4,000 of their NLAWs to the Ukrainian military, to be used against Russia during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[31]
Development
Research for a new Swedish light anti-tank guided missile began in the 1990s by the Swedish Armed Forces, for its mechanized infantry which were lacking both tanks and anti-tank warfare weapons. Initially, the project focused on creating as simple and cost-effective a system as possible; after some analysis, the need for a man-portable anti-tank weapon with great effectiveness at short to mid-range emerged.[23]
In October 1999, the British DPA awarded Bofors (later Saab Bofors Dynamics) with a product definition order to procure a weapon prototype within 22 months, corresponding to the requirements of the British NLAW-programme:[8] To be able to hit a moving target at 400 m (1,300 ft) and a stationary target at 600 m (2,000 ft), with a maximum weight of 12.5 kg (28 lb);[25] some of the requirements later made by the Swedish FMV were a lowered backblast area, a minimum effective range of 20 metres, and an environmental adaptation for international operations.[20] Saab Bofors Dynamics, the DPA, and the FMV each paid a third of the assessment-phase cost for the MBT LAW,[25] of £18 million.[16] The FMV invested additional money during the NLAW-trials, while the DPA ceased further funding until a contract was signed.[25]
The project gained momentum in 2002–2003 after being selected by the British and Swedish defence authorities,[16][23] meeting the demanding requirements from both nations.[32][27] Both launcher and missile development was done by Saab Bofors Dynamics in Eskilstuna and Karlskoga, Sweden, using technology derived from earlier Bofors systems; such as the RBS 56B BILL 2 (warhead and guidance) and AT4 CS (confined space capability),[26] as well as some further developments.[25] The United Kingdom and Sweden shared the development costs.[33] Full production and delivery was expected to begin by the end of 2006, with the development phase "nearing its end" in 2005 according to Nick Moore (DPA).[17] However, as a result of qualification failures in the tests of November 2006,[8] it was delayed until 2008.[7][19] Due to the similar requirements made by the Swedish and British defence authorities, the weapon comes with only minor differences in appearance.[17] It uses a single shaped-charge warhead, as opposed to other comparable missiles that have a tandem warhead.[15]
Saab, who also develops the system software, announced in 2015 that they had been able to optimise the guidance system by fine-tuning its predicted line of sight. An effective range of 800 m (2,600 ft) and up against stationary targets was demonstrated in April 2014.[7][16] An effective range of 600 m (2,000 ft) against moving targets has also been reported.[18]
As jobs are often the focus of large material orders, a requirement by the British DPA for signing a contract with the winner was that the production of the system would occur in the United Kingdom. For this reason, Saab Bofors Dynamics contracted UK-based Thales Air Defence ahead of the NLAW-programme—while Lockheed Martin contracted Matra BAe Dynamics. To produce the system, Saab and Thales went on to create Team MBT LAW UK which included 14 subcontractors.[25] As per the agreements signed between the United Kingdom and Sweden in 2002–2003,[32] manufacturing occurred mostly in the UK, with final assembly and test done at the Thales Air Defence facilities in Belfast, Northern Ireland.[16][26] The weapon went into full production in 2008. The final cost for the MBT LAW contract since the beginning of the NLAW-programme, including the assessment phase, development, and manufacture-license, ended up at approximately £400–437 million.[16][19]
More than 24,200 units have been produced.[13] Depending on which source, it costs: £20,000 (2008);[8] US$30,000 (2022);[10] US$33,000 (2022);[11] US$40,000 (2022).[12] Each unit has a shelf life of around 20 years.[15]
Operation
Finnish soldiers simulate the OTA mode on a BMP-2 in a combat demonstration
The NLAW is a man-portable, soft-launch, and confined-spaces (saltwater countermass) system,[32] allowing the missile to be fired from almost anywhere; the operator can safely fire through any window of a room no bigger than 4 x 2.5 x 2.5 m (high).[8] The missile is first shot out of the launcher with a low-powered ignition system, after which its main rocket ignites and propels it to the target. Guidance uses a predicted line of sight (PLOS) system. For a moving target, the operator maintains tracking for at least 2–3 seconds. The software embedded in the missile's INS records the operator's aiming movement and extrapolates the flight path needed to intercept the target. After launch, the missile flies autonomously along the pre-programmed flight path, controlled by an inertial guidance system.[4][32][35] The system weighs 12.5 kg (28 lb), with a rocket weight of 6.5 kg (14 lb); the mass of the warhead is 1.8 kg (4.0 lb).[18] It is unnecessary for the operator to consider the target distance (so long as it is within range), or to stay exposed whilst the missile is in the air (fire-and-forget).[36]
Against tanks and other armoured vehicles, the overfly top attack (OTA) mode is used; the missile flies about one metre above the line of sight, detonating the warhead above the target's weaker top armour via proximity fuze and magnetic sensors. The exact way in which the "combined magnetic and optical sensors" ensure the proper detonation of the warhead is classified. The direct attack (DA) mode is used against non-armoured targets, detonating the warhead on impact via contact fuze as the missile flies on the line of sight. The launcher can be fired only once and is disposed of after use.[32] The operator can adjust the arming distance of the missile, to avoid a premature detonation triggered by the sensors when it flies over non-targets. They can also fire down or up at a 45-degree angle. The method of exploding above the tank by one metre was met with scepticism at the time. Saab had to work hard to show that they could make the system work. Saab NLAW designer Christer Nygren said: “The protection on main battle tanks was increasing all the time...We saw that we needed a new type of attack. But, with the over-the-top attack, you create another technical challenge, which is how to hit vertically down through the roof of the tank when the velocity of the missile is in the forward direction. It’s a tricky thing. Before any contracts were signed we had to present a lot of technical evidence that we could really defeat a tank from the top and get the warhead [to detonate] at the right time.” Saab claims that in 20 years the US designers have not matched the NLAW system's technology. Adding "You give them an hour of training and they can fight the T-90 [the most advanced Russian tank] without a problem.”[37][38] The missile will auto-destruct at the maximum flight time of 5.6 seconds, which is about 1,000 m (3,300 ft). It is designed to operate in all climate conditions and environments, from −38 to +63 degrees Celsius.[18][39]
Preceding the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United Kingdom supplied 2,000 NLAW systems to Ukraine, with another 1,615 delivered by 9 March 2022[40][41] to bolster Ukraine's military.[6] More NLAWs were requested by the Ukrainian military following reports that they proved highly effective against Russian vehicles, leading to at least 100 more being allocated by Luxembourg.[42][43] Alongside US FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile systems, delivered as a precaution against increased hostilities, the Ukrainian forces reported that NLAWs produced far greater damage against Russian armoured vehicles than their standard Soviet-era equipment.[12] On 24 March 2022, the UK pledged to deliver a further 6,000 NLAWs and a senior Ukrainian military officer also claimed they were the "weapon of choice" for his troops, responsible for 30–40% of Russian tanks destroyed.[44]
Captured Ukrainian anti-tank weapons, including an NLAW
An unknown number of launchers were captured by the armed forces of Russia and the pro-Russian self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic during the conflict.[45][46][47] A number of these captured weapons were reportedly transferred to Iran as part of a deal to acquire drones.[48]
NLAWs were the most numerous advanced guided anti-tank missile in Ukraine as of April 2022.[49]
Operators
NLAW users
World map with operators in blue
British soldiers firing an NLAW
Finland – 3,000 ordered [13] Finland announced missile orders in 2007 worth €38 million.[9][50] In Finnish service the missile is designated 102 mm raskas lähipanssarintorjuntaohjus NLAW (102 RSLPSTOHJ NLAW) for Finnish speaking troops,[51][52] and 102 mm tung närpansarvärnsrobot NLAW (meaning roughly "102 mm heavy close-in anti-armour missile") for Fenno-Swedish speaking troops.[53]
1,500 units ordered in 2007, delivered in 2009–2010, €38 million deal [54]
1,000 units ordered and delivered in 2015,, €36 million deal [54]
Luxembourg: 100 units ordered in 2010 (50) and 2015 (50), and delivered in 2012 and 2016–2017. (All 102 donated to Ukraine war) [13][28]
Malaysia: 500 units ordered in 2016 or 2017, and delivered in 2018–2020.[13][29]
Sweden: 2,000 units ordered in 2005, and delivered in 2009–2012.[13] Another 3,000 units order was placed in December 2022 at a cost of 900M SEK for delivery in 2024-2026.[55] In Swedish service the missile is designated robot 57 (RB 57),[56][5] or pansarvärnsrobot 57 (pvrb 57) in expanded form,[22] meaning "missile 57" and "anti-armour missile 57" respectively (the 5 indicates its missile class and the 7 indicates its consecutive number in that class = 7th missile of the 5th class).[citation needed]
Switzerland: 4,000 units ordered in 2017, and delivered in 2018–2021.[13] Ordered in 2017 to fill capability gap left by M47 Dragon decommissioning in 2008.[30]
Ukraine: 2,000 NLAW units were supplied to Ukraine by the United Kingdom by 19 January 2022 in anticipation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6][36] Another 100 were sent from Luxembourg following the invasion.[43] As of 9 March 2022, the UK confirmed that it had delivered a total of 3,615 NLAW to Ukraine.[40] As of 16 March 2022, the UK confirmed that it had delivered more than 4,000 NLAWs to Ukraine.[31] As of 15 May 2023, the UK delivered more than 5000 NLAWs to Ukraine.[57] In Ukrainian service the missile is designated Protytankovyy raketnyy kompleks NLAW (Протитанковий ракетний комплекс NLAW), or PTRK NLAW (ПТРК NLAW) for short, meaning "Anti-Tank Missile System NLAW".[58]
United Kingdom – 21,000 ordered Selected in May 2002 for the British Army Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) requirement. The system has replaced the ILAW and LAW 80.[8] In British service the missile is formally designated Round, Guided Missile, NLAW (Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon), High-Explosive Anti-Tank, K170A1 or K170A2 (GM NLAW HEAT K170A1/A2) depending on the variant (A1 = Mk1, A2 = Mk2),[59][60][61][62] but the project name "Main Battle Tank Light Anti-Armour Weapon" (MBT-LAW) also appears.[15][19] The UK donated thousands of NLAWs out of its own stocks to Ukraine, which it plans to replace from January 2023 onwards, followed by "a larger subsequent order".[63]
14,000 units ordered in 2002, and delivered in 2009–2010.[13]
7,000 units ordered in 2022, deliveries planned for 2023-2026, £229 million deal [64]
^ abcdefNilsson, Emil (25 June 2015). Written at Stockholm, Sweden. "Product Update – NLAW"(PDF) (Press release). Chicago, United States: Saab AB. Archived(PDF) from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2022 – via Cision.
^ abcdSkjutreglemente: Pansarvärnsrobot 57 [Shooting regulation: Anti-tank missile 57] (in Swedish). Stockholm, SE: Swedish Armed Forces. 2011. p. 7. Libris ID: 12279733.
^ ab Written at Stockholm, SE. "New Customer Nation for NLAW". ASD News. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: ASD Media BV (published 15 June 2010). Saab AB. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
^ abMahadzir, Dzirhan (26 July 2018). Written at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "Malaysia emerges as NLAW customer". Shephard Media. London, UK: Shephard Press. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
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