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Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW)

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the situation with small-range anti-tank weapons in the Armed Forces was catastrophic. In fact, the only such means was the Soviet-made RPG-7, for which there were very few rocket-propelled grenades. Moreover, the number of disposable RPGs was minimal, and only RPG-22s were more or less effective. However, they are not capable of penetrating the armor of Russian tanks, especially modernized T-72B3M of the 2016 model or T-80BVM. In such a situation, NLAW became critical. During the war in Ukraine, NLAW proved to be quite an effective weapon, which, however, requires training of the shooter. First of all, it is about the speed of reaction, because the working time of the accumulator is quite limited.

Until January 17, 2022, the vast majority of Ukrainians had only heard of the American Javelin anti-tank systems. In the second half of January 2022, the Swedish-made NLAW anti-tank missile complex (ATMR) arrived in Ukraine "from the Queen of Great Britain". The manufacturer of the NLAW ATGM is the Swedish company Saab Automobile , which, as it turned out, produces not only cars and airplanes. It was adopted by Great Britain in 2009 and has a 10-20 year shelf life. The cost of one complex at that time was about 20,000 pounds.

The Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) is a Swedish-British disposable anti-tank missile system. Successfully conquered by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as being found in the Great Britain and 10 other countries of the world. The main applixation of the NLAW anti-tank systems is the reduction of armored vehicles, armored personnel carriers and tanks. It can win against other technology of the enemy. The effective shooting range is 400–600 meters, the maximum is 800 meters. Guaranteed armor penetration - up to 500 mm homogeneous rolled armor.

RPG-7, single-charge RPG-19 and RPG-26, which are currently in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, can effectively hit targets only at distances of 200-300 meters. The NLAW ATGM allows creating a zone of effective impact on enemy armored vehicles at distances from 400 to 800 meters. In addition, it is quite effective during battles in the city, or in areas with urban development and in forest areas.

This complex can rightly be called the last line of defense against the destruction of enemy tanks on the battlefield. In addition, it is very effective in urban battles. That is, in the case of the passage of a tank armada deep into the country, when long-range guns of the "Rapir" type or complexes of the "Javelin" and "Stugna" type have already fired at their effective distances of 1–3 kilometers, light anti-tank means remain. At the moment, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are armed with a reusable RPG-7 and single-charge RPG-19 and RPG-26, but their effective range is only 200–350 meters, which may turn out to be insufficient, and we have a gap at anti-tank distances of 400–1000 meters. More precisely, the concentration of anti-tank weapons will be minimal at such distances.

NLAW ATGM had been supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in January 2022. Used by Ukrainian soldiers to devastating effect against Russian forces, NLAW is a shoulder-launched munition continues to be in high demand as European nations look to replace stockpiles after gifting thousands of units to Kyiv. The original version of a Breaking Defensee story stated that NLAW production would ramp up to 400,000 a year. That number was related to all of Saab’s ground combat portfolio, not just NLAW.

The NLAW ATGM is a portable weapon weighing 12.5 kg. The NLAW is a lightweight shoulder-fired disposable ATGM with an effective firing range of up to 800 meters. The system does not have an active targeting system. Instead, it uses “predicted line-of-sight” guidance, including magnetic and optical sensors. NLAW combines the simplicity of light anti-armour weapons with the advantages of heavy, crew-operated guided missile systems. With NLAW, a single soldier can take out a heavily-protected modern main battle tank at ranges between 20 and 800 meters.

There are two modes of fire management:

1. the first one is directly aimed. The direct shooting mode allows you not to take an advance of 1–2 meters above the cell, but to strike a fortified, lightly armored technique to wind a helicopter with a direct shooting.
2. the other is the main view of the line-of-sight (PLOS) inertial system (PLOS) that predicted line-of-sight. The operator needs to fix the target for 3–5 seconds less. The system itself will designate the point where the target will be moved after the shoot. The NLAW missile was launched to fly along the automated trajectory complex to the target and fly over the turret of the tank at a height of about a meter, striking the beast.

NLAW uses the principle of OTA (Overfly Top Attack) to attack the target — attack from above on the fly. The detonation of the warhead deployed at an angle of 90 degrees occurs under the command of a magnetic and optical sensor when the missile is directly above the armored object. The impact core hits the target in the most vulnerable place. In addition, the system ensures even damage to objects located in a trench or in a caponir. The "Direct Attack" mode is used to hit non-armored targets, in which the missile flies along the line of sight and detonation occurs when the contact detonator is triggered.

Jointly produced by Sweden and the UK, NLAW was developed by the Swedish Saab AB group together with the British branch of the Thales group under the assignment and funding of the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence.

Canada will provide Ukraine with NLAW and other anti-tank weapons, as well as finance the demining of territories liberated from Russian invaders. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated this 08 May 2022 during a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. "We have already said that we will provide NLAW and other anti-tank military weapons. We will provide whatever is necessary, and we will also fund the demining effort," Trudeau said.

The United Kingdom strongly supported the defence capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In particular, it provided high-tech NLAW anti-tank weapons even before the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Eventually, assistance in providing Ukraine with defence equipment has only increased - the British side has already provided anti-tank weapons, air defence, UAVs, night vision devices, communications, equipment and more for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom Ben Wallace headed a delegation on 10 June 2022 on a visit to Kyiv. On Mykhailivska Square in the capital of Ukraine, the honourable guest was shown destroyed Russian equipment. "I am satisfied with the effectiveness of our NLAW systems in the hands of the Ukrainian military," said the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom.

The Minister of Defence of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who met with Ben Wallace, noted that Western and, in particular, British weapons are one of the factors helping Ukraine destroy the enemy.

“NLAW, Ukrainian anti-tank missiles of "British origin" with Swedish roots is the reason for hundreds of units of destroyed enemy equipment and hundreds of liquidated occupiers. At the same time, thousands of units of Russian equipment, heavy artillery, and aircraft continue to bring death, destruction, and woe to the Ukrainian land and our people. Today you saw Russian military equipment destroyed in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ukrainian Donbas and Mykolaiv regions. These exhibits are evidence of the ability of Ukrainian soldiers to use Western weapons and military equipment. But, unfortunately, Russian invaders continue to dominate in the number of heavy artillery, aircraft, missile systems, tanks and armoured vehicles. Every day of the war sees losses of Ukrainian defenders, the killing of civilians. The Russians continue to kill people, destroy infrastructure, destroy the economy. We need more heavy weapons to continue the struggle. This will bring victory over the terrorist state and peace on the European continent,” said Oleksii Reznikov.

The Minister of Defence of Ukraine and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine thanked Ben Wallace for British assistance in effectively repelling Russia's armed aggression and Great Britain’s resolute solidarity and support in this difficult time for Ukraine.

The UK Secretary of State for Defence noted the heroism of the Ukrainian military and assured that the United Kingdom will continue to support Ukraine in its struggle for independence and the restoration of territorial integrity. “We managed to unite the world in support of Ukraine. Cooperation between the United Kingdom and Ukraine will be as effective as possible,” said the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom.

On 07 Decenber 2022 Saab reached an agreement with and received an order from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence for the Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon system (NLAW). The order value is approximately SEK 2.9 billion and deliveries will take place 2023-2026. “Demand is increasing for anti-tank systems such as NLAW. We look forward to further strengthening our close relationship with the UK and are proud to continue delivering our proven and trusted anti-tank capability,” says Saab’s President and CEO Micael Johansson.if compared with other known ATGMs.

In the presence of active tank protection systems, the missile of some ATGMs can be intercepted or shot down, because it moves during active laser guidance. A smoke screen can also be an obstacle, but not for NLAW. The guiding principle of this ATGM is optical, with an inertial system, and the signal to detonate the cumulative warhead comes from a magnetic detonator. That is, the launched NLAW missile flies along the trajectory calculated by the automatic system of the complex to the target and detonates above the turret of the tank at a height of about a meter. Above a large and heavy pile of metal, of which there is not much on the battlefield. Therefore, there is another advantage over the homing head, which has a thermal sensor. The operator selects a metal target that can be changed when they are behind each other.

At the same time, the cumulative funnel is specially designed at an angle of 90 degrees from the axis of the rocket. She looks down on the surface of the tower. At the same time, the burning cumulative jet can "burn through" up to 500 millimeters of homogeneous rolled armor, and no tank has such armoring of the turret.

NLAW is not a record holder in its cost, compact and has an inertial guidance system. NLAW simply fired and took another installation - it is possible only to take away the sight, which will make the complex even cheaper to use. For example, in the Javelin, before the launch of the missile, the homing thermal head is cooled by argon, therefore, the time for the next shot from the launcher increases. Those ATGMs that have an active and laser guidance system can, in theory, be stopped by EW complexes or an active tank protection system. But it is good that the Russian army does not have such systems even on T90M tanks. The targeting system in NLAW is inertial, which after successfully fixing the target, nothing will prevent it from destroying the target.

NLAW solved at once two important aspects of our defense during a massive offensive by Russian forces. This is bridging the gap in anti-tank distances, i.e. increasing the concentration of anti-tank weapons at distances of 200-800 meters, and the ability to fire at armored targets in populated areas. And not just on the streets of cities or villages, but to fire directly from buildings without the threat of damage to personnel, which other ATGMs cannot provide. The structure of the NLAW missile charge has a special release principle at the start of the shot with a liquid charge, which will allow to safely open fire indoors from a window.

Ukrposhta complemented the souvenir products depicting the present day of Ukraine with exclusive figurines. "Now you have the opportunity to buy the NLAW fighter collectible figure as the personification of courage and indomitability. Order several at once: for yourself and as a gift. Send to friends living in Ukraine and abroad." The product is made of photopolymer resin. When sent, it will be packed in an eco-box.