NLAW

The name "NLAW" initially referred to the original British development programme which Saab won the contract for with the "MBT LAW". NLAW stands for Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon or Next-Generation Light Anti-armour Weapon. The N is short for "Next generation" The 5 indicates its missile class and the 7 indicates its consecutive number in that class (robot 57 = 7th missile of the 5th class). == Overview ==

In 1997, the British Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) began issuing invitations to tender for a new man-portable anti-tank weapon, to replace the obsolescent British LAW 80s. American Lockheed Martin, and German Dynamit Nobel replied with offers; due to the limited spots of the NLAW-trials come January 2001, only the two former were rewarded with Project Definition Phase contracts in 1999. Bofors began development of the so-called MBT LAW the same year. In May 2002, Saab Bofors Dynamics' MBT LAW was selected as winner over Matra BAe Dynamics' Kestrel (the British derivative of Lockheed Martin's FGM-172 SRAW) in the NLAW-trials. In June, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the British DPA and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), who also showed interest in the system. 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. With the finalising of agreements between Sweden and the United Kingdom in 2003, This was followed by Luxembourg, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Switzerland. 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. 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. 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: 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). It uses a single shaped-charge warhead, as opposed to other comparable missiles that have a tandem warhead. More than 24,200 units have been produced. The system weighs , with a rocket weight of ; the mass of the warhead is . 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. The missile will auto-destruct at the maximum flight time of 5.6 seconds, which is about . It is designed to operate in all climate conditions and environments, from −38 to +63 degrees Celsius. == Combat history ==

Russo-Ukrainian War destroyed by NLAWs Preceding the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United Kingdom supplied 2,000 NLAW systems to Ukraine, with another 1,615 delivered by 9 March 2022 to bolster Ukraine's military. 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. 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. 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. 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. A number of these captured weapons were reportedly transferred to Iran as part of a deal to acquire drones. NLAWs were the most numerous advanced guided anti-tank missile in Ukraine as of April 2022. == Operators ==

Current ; :(3,000 + additional in 2023) :Finland announced missile orders in 2007 worth €38 million. In Finnish service the missile is designated 102 mm raskas lähipanssarintorjuntaohjus NLAW (102 RSLPSTOHJ NLAW) for Finnish speaking troops, and 102 mm tung närpansarvärnsrobot NLAW (meaning roughly "102 mm heavy close-in anti-armour missile") for Fenno-Swedish speaking troops. : >3,000 ordered: :* December 2008, €18 million :* November 2015, €36 million :* October 2017 (option) :* 2023, €46 million ; :(600) :600 units delivered in 2012–2013. In Swedish service the missile is designated robot 57 (RB 57), ; : (21,000 total order) :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. but the project name "Main Battle Tank Light Anti-Armour Weapon" (MBT-LAW) also appears. : 14,000 units ordered in 2002, and delivered in 2009–2010. Future ; Unknown number planned to be ordered as of June 2024, to be used as the intermediate solution between the AT4 and the Akeron MP ATGM. Former ; : (100) :100 units ordered in 2010 (50) and 2015 (50), and delivered in 2012 and 2016–2017. (All 102 donated to Ukraine) == See also ==