NLAW

Joint Swedish-British disposable anti-tank guided missile — fire-and-forget top-attack from 20 meters, the weapon that reshaped infantry anti-armor combat in Ukraine.

Overview

The NLAW (Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon), known in UK service as MBT LAW and in Sweden as Robot 57 (RB 57), is a man-portable, single-use anti-tank guided missile fielded by more than half a dozen nations and made famous by its decisive role in the opening phase of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A 12.5 kg round fired from the shoulder of a single soldier, it uses an inertially guided overfly top-attack flight path to punch through the thin roof armour of a main battle tank from as little as 20 metres away. Designed by Saab Bofors Dynamics and assembled by Thales in Belfast, the NLAW became the “weapon of choice” for Ukrainian small units in 2022, with donated stocks exceeding 5,000 rounds.

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