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NLAW
The Saab Bofors Dynamics NLAW (/ˈɛnlɔː/ EN-law), also known as the MBT LAW or RB 57, is a fire-and-forget, lightweight shoulder-fired, and disposable (single-use) line of sight (LOS) missile system, designed for infantry use. The missile uses a soft-launch system and is guided by predicted line of sight (PLOS). It can carry out an overfly top attack (OTA) on an armoured vehicle, or a direct attack (DA) on structures, non-armoured vehicles and helicopters.
The system was developed in Sweden by prime contractor Saab Bofors Dynamics, on behalf of the British and Swedish defence authorities who procured the system in a joint venture. It was mainly produced in the United Kingdom by Team MBT LAW UK, which included 14 subcontractors, most notably Thales Air Defence. Users of the weapon include Finland, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
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" or "Next-generation", while LAW is an abbreviation of "Light Anti-tank Weapon" or "Light Anti-Armour Weapon". MBT LAW stands for Main Battle Tank Light Anti-armour Weapon. NLAW has since development become the international designation of the weapon, while MBT LAW exists as a designation for the weapon in the British Army.
The name "RB 57" derives from the weapon's designation in Swedish service – robot 57 ("guided missile 57") – which has the abbreviation rb 57. At times the specified form pansarvärnsrobot 57 ("anti-armour guided missile 57"), pvrb 57 for short, can also be found. 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]
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. Swedish Bofors of the Celsius Group (later bought by Saab AB), 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. Accordingly, the NLAW-programme became a British–Swedish joint venture (primarily led by the DPA) assigned to Saab Bofors Dynamics (full development and production).
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, the development of the system continued until 2008, when it entered production in the UK. Deliveries of the weapon began in December 2008; it entered the service of the Swedish, Finnish and British armed forces the following year. 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. In 2005, the Swedish government placed a first order for 2,000 units from Saab. Finland has placed three orders between 2007 and 2017, for a total of 3,000 units. 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.
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NLAW
The Saab Bofors Dynamics NLAW (/ˈɛnlɔː/ EN-law), also known as the MBT LAW or RB 57, is a fire-and-forget, lightweight shoulder-fired, and disposable (single-use) line of sight (LOS) missile system, designed for infantry use. The missile uses a soft-launch system and is guided by predicted line of sight (PLOS). It can carry out an overfly top attack (OTA) on an armoured vehicle, or a direct attack (DA) on structures, non-armoured vehicles and helicopters.
The system was developed in Sweden by prime contractor Saab Bofors Dynamics, on behalf of the British and Swedish defence authorities who procured the system in a joint venture. It was mainly produced in the United Kingdom by Team MBT LAW UK, which included 14 subcontractors, most notably Thales Air Defence. Users of the weapon include Finland, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
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" or "Next-generation", while LAW is an abbreviation of "Light Anti-tank Weapon" or "Light Anti-Armour Weapon". MBT LAW stands for Main Battle Tank Light Anti-armour Weapon. NLAW has since development become the international designation of the weapon, while MBT LAW exists as a designation for the weapon in the British Army.
The name "RB 57" derives from the weapon's designation in Swedish service – robot 57 ("guided missile 57") – which has the abbreviation rb 57. At times the specified form pansarvärnsrobot 57 ("anti-armour guided missile 57"), pvrb 57 for short, can also be found. 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]
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. Swedish Bofors of the Celsius Group (later bought by Saab AB), 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. Accordingly, the NLAW-programme became a British–Swedish joint venture (primarily led by the DPA) assigned to Saab Bofors Dynamics (full development and production).
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, the development of the system continued until 2008, when it entered production in the UK. Deliveries of the weapon began in December 2008; it entered the service of the Swedish, Finnish and British armed forces the following year. 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. In 2005, the Swedish government placed a first order for 2,000 units from Saab. Finland has placed three orders between 2007 and 2017, for a total of 3,000 units. 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.