UK orders SAAB NLAW anti-tank guided missile weapons for an amount of €265 million


On December 7, 2022, the British Ministry of Defense announced an order of €265 million for the acquisition of Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW) systems that will be assembled in Northern Ireland and delivered to the British Army.
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British soldier firing NLAW anti-tank missiles during a training exercise whilst deployed on Operation CABRIT in Estonia as part of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence. (Picture source UK MoD)


A €265 million deal has been agreed by the United Kingdom with the Swedish manufacturer Saab for Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW) systems. Thousands of new anti-tank weapons will be assembled in Northern Ireland and delivered to the British Army, said British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.

The UK has provided thousands of NLAWs to Ukraine to support the defense of their nation following Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion. The UK continues to be actively engaged with industry, allies and partners to ensure we can equip Ukraine with vital military support while replacing, at pace, equipment, and munitions granted in kind from UK stocks.

Secured through Defence Equipment and Support – the British MOD’s procurement arm – today’s agreement will see several thousand units delivered to UK Armed Forces across 2024-2026, in addition to around 500 being delivered in 2023 through a separate procurement.

The NLAW (Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon) also called MBT LAW or RB-57 is a man-portable anti-tank missile weapon system developed and manufactured by the Swedish company SAAB. It is a man-portable fire-and-forget missile system consisting of an anti-tank missile stored in a 115/150mm caliber launcher tube built in composite material.

The NLAW missile has a length of 1.02 m and a weight of 12.5 kg. It is fitted with an armor-piercing warhead that can destroy heavily protected MBTs in a single shot. The effective range of the missile is from 20 to 600 meters or up to 400 meters for moving targets. The NLAW missile is able to penetrate 600 mm of armor.