NLAW

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NLAW

Pansarvärnsrobot 57 aka MTB LAW.jpg

General Information
Type Anti-tank guided missile
Local name MBT LAW (Main Battle Tank and Light Anti-tank Weapon), RB57
NATO designation NLAW (Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon)
Country of origin SwedenSweden Sweden
Manufacturer Saab Dynamics , Thales Group
development 2002
Commissioning 2007
Working time in action
Technical specifications
length 1.02 m
diameter 115 mm (fuselage),
150 mm (warhead)
Combat weight Rocket 6.8 kg (rocket),
11.6 kg (complete launch unit)
span 410 mm
drive Solid rocket engine
speed Mach 0.7
Range 20-800 m
Furnishing
steering INS & Predicted Line Of Sight (PLOS)
Warhead Projectile-forming charge
Detonator Proximity fuse, impact fuse
Lists on the subject

The Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW) is an anti-tank guided weapon made in Sweden and has been in use by various armed forces since 2007.

development

The NLAW was created on the basis of a tender by the armed forces of the United Kingdom in 2001. The Main Battle Tank and Light Anti-tank Weapon (MBT LAW) program provided for the replacement of the aging reactive anti-tank rifles LAW 80 and FFV AT 4 . The new weapon should be able to fight modern battle tanks with reactive armor at a distance of 300–600 m. In addition, the system should be suitable for combat in urban terrain . In the tender, Saab Bofors Dynamics with the NLAW was able to prevail against the competitor Lockheed Martin with the Kestrel . In 2002, the main contractor Saab Bofors Dynamics began developing the NLAW in a joint venture with 14 British companies. During development, tried and tested components from anti-tank missiles that had already been successfully introduced were used. Among other things, the NLAW uses the sensor unit, the automatic control system and the steering system of the BILL anti-tank guided weapon . Individual components from FFV Carl Gustaf and FFV AT 4 were also used at the NLAW. The first NLAW were delivered to the British Army for testing purposes in 2007 .

technology

Soldier with shouldered NLAW.

The fire-and-forget - anti-tank missile to combat stationary and moving main battle tanks and building structures. The guided weapons are delivered from the factory in sealed GRP transport and launch containers. A target tracking and computer unit as well as daylight target optics with two and a half times magnification are attached to the container. Optional thermal imaging devices from various manufacturers can be attached to the target optics . When ready to fire, the launch container weighs 11.6 kg, with the rocket accounting for 6.8 kg. NLAW can be transported and deployed by a single man. The start with the shouldered weapon can be done lying, kneeling or standing. NLAW can also be used from closed rooms. The missiles of the first series have an operational range of around 400 m against moving targets. When fighting stationary targets, this is around 600 m. In the case of the rockets of the second series, the maximum operating distance could be increased to around 800 m by means of software adjustments. To fly through a distance of 400 m, the rocket needs just under two seconds. If the missile misses the target, it destroys itself after a flight time of 5.6 seconds. After this flight time, the rocket has covered a distance of around 1,000 m. The minimum fighting distance of the NLAW is 20 m and is therefore significantly shorter than with comparable models. NLAW can be used in an elevation range of ± 45 ° and in a temperature range of −38 to +63 ° C.

To launch the missile, the shooter must aim at the target . If the target is in the crosshairs , he activates the target tracking unit with a switch. The target tracking and computing unit has extensive sensors that determine the angle of inclination, tilt angle, target distance, target movement, ammunition temperature and the angular speed to the target. The shooter does not need to determine a lead and does not have to take into account the lateral deviation and the shooting distance. The required target parameters and the flight path for the rocket are calculated within 2-3 seconds. Then the trigger is released and the rocket can be launched. NLAW uses a two-stage solid rocket engine . The first stage pushes the rocket out of the launch container and accelerates the rocket to around 40 m / s. At a safe distance, the second stage ignites and accelerates the rocket to around 200 m / s. During the flight, the guided missile maintains its pre-programmed course by means of the inertial navigation system and flies towards the previously determined collision point of the rocket with the target. Course deviations as a result of the weather are automatically corrected by the rocket.

Before starting, the shooter can choose between two attack profiles : OTA (overfly top attack) or DA (direct attack) The OTA mode is used to combat battle tanks. The rocket flies about 1 m above the target line and detonates over the target when triggered by the combined optical / magnetic proximity fuse. The EFP warhead is built into the missile fuselage at an angle of 90 °, so that the target is fought from above. With this attack profile, the projectile-forming charge only has to penetrate the thin roof armor of the main battle tank. You can also fight targets that are in cover. The 102 mm caliber warhead weighs 1.8 kg and has a penetration rate of around 500 mm RHA .

In the DA mode , the rocket does not assume an excessive flight profile and flies to the target from the side. The warhead is triggered by the impact fuse. In this mode, too, the flight path of the rocket is determined beforehand by the target tracking unit. The DA mode is used to combat lightly armored vehicles, field fortifications and building structures.

distribution

British soldier with NLAW

Web links

Commons : NLAW  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW). In: www.thinkdefence.co.uk. Think Defense, accessed July 1, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e MBT LAW Light Anti-Tank Weapon. In: army-technology.com. Army Technolog, accessed July 1, 2016 .
  3. ↑ MBT-LAW NLAW. In: Saab Bofors Dynamics. youtube.com, August 25, 2006, accessed December 13, 2015 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f Robin Hughes: Saab extends range of NLAW. In: Janes.com. IHS Jane's 360, August 24, 2015, archived from the original on July 4, 2016 ; accessed on July 1, 2016 .
  5. ↑ a b c Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW). In: defense-update.com. Defense Update, December 31, 2010, accessed July 1, 2016 .
  6. ↑ ВС Финляндии заказали дополнительную партию гранатометов NLAW. In: vpk.name. ВПК.name., Retrieved July 1, 2016 (Russian).
  7. ↑ a b c MBT LAW. In: deagel.com. Retrieved July 1, 2016 .
  8. ↑ a b SIPRI Arms Transfers Database. In: sipri.org. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, May 14, 2019, accessed May 14, 2019 .
  9. ↑ a b NLAW Anti-Tank Missile Launcher. In: militaryleak.com. Military Leak, accessed May 14, 2019 .
  10. ↑ communications VBS: Armament Program 2016. In: vbs.admin.ch. Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), accessed on July 1, 2016 .