Saab has received an order for NLAW (Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon) from the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command. The order value is approximately SEK 400 million with product deliveries planned during 2024. Finland placed the order within a framework agreement between Saab and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration. This agreement allows Finland to place orders for NLAW as well as Saab’s Carl-Gustaf® recoilless rifle, ammunition and the AT4 disposable weapon. It combines the simplicity of light anti-armour weapons with the advantages of heavy, crew-operated guided missile systems.
“We greatly value our long and close relation with the Finnish Defence Forces. I am proud to contribute to Finland’s army’s anti-tank capability with our proven NLAW system, known for being trusted by soldiers,” says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.
The Saab Bofors Dynamics NLAW, 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 and non-armoured vehicles. 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.
The NLAW is a man-portable, soft-launch, and confined-spaces system, allowing the missile to be fired from almost anywhere; the operator can safely fire through any window of a room no bigger than 4 x 2.5 x 2.5?m (high). 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 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.
