This missile system was transferred to the Museum by fighters of the special operations unit "Omega" of the Northern Operational Association of the National Guard of Ukraine. On August 22, 2022, using this missile system on the approaches to Avdiivka near the village of Krasnohorivka in the Pokrovskyi district of Donetsk Oblast, Major Vadym Zeleniuk, a senior officer of the 2nd combat group of the 5th group of the special operations unit "Omega" of the Northern Operational Association of the National Guard of Ukraine, destroyed an enemy BMP (infantry fighting vehicle) along with its crew.
On January 22, 2023, during his visit to the Museum, British politician and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with the permission of V. Zeleniuk’s family, left his signature on the tube of this weapon.
The NLAW (Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon) is a lightweight anti-tank missile system belonging to guided weapons, which operates on the "fire-and-forget" principle. For targeting moving objects, the PLOS (Predicted Line of Sight) algorithm is used, which predicts the line of sight.
This system was developed under the UK Ministry of Defence’s MBT LAW (Main Battle Tank and Light Anti-tank Weapon) project. It was intended to replace the outdated LAW 80 and FFV AT 4 grenade launchers.
The NLAW program aimed to create a modern weapon with a guided missile for effective use in realistic combat scenarios. The primary objective of the new system was to destroy armored vehicles in close combat. An additional task was to destroy fortifications (such as bunkers). The weapon was also designed to be suitable for firing from small enclosed spaces typical of urban warfare. Over 14 British companies were involved in the production of NLAW components, with final assembly performed by Thales Air Defence.
In 2009, the NLAW was adopted by the British Army and its serial production began. In 2015, Saab announced an update to the missile control system software, increasing the effective range for engaging stationary targets to 800 meters.
In January 2022, the United Kingdom provided Ukraine with more than a thousand NLAW anti-tank guided missiles. After the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, NLAW missiles proved highly effective in destroying Russian armored vehicles and played a crucial role in halting the advance of enemy tank columns on many fronts.
Cylindrical and elongated, dark green in color. The ends on both sides have black front and rear caps. The body features right and left handles, a spare sight, a night sight mount, a sight guard, a shooting stand, and a shoulder rest. The control unit is located on the upper part. A shoulder strap for transportation, made of olive-colored fabric with two black plastic buckles and an insert, is attached along the body. In the center of the body, there is a carrying handle made of olive-colored fabric. Closer to the rear cap, a black strip is applied, and a yellow film is affixed. The body has black paint markings (in Latin script) in the center, including "Guided missile NLAW HE Anti-Tank K270A2," "65601-02," "SBD 09/11," "00022," "1427 99-309-1220," "09428," and "SAAB BOFORS DYNAMICS AB 1 226 700." A schematic diagram with inscriptions "-38 C," "63 C," "20 m," and "1600 MILS" is located at the bottom. A tape with a black arrow is affixed at the top. There are dark brown inscriptions on the body: "M2." The signature of politician and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is written in black marker on the upper part of the body.
The body also has remnants of gray and silver-colored adhesive tape.