Malaysia ordered additional Saab NLAW portable anti-tank missiles

The Saab Bofors Dynamics NLAW. Photo c/o Saab.

The Malaysian Army (MA) may have ordered another batch of Saab’s Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW), according to Malaysian defense page Malaysian Defence.

This was after the Malaysian Defence Ministry was issued a tender request for a multi-model transport operator to bring in the missile systems to Pahang, Malaysia.

The report also believes that the previous announcement by Saab of an undisclosed customer for the NLAW made on December 2016 might be Malaysia, and that deliveries could have started as early as 2018.

It also believes that the missiles will be assigned with the MA’s Grup Gerak Khas (GGK) Special Forces Regiment, to replace the MBDA Eryx anti-tank missile, and with the 10th Para Brigade.

The NLAW, also called the Main Battle Tank and Light Anti-Tank Weapon (MBT LAW) was developed by Sweden’s Saab Bofors Dynamics and the UK’s Thales Air Defence (formerly Shorts Missile Systems). It is a shoulder-fired, fire-and-forget, disposable anti-tank system designed for infantry and dismounted units.

The system weighs 12.5 kilograms and is 1.016 meters long. It has an effective firing range of between 20 to 600 meters, although the maximum firing range is around 1,000 meters. 

It can be operated by a single operator, can be safely used in confined spaces, and is lighter than similar anti-tank systems. It can also be adjusted between Overfly Top Attack (OTA) effective against protected armored vehicles, and Direct Attack (DA) mode that can be used against other vehicles or vessels, or enemy troops inside buildings.


[1] Malaysia Defence
[2] Saab