Thales comes to DSA with strong operator support for its Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW).
The British government has donated more than 3,600 of these to the Ukrainian armed forces to help resist the Russian invasion. Along with them, their soldiers destroyed multiple Russian tanks and armored fighting vehicles.
In addition, Thales is the manufacturer of the Starstreak anti-aircraft missile, which is also about to be deployed in Ukraine. The British Army has implemented an accelerated training program in Eastern Europe for the Ukrainian Army, which will receive a large number of missiles.
Both weapons are manufactured in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The shoulder-mounted NLAW was designed by Saab and licensed to Thales for production. It weighs 27.5 pounds (12.5 kilograms) and has a range of about 2,600 feet (800 meters). About 14,000 were built for the British Army.
The Starstreak is the latest in Belfast’s long series of Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD) missiles. Unlike most SHORADs that employ infrared guidance that can counter or deceive, it is a dual laser beam rider that approaches targets at speeds of up to Mach 3. It is aimed by an optical sight. The “kill” consists of three tungsten darts or “batters” that separate from the body of the weapon as it approaches the target. It has a range of more than 3 miles and a maximum altitude of more than 3,000 tons (914 meters).
The Malaysian Army was an early customer of Starstreak, which it named the Rapid Ranger locally. At DSA, Thales’ Malaysian partner Westar showed a 4×4 vehicle with a transmitter mounted on top. Malaysia has also purchased the Portable Stand Lightweight Multiple Launcher (LML). The missile can also be shoulder fired. Just last week, the Malaysian army conducted another successful firing test, shooting down a target drone at range in Johor.
Chris Pocock
