This makes them a highly flexible and dangerous weapon for opposing forces. The missiles can also be used in 'direct fire' mode against less well-armoured vehicles, such as armoured personnel carriers, buildings or even low-flying helicopters - with devastating results. This will either completely destroy the tank, or incapacitate the crew inside. The NLAW and Javelin missiles are designed to hit a tank from above in a 'top attack' - striking at the top of the tank's turret where the armour is thinnest. However, explosive reactive armour actually isn't much of an advantage against the modern anti-tank missiles being used by Ukrainian fighters. This is intended to divert the blast and minimise the damage caused. In other words, the tank's armour explodes outwards when impacted by a warhead.

Main battle tanks, which Russia has deployed in large numbers, use modern and highly advanced armour technology, including 'explosive reactive armour' (or ERA). Portable anti-tank missiles are specifically designed to destroy main battle tanks, which are more heavily armoured than other types of armoured vehicles (such as armoured personnel carriers, for instance). So how do the missiles work? And what makes them so helpful for Ukraine's defence? What are anti-tank missiles? Kremlin says charges against Prigozhin will be dropped, Wagner fighters leave Rostov-on-Don - as it happened The NLAW and Javelin are some of the most advanced man-portable anti-tank missiles available.īoth are relatively lightweight, shoulder-fired missiles which - although they won't completely turn the tide of the war - have so far proven valuable in what is otherwise a highly asymmetrical conflict. The stockpile includes at least 2,000 NLAW (Next Generation Light Antitank Weapon) missiles from the United Kingdom, 100 NLAWs from Luxembourg, and several hundred Javelin missiles from the United States and Estonia. Ukraine's allies have sent some 17,000 anti-tank weapons into the battlefield, in a bid to help fighters bog down the Russian offensive.

Us modern anti tank weapons