The NLAW is a man-portable fire-and-forget missile system consisting of an anti-tank missile stored in a 115/150mm caliber launcher tube built in composite material. The launcher is fitted with the gunner’s optical sight, a foldaway launch device, handles and firing mechanism, a battery package, carrying straps, and firing support. It is a portable, shoulder-launched system that can be used by a single operator. The launcher doesn't have a trigger, and all the firing operations are controlled via an ergonomic grip mounted to the right side at the front of the launcher tube. The NLAW is a single-use weapon system and can’t be reloaded. The weapon is very light and has a weight of only 11.6 kg). It is easy to use, disposable, and completely maintenance-free.

The NLAW missile has a length of 1.02 m and has a weight of 12.5 kg. It is fitted with an armor-piercing warhead that can destroy heavily protected MBTs in a single shot. The oversize caliber, shaped-charge warhead strikes downward at 90° and is dynamically compensated. It is ignited above the target by the onboard optical and active magnetic sensors. The missile is first launched out of the launcher using a low-powered ignition. After the missile travels several meters into the flight, its main rocket ignites, propelling the missile from there onto the target. Guidance is obtained using a predicted line of sight (PLOS). The effective range of the missile is from 20 to 600 meters or up to 400 meters for moving targets. It has a flight time of fewer than two seconds out to 400 meters and can be launched at 45°, up or down. Allowing the gunner to fire from almost any position – from high up in a building, from behind a tree, or from within a ditch. It can also be fired safely from within enclosed spaces, such as rooms, even with other soldiers present. The maximum firing range is 1,000 m beyond which the missile is designed to auto-destruct. Thanks to its fire-and-forget capability, it is unnecessary for the gunner to consider the range of the target. The operator simply tracks the target for a few seconds before firing and NLAW does the rest. Fire-and-forget is a type of missile guidance that does not require further guidance after the launch such as illumination of the target or wire guidance and can hit its target without the launcher being in the line of sight of the target. According to the manufacturer, the NLAW missile is capable of penetrating over 500 millimeters of armor,