Metallic nanolaminates act as one class of typical heterogeneous materials and manifest great potential to obtain the structural materials with the combination of high strength/toughness and superior irradiation tolerance, owing to their tunable dimensional and microstructural length as well the great advantage of tunable interfacial structures. The present authors had systematically investigated the size effects on the plastic characteristics and irradiation behavior of crystalline/crystalline Cu/Mo and crystalline/amorphous Cu/Cu-Zr nanolaminates, in addition to their microstructure evolution. In this paper, the progress and the difference in the underlying strengthening mechanisms and irradiation damage mechanisms of these two kinds of metallic nanolaminates are reviewed. Finally, a brief prospect on the studies of highly irradiated tolerant nanolaminates in future is discussed.