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The TOW missile can be fired from tube launchers installed on vehicles, helicopters, or on a tripod on the ground. The BGM-71 is loaded into the launcher from behind, the missile container acting as a launch tube extension. As soon as the operator has identified a target using the launcher's telescopic sight, he can fire the missile.
- 15.2 cm (6 in)
- 300 m/s (1000 fps)
- 34.3 cm (13.5 in)
- 45 cm (17.7 in)
- Tow 2 Missile System Development
- Vehicle and air-mounted Missile Systems
- Tow Anti-Armour Missile
- Tow 2A Anti-Tank Missile
- Tow 2A Bunker Buster Missile
- Tow 2B Anti-Tank Missile
- Tow 2B Aero Anti-Tank Missile
- Tow 2B RF Anti-Tank Missile
- Itas Improved Target Acquisition System
- Tow FF Fire-And-Forget Missile
The TOW missile system has been in service since 1970 and more than 700,000 TOW weapon systems were delivered to the US Army and allied military forces to date. Its production versions include TOW 2A (BGM-71E), which entered production in 1987 with over 118,000 missiles delivered. TOW 2B (BGM-71F) entered production in 1991 with more than 40,000 mi...
The missiles can be fired from the ground using a tripod-mounted launch tube or installed on vehicles. The TOW missile system can be fitted as a single-tube pedestal mount on military vehicles or as two-tube or four-tube under-armour systems on vehicles such as the improved TOW vehicle M901, Desert Warrior, Piranha, US Marine Corps LAV, Dardo Hitfi...
The missile has command to line-of-sight guidance. The weapons operator uses a telescopic sight to view a point on the target and then fires the missile. The missile has a two-stage ATK (Alliant Techsystems) solid propellant rocket motor. The operator continues to view and track the target through the sight. Guidance signals from the guidance compu...
For penetration of tanks protected with explosive reactive armour (ERA), TOW 2A is equipped with a tandem warhead. A small disrupter charge detonates the reactive armour and allows the main shaped charge to penetrate the main armour.
A ‘bunker buster’ variant of the TOW 2A, to defeat field fortifications, bunkers and urban structures, has been developed and fielded by the US Army. The TOW 2A bunker buster has a range of 3,750m. It is scheduled to arm the US Army’s anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) variant of the Stryker combat vehicle family.
TOW 2B operates in a ‘flyover shoot down’ top attack mode, unlike other versions which are direct attack. It features a dual-mode target sensor designed by Thales (formerly Thomson-Thorn) Missile Electronics, which includes laser profilometer and magnetic sensor, and a new warhead section, produced by Aerojet. It resembles the TOW 2A but without th...
An extended range TOW 2B missile, TOW 2B Aero, has a range of 4.5km, which is achieved in only a few seconds longer than the flight time of TOW 2B to 3.75km. Two modifications are made to the TOW 2B. A longer wire is required for the longer range and a new aerodynamic nose has been fitted to allow stable, controllable flight to the extended range, ...
Another development of the TOW 2B Aero, the wireless TOW 2B RF is in production. TOW 2B RF is modified with a one-way, stealthy radio-frequency command link, which dispenses with the wire link and gives a range of 4.5km. The system is compatible with current launchers.
In 1999, Raytheon Company was awarded a US Army full-rate production contract for the TOW improved target acquisition system (ITAS) for the HMMWV launcher and the ground mounted TOW. ITAS uses a thermal imager based on a standard advanced dewar assembly (SADA II) focal plane array, eye-safe laser rangefinder, and a gunner-aided target tracker. ITAS...
In September 2000, the US Army awarded an EMD (engineering and manufacturing development) contract for a wireless TOW fire-and-forget missile to Raytheon Systems Company. However, the US Army cancelled the project in 2002. TOW FF was to have an advanced imaging infrared staring focal plane array seeker.
The final production model, the M901A1, is capable of firing any of the TOW missile variants (Basic TOW, Improved TOW (I-TOW) or TOW-2 series) produced by the now Raytheon Systems Company. The US Army installed the system on a modified BAE Systems Ground Systems Division (previously United Defense) M113 series chassis but it could be installed on a wide range of other chassis.
- M901
- Self-propelled guided missile system
- Systems and Electronics Inc (SEI)
- Armoured Vehicles
Previous: E-102: M1-Series Abrams Tank Exhaust Plume Hazard. E-103. The TOW missile system can be employed on the BFV, the armament carrier HMMWV, and ICV. The system has a dangerous area extending 75 meters to the rear of the vehicle in a 90-degree “cone.”. The area is divided into a 50-meter danger zone and a 25-meter caution zone.
Anti-tank guided missile launcher. The BGM-71 TOW (Tube-launched, Optically-tracked and Wire-guided) missiles are designed to accurately destroy armored vehicles, fortifications and bunkers from safe ranges. Raytheon has produced more than 600,000 TOW missiles over the last 30 years for more than 40 international armed forces around the globe.
- TOW 2A BGM-71E
- Anti-tank guided missile launcher
- Raytheon Systems Company
- Weapons & Weapon Systems
The M966-mounted TOW is a one-vehicle (1 1/4-ton truck) combat system that is air-transportable, versatile, maintainable, and survivable (Figure 3-1). Its 16-inch ground clearance, four-wheel ...
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High Mobility Military Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) NSN 2320-01-540-1993. The M1165 is an Expanded Capacity Command and Control/General Purpose HMMWV. It is a four-man vehicle which can be used for a variety of missions, from command and control to armed patrol, and is available with an optional Weapons Mount and Turret.
