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The M41 TOW improved target acquisition system (ITAS) is a block upgrade to the M220 ground/high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV)-mounted TOW 2 missile system. The TOW ITAS is currently being fielded to airborne, air assault, and light infantry forces throughout the active and reserve components of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps (where it is called the SABER).
- 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 TOW weapon system is currently deployed on more than 4,000 launch platforms – including the U.S. Army Stryker, Bradley Fighting Vehicle System and High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. The TOW weapon system will be in service with the U.S. military beyond 2050. Raytheon systems like the TOW® missile enable ground forces to achieve ...
TOW-2A is a further upgrade of TOW-2. Unlike the TOW-2 PTUR missile TOW-2A is equipped with a new tandem design BC developed by the Armament Research Center together with the TOW PTUR design bureau. Hughes Aircraft has merged the TOW-2 missile and the new BC, and developed a new algorithm for calculating the missile's flight path.
The TOW 2B Aero is an extended range version of the TOW 2B missile with an aerodynamic nose and has an effective range of 4,500 meters. (See figure G-10.) This longer range (compared to the 3750 meter range of the previous TOW missiles) allows a TOW crew to fire well beyond the weapons range of its targeted vehicle.
The TOW provides devastating effectiveness against the most modern and heavily protected armored vehicles and fortifications. L3Harris manufactures the warheads for two variants of the missile. TOW 2A is equipped with a tandem warhead. A small disrupter charge detonates the reactive armor and allows the main shaped charge to penetrate the main ...
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What is the difference between a tow and a TOW 2 missile?
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Upgrade of the “simple” TOW-2B which uses a longer control cable and aerodynamically improved design to achieve a longer range (4.5km instead of 3.8km). TOW-2B Radio Frequency (RF) A version of the TOW-2B that uses a wireless data link to guide the missile maintains the same range of 4.5 kilometers. TOW Bunker Buster (BB)
