The BGM-71 TOW is an anti-tank missile. First produced in 1970, the TOW is one of the most
widely used anti-tank guided missiles.
Design and development
Initially developed by Hughes Aircraft between 1963 and 1968, the XBGM-71A was designed for
both ground and heli-borne applications. In 1997, Raytheon Co. purchased Hughes Electronics
from General Motors Corporation, so development and production of TOW systems now comes under
the Raytheon brand. The BGM-71 TOW wire-guided heavy anti-tank missile is produced by Raytheon
Systems Company. The weapon is used in anti-armor, anti-bunker, anti-fortification and anti-amphibious
landing roles. The TOW is in service with over 45 militaries and is integrated on over
15,000 ground, vehicle and helicopter platforms worldwide.
In its basic infantry form, the system comprises a missile in a sealed tube which is clipped
to a launch tube prior to use. When required, the missile tube is attached to the rear of
the launch tube, the target sighted and the missile fired. The launch motor fires through
lateral nozzles amidships and propels the missile from the tube, at which point four
wings indexed at 45 degrees just forward of the booster nozzles spring open forwards,
four tail control surfaces flip open rearwards, and sustained propulsion is subsequently provided
by the flight motor. An optical sensor on the sight continuously monitors the position
of a light source on the missile relative to the line-of-sight, and then corrects the
trajectory of the missile by generating electrical signals that are passed down two wires to
command the control surface actuators.
The TOW missile was continually upgraded, with an improved TOW missile appearing in
1978 that had a new warhead triggered by a long probe, which was extended after launch,
that gave a stand-off distance of 15 in for improved armor penetration. The 1983 TOW 2
featured a larger 5.9 kg warhead with a 21.25 in extensible probe, improved guidance and a
motor that provided around 30% more thrust. This was followed by the TOW 2A/B which appeared
in 1987. Hughes developed a TOW missile with a wireless
data link in 1989, referred to as TOW-2N, but this weapon was not adopted for use by
the U.S. military. [Raytheon] continued to develop improvements to the TOW line, but
its FOTT program was canceled in 1998, and its TOW-FF program was cut short on 30 November
2001 because of funding limitations. In 2001 and 2002, Raytheon and the U.S. Army worked
together on an extended range TOW 2B variant, initially referred to as TOW-2B, but now called
TOW-2B Aero which has a special nose cap that increases range to 4500 meters. Although this
missile has been in production since 2004, no U.S. Army designation has yet been assigned.
Also, a wireless version of the TOW-2B Aero was developed that uses stealth one way radio
link, called TOW-2B Aero RF. The TOW missile in its current variations
is not a fire-and-forget weapon, and like most second generation wire-guided missiles
has Semi-Automatic Command Line of Sight guidance. This means that the guidance system is directly
linked to the platform, and requires that the target be kept in the shooter's line of
sight until the missile impacts. This has been the major impetus to develop either a
fire-and-forget version of the system or to develop a successor with this ability.
In October 2012, Raytheon received a contract to produce 6,676 TOW missiles for the U.S.
military. Missiles that will be produced include the BGM-71E TOW 2A, the BGM-71F TOW 2B, the
TOW 2B Aero, and the BGM-71H TOW Bunker Buster. By 2013, the U.S. Marine Corps had retired
the air-launched TOW missile. Launch platforms
The TOW is designated as a BGM by the U.S. military: a multiple launch environment surface
attack guided missile. The B launch environment prefix is used only when the system can be
used essentially unmodified when launched from a variety of launch platforms.
The M151 and M220 launchers are used by infantry, but can also be mounted on a number of vehicles,
including the M151 jeep, the M113 APC, the M966 HMMWV and the M1045 HMMWV. These launchers
are theoretically man-portable, but are quite bulky. The updated M151 launcher was upgraded
to include thermal optics to allow night time usage, and had been simplified to reduce weight.
The M220 was specifically developed to handle the TOW-2 series.
TOW systems have also been developed for vehicle specific applications on the M2/M3 Bradley
IFV/CFV, the LAV-AT, the M1134 Stryker ATGM carrier, and the now obsolete M901 ITV; they
are generally referred to as TOW Under Armor. In helicopter applications, the M65 system
used by the AH-1 series is the primary system deployed, but the XM26 system was developed
for the UH-1, and a system was put into development for the later canceled AH-56 helicopter. The
TOW has also been used with AH.1 and AH.7 variants of Westland Lynx helicopters, with
the attachment of 2 pylons, each carrying four missiles.
The M41 TOW improved target acquisition system is a block upgrade to the M220 ground/high-mobility
multipurpose wheeled vehicle-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.
The ITAS, in addition to providing better anti-armor capabilities to antitank units,
also has capabilities that make it an integral part of the combined arms team. Even when
organized in heavy—light task forces, where the preponderance of antiarmor capabilities
traditionally has resided in the heavy elements, TOW ITAS-equipped antitank units can not only
destroy threat targets but also provide superior reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition,
rear area protection, and urban operations capabilities.
The TOW ITAS consists of three new line replaceable units: the target acquisition subsystem, the
fire control subsystem, and the lithium battery box; a modified TOW 2 traversing unit; the
existing TOW launch tube and tripod; and a TOW Humvee modification kit. The TAS integrates
into a single housing the direct view optics, a second-generation forward looking infrared
night vision sight, missile trackers, and a laser range finder. TAS electronics provide
automatic boresighting for these components, eliminating both tactical collimation and
180-day verification requirements. Service history
In 1968, a contract for full scale production was awarded to Hughes, and by 1970 the system
was being fielded by the U.S. Army. When adopted, the BGM-71 series replaced the M40 106mm recoilless
rifle and the MGM-32 ENTAC missile system then in service. The missile also replaced
the AGM-22B then in service as a heli-borne anti-tank weapon.
Vietnam: first combat use of TOW anti-armor missile
On 24 April 1972, the U.S. 1st Combat Aerial TOW Team arrived in South Vietnam; the team's
mission was to test the new anti-armor missile under combat conditions. The team consisted
of three crews, technical representatives from Bell Helicopter and Hughes Aircraft,
members of the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command, and two UH-1B helicopters;
each mounting the XM26 TOW weapons system, which had been taken from storage. After displacing
to the Central Highlands for aerial gunnery, the unit commenced daily searches for enemy
armor. On 2 May 1972, U.S. Army UH-1 Huey helicopters firing TOWs destroyed North Vietnamese
tanks near An Loc. This was heralded as the first time a U.S. unit neutralized enemy armor
using American-designed and built guided missiles(in this case against an American-made M-41).
On 9 May, elements of the North Vietnamese Army's 203rd Armored Regiment assaulted a
camp at Ben Het held by Army of the Republic of Vietnam Rangers . The Rangers destroyed
the first three PT-76 amphibious light tanks of the 203rd, thereby breaking up the attack.
During the battle for the city of Kontum, the TOW missile had proven to be a significant
weapon in disrupting enemy tank attacks within the region. By the end of May, BGM-71 TOW
missiles had accumulated 24 confirmed kills of both PT-76 light and T-54 main battle tanks.
On 19 August, the South Vietnamese 5th Infantry Regiment abandoned Base Camp Ross in the Que
Son Valley, 30 miles southwest of Da Nang, to the North Vietnamese 711th Division. A
dozen TOW missiles were left with abandoned equipment and fell into Communist hands.
1982 Lebanon War The Israel Defense Forces used TOW missiles
during the 1982 Lebanon War. On 11 July Israeli anti-tank teams armed with the TOW ambushed
Syrian armored forces and destroyed 11 Syrian Soviet-made T-72 tanks. This was probably
the first encounter of the American anti-tank missile with the newer Soviet tank.
1985 Iran-Iraq War In the Iran–Iraq War, the Islamic Republic
of Iran Army used TOW Missiles purchased before the Iranian Revolution, as well as those purchased
during the Iran–Contra affair. 1991 Gulf War
In the first Gulf War both the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the M3 Bradley
Cavalry Fighting Vehicle carried TOW missiles. The M2 IFV can also carry an additional 7
rounds while the M3 can carry an additional 12 rounds. Both M2 and M3 Bradley Fighting
Vehicles actually scored higher tank kills against Iraqi armor during the war than the
M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank 1993 Somalia
On 12 July, three months prior to the Battle of Mogadishu, the United Nations and United
States decided to put pressure on Mohamed Farrah Aidid by attacking a meeting of his
native Habr Gidr clan under Operation Michigan. The Washington Post described the event as
a "slaughter" in which a "half-dozen" AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters pumped 16 TOW missiles
and 2,000 rounds from their 20mm cannons into the meeting of the Elders, intellectuals,
poets and religious leaders. The first TOW missile took out the stairs, preventing escape.
In the aftermath, it was revealed that Aidid wasn't in the meeting. Admiral Jonathan T.
Howe claimed that only 20 people had been killed, as against the Red Cross, which said
54 had died, and Aidid’s SNA, which produced a list of 73 people who they claimed had been
killed. Other service
The TOW was used effectively during multiple engagements during Operation Desert Storm.
Several TOW missiles were used by U.S. forces in Iraq in the 22 July 2003 assault that killed
Uday and Qusay Hussein. The TOW has been spotted in April 2014 in
at least two videos that surfaced showing rebels in the Syrian conflict using BGM-71
TOW wire-guided anti-tank missiles, a weapon previously not seen in use by the opposition.
Such a video, showing a TOW BGM-71E-3B with serial number removed, can be seen in this
episode of the PBS series Frontline, at 8:07. Variants
Raytheon has taken over for Hughes in recent years, and now handles production of all current
variants, as well as TOW development. Original armor penetration estimates were
600 mm for BGM-71A/B and 700–800 mm for BGM-71C. However, according to a now declassified
CIA study, the true penetration values against a vertical target are much lower—just 430 mm
for basic TOW and 630 mm for Improved TOW. Time to target at maximum range is 20 seconds
therefore giving an average speed of 187.5 m/s. International variants
Iran has reverse engineered and currently manufactures duplicate TOW missiles. These
carry the Iranian designation of Toophan Operators
Gallery
See also MAPATS
Swingfire Euromissile HOT
AT-5 Spandrel AT-4 Spigot
AT-14 Kornet Shershen
M47 Dragon M72 LAW
AT4 HJ-8
Joint Air to Ground Missile History of UAVs decoys
List of U.S. Army Rocket Launchers By Model Number
Notes
References
Sources The TOW Family
TOW Improved Target Acquisition System The TOW Anti-Tank Missile in Vietnam
Dunstan, Simon. Vietnam Tracks-Armor in Battle. Osprey Publications. ISBN 0-89141-171-2.
Gunston, Bill. An Illustrated Guide to Modern Airborne Missiles. London: Salamander Books
Ltd.. ISBN 0-86101-160-0. Starry, Donn A. General. Mounted Combat in
Vietnam. Vietnam Studies; Department of the Army. First printed 1978-CMH Pub 90-17.
External links TOW project history at Redstone Arsenal
www.fas.org More information at Designation Systems.net
The Early TOW Missile Story & Photos Tank vs Missile – 1974 article
Iranian Copies of the TOW and DRAGON Information relating to Raytheon produced
BGM-71 TOW Missile Discovery Channel program on "Modern Missiles"
with best video information on TOW today. TOW part starts at two minutes
Raytheon TOW 2A PDF Raytheon TOW 2B/2B Aero PDF
TOW Weapon System