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Country: USA
Type: ATGM
Introduction: 1970 |
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The BGM-71 TOW is a U.S. anti-tank guided missile. TOW stands for Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided. The TOW was first produced in 1970 and is the most widely used anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) in the world. The TOW missile has been continually upgraded, with an improved TOW missile appearing in 1978, TOW 2 in 1983, and TOW 2A/B in 1987. Even as recently as 2001, TOW improvement has continued. Current production TOWs can penetrate all currently known tank armor.
Initially developed by Hughes Aircraft between 1963 and 1968, the XBGM-71A was designed for both ground and heli-borne applications. By 1970 the system was being fielded by the US Army. In 1972 TOW missiles was deployed operationally in South Vietnam in response to the North Vietnamese Army Easter Offensive, as part of the XM26 Armament Subsystem for the UH-1B helicopter. Several TOW missiles were used by US forces in Iraq in the July 22, 2003 assault that killed Uday Hussein and Qusay Hussein.
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| General Information |
| Developed by |
USA |
| Deployed by |
Bahrain, Botswana, Canada, Chad, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Vietnam, Yemen |
| Development Year |
1965 |
| Deployment Year |
1970 |
| Platform |
the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the improved TOW vehicle, the Humvee and the AH-1F Cobra helicopter, and a dismounted ground mode. |
| Launcher |
sealed launch tube |
| Contractor |
Raytheon Corps., Hughes Missile Systems(prime contractor), Boeing Corp.,McDonnell Douglas Missile Systems Co.(second source) |
| Manufacturer |
620,000 (all version, as of 1998) |
| Dimensions and Performance |
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Length |
1.174m(2A), 1.168m(2B) |
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Body Diameter |
15.24cm |
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Wing/Fin span |
35cm |
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Launch Weight |
21.5kg |
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Range |
65-3,750m(2A), 200-3,750m(2B) |
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Speed |
360m/sec |
| Components |
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Propulsion |
solid rocket motor |
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Engine |
2-stage M114 booster-sustainer rocket engine |
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Warhead |
15.4cm shaped charge |
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Guidance |
wire-guided with SACLOS
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