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BGM-71 TOW: Difference between revisions
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The '''BGM-71 TOW''' is a SACLOS (semi-active command line of sight) missile, and the US military's principle ground-based heavy antitank weapon. It was first produced by Hughes Aircraft in 1970 to replace the US' inventory of increasingly obsolete French-designed MGM-21A and MGM-32A MCLOS missiles, and is currently manufactured by Raytheon. | The '''BGM-71 TOW''' is a SACLOS (semi-active command line of sight) missile, and the US military's principle ground-based heavy antitank weapon. It was first produced by Hughes Aircraft in 1970 to replace the US' inventory of increasingly obsolete French-designed MGM-21A and MGM-32A MCLOS missiles, and is currently manufactured by Raytheon. | ||
The ground version is an extremely large and heavy crew-served weapon, weighing about 200 pounds fully assembled, and incorporates a series of components, breaking down into a sighting unit, launch tube into which encased missiles are inserted, a traversing unit, a tripod for ground use, and separate fire control system and battery modules which are linked to the launcher via cables. The missiles are typically wire-guided, though an RF-guided wireless TOW does exist. | The ground version is an extremely large and heavy crew-served weapon, weighing about 200 pounds fully assembled, and incorporates a series of components, breaking down into a sighting unit, launch tube into which encased missiles are inserted, a traversing unit, a tripod for ground use, and separate fire control system and battery modules which are linked to the launcher via cables. The missiles are typically wire-guided, though an RF-guided wireless TOW does exist. Since the missile uses a thermal battery and requires time for its internal gyroscope to spin up, there is a 1.5 second delay between pulling the trigger and the missile actually launching, a behavior that is very seldom replicated in media. | ||
The original production TOW used an M151 launcher, which was later upgraded to the M220 launcher for the TOW-2 in the 80s. Later M151 models and the M220 used a dual sighting system with a mandatory daysight tracker and optional night sight which clamped onto the top, the AN/TAS-4, which was later updated to the AN/TAS-4A. The new ITAS (improved target acquisition system, referred to as SABER by the US Marine Corps) version, designed in the late 90s, has a redesigned launcher unit, the M41, which features a single combined sighting unit with a combined eyepiece (older TOWs having a separate eyepiece for the night sight) with a built-in laser rangefinder and automatic boresighting, along with improved controls (replacing the scattered controls and traversing knobs with controls mounted on a pair of grips) a longer-lasting lithium battery pack, and the option to mount a GPS-based PADS (position attitude determination subsystem) unit on top of the sighting unit for receiving precise coordinate data and using the TOW launcher as a designator for other weapons. | The original production TOW used an M151 launcher, which was later upgraded to the M220 launcher for the TOW-2 in the 80s. Later M151 models and the M220 used a dual sighting system with a mandatory daysight tracker and optional night sight which clamped onto the top, the AN/TAS-4, which was later updated to the AN/TAS-4A. The new ITAS (improved target acquisition system, referred to as SABER by the US Marine Corps) version, designed in the late 90s, has a redesigned launcher unit, the M41, which features a single combined sighting unit with a combined eyepiece (older TOWs having a separate eyepiece for the night sight) with a built-in laser rangefinder and automatic boresighting, along with improved controls (replacing the scattered controls and traversing knobs with controls mounted on a pair of grips) a longer-lasting lithium battery pack, and the option to mount a GPS-based PADS (position attitude determination subsystem) unit on top of the sighting unit for receiving precise coordinate data and using the TOW launcher as a designator for other weapons. | ||
Revision as of 21:51, 11 August 2017
The BGM-71 TOW is a SACLOS (semi-active command line of sight) missile, and the US military's principle ground-based heavy antitank weapon. It was first produced by Hughes Aircraft in 1970 to replace the US' inventory of increasingly obsolete French-designed MGM-21A and MGM-32A MCLOS missiles, and is currently manufactured by Raytheon.
The ground version is an extremely large and heavy crew-served weapon, weighing about 200 pounds fully assembled, and incorporates a series of components, breaking down into a sighting unit, launch tube into which encased missiles are inserted, a traversing unit, a tripod for ground use, and separate fire control system and battery modules which are linked to the launcher via cables. The missiles are typically wire-guided, though an RF-guided wireless TOW does exist. Since the missile uses a thermal battery and requires time for its internal gyroscope to spin up, there is a 1.5 second delay between pulling the trigger and the missile actually launching, a behavior that is very seldom replicated in media.
The original production TOW used an M151 launcher, which was later upgraded to the M220 launcher for the TOW-2 in the 80s. Later M151 models and the M220 used a dual sighting system with a mandatory daysight tracker and optional night sight which clamped onto the top, the AN/TAS-4, which was later updated to the AN/TAS-4A. The new ITAS (improved target acquisition system, referred to as SABER by the US Marine Corps) version, designed in the late 90s, has a redesigned launcher unit, the M41, which features a single combined sighting unit with a combined eyepiece (older TOWs having a separate eyepiece for the night sight) with a built-in laser rangefinder and automatic boresighting, along with improved controls (replacing the scattered controls and traversing knobs with controls mounted on a pair of grips) a longer-lasting lithium battery pack, and the option to mount a GPS-based PADS (position attitude determination subsystem) unit on top of the sighting unit for receiving precise coordinate data and using the TOW launcher as a designator for other weapons.
The BGM-71 TOW and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Eagle | Enemy soldiers | Mounted on AH-1F Cobra helicopters | 1986 | |
| Fire Birds | U.S. Army soldiers | Mounted on AH-1S Cobra helicopters and M2 Bradley | 1990 | |
| Hulk | U.S. Army soldier | Mounted on Humvee | 2003 | |
| War of the Worlds | U.S. Army Soldiers | Mounted on Humvees | 2005 | |
| War of the Worlds | U.S. Marines | Mounted on Humvees | 2005 | |
| Superman Returns | Henchman | Mounted on ship, modified to fire kryptonite missile | 2006 | |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | U.S. Army soldiers | Mounted on M2 Bradley | 2009 | |
| The Pentagon Wars | U.S. Army soldiers | Tripod-mounted on truck and M2 Bradley | 1998 | |
| Battle: Los Angeles | U.S. Marines | Mounted on AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters | 2011 | |
| Man of Steel | U.S. Army soldiers | Mounted on M2 Bradleys | 2013 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sentinel | Sunrise Patriots terrorists | Tripod-mounted, "Siege" (S01E02) | 1996 | |
| Over There | Mounted on M2 Bradley, "Embedded" | 2005 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half-Life | Mounted on M2 Bradley, non-playable | 1998 | ||
| Conflict: Desert Storm | 2002 | |||
| Battlefield 2 | Tripod and vehicle-mounted | 2005 | ||
| Project Reality | With thermal imaging | Tripod and vehicle-mounted | 2005 | |
| Steel Beasts | With thermal imaging | Mounted on various military vehicles | 2000 | |
| ArmA II | Tripod and vehicle-mounted | 2009 | ||
| America's Army | Tripod mounted, non-playable | 2002 | ||
| Battlefield: Vietnam | Mounted on M151 MUTT | 2004 | ||
| Joint Task Force | Mounted on Humvee | 2006 | ||
| World in Conflict | Mounted on M2 Bradley | 2007 | ||
| ArmA: Armed Assault | 2007 | |||
| Battlefield 3 | Tripod mounted | 2011 | ||
| Battlefield Play4Free | Tripod and vehicle-mounted | 2011 | ||
| Battlefield 4 | Tripod mounted | 2013 | ||
| Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance | Mounted on World Marshal Gekko unmanned vehicles | 2013 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digimon Tamers | JGSDF soldiers | Mounted on AH-1 Cobra helicopters | 2001 - 2002 |
| Black Lagoon | Neo-Nazis | Tripod-mounted | 2006 |