TOW Missile System

The tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missile is a crew-portable, vehicle-mounted, heavy anti armor weapon system consisting of a launcher and one of five versions of the TOW missile. It is designed to defeat armored vehicles and other targets such as field fortifications from ranges up to 3,750 meters. After firing the missile, the gunner must keep the crosshairs of the sight centered on the target to ensure a hit. The system will operate in all weather conditions in which the gunner can see a target throughout the missile flight by using either a day or night sight.

The TOW system is used on the high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV), the M151 jeep, the armored personnel carrier, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV), COBRA helicopters, the Improved Tow Vehicle (ITV), and the USMC light armored vehicle. Three of the five TOW missile versions—Basic TOW, Improved TOW, and TOW 2—are no longer being produced for U.S. forces. However, these versions are used by 43 allied countries, and Switzerland co-produces the missile system. In the late 1980s, Hughes Aircraft Company, prime contractor for the TOW weapon system, began producing the TOW 2A which gave the system the capability of defeating reactive armor. The TOW 2B provides additional capability against future armored threats.

In May 1972, U.S. soldiers used the TOW in combat during the Vietnam War. This was the very first time that American troops had ever fired an American-made missile under wartime conditions. The system has also seen action in various clashes between Israel and Syria as well as during the Iran/Iraq war. The TOW was one of the earliest missile systems to arrive in Southwest Asia and proved to be highly effective throughout Operation Desert Storm.