Type
Short-range, wire-guided, air-to-surface missile.

Development
The BGM-71 Tube-launched, Optically tracked and Wire-guided (TOW) missile system was developed in the mid-1960s for the US Army as a replacement for the 106 mm recoilless rifle and SS 11 missiles. Production started in late 1968 after successful demonstration firings from ground-mountings and a UH-1B helicopter. Since TOW entered service in 1970, there has been a series of product improvement programmes and the BGM-71 versions have the designations A/B/C/D/E and F. BGM-71A/B TOW missiles were fitted to the AH-1S Cobra helicopter in the mid-1970s and have been adapted to many other helicopters since. In 1980, a programme was started to develop TOW further. This resulted in BGM-71C Improved TOW (ITOW) which incorporated a modified warhead and a 127 mm probe on the nose to improve armour-penetration. ITOW became operational in 1981. This was followed by BGM-71D TOW 2 which has a longer probe, a larger warhead and motor and improved guidance electronics. TOW 2 entered service in 1983. The Israeli Army developed a laser beam-riding guided version of TOW, known as MAPATS, which was first revealed in 1984. A development contract for BGM-71E TOW 2A was awarded to Hughes (now Raytheon Defense Systems) in 1987. This is designed specifically to attack the top of armoured targets and defeat explosive reactive armour. TOW 2A entered operational service in 1987. A special version of TOW-2A, known as naval 2A, was designed for use by the US Marine Corps onboard ship where high levels of electromagnetic energy from radars could initiate an unintentional launch.

A Further Improved TOW (FITOW) system was announced in 1988. This was a UK MoD sponsored development programme and incorporated an active laser fuze, two downward firing self-forging warheads, and guidance changes to provide over-the-top attacks on heavily armoured tanks and vehicles. The prime contractor for FITOW was THORN EMI and FITOW entered service with the UK Army Air Corps in 1994. A Heli-TOW day/night tracking and control system has been developed by Electronics and Space Corporation (ESCO) to give improved flexibility of use of TOW missiles from helicopters in the hover or at high forward speeds.

A development contract for a fifth-generation missile BGM-71F TOW 2B was awarded in 1988. This improved 2B missile incorporates a dual-mode target sensor, and twin explosively formed penetrator warheads. US Army development and flight tests were completed in October 1990. This resulted in the limited production of TOW 2B being approved in December 1990 with first deliveries in 1992. In 1989, it was announced that a new TOW 2 night sight by Kollsman called the AN/UAS-12C night vision sight had entered production. In 1986, a contract was placed with Hughes to investigate a millimetric-wave datalink version of TOW 2, to replace wire guidance. A datalink system was successfully demonstrated in 1989 and this demonstration opened the door for development of a higher performance missile as TOW is limited in velocity and speed by its wires. However, it is reported that the US Army has no plans to produce a datalink TOW at this time.

In 1991, Texas Instruments (now Raytheon Defense Systems) demonstrated the ability of an imaging infra-red missile seeker to lock on before launch to tank targets at beyond TOW ranges. The seekers were developed under an Army Missile Command contract to design, build and test imaging infra-red sensors for application to the Advanced Missile System - Heavy (AMS-H) programme. AMS-H was a candidate for the next-generation missile upgrade of the TOW anti-tank weapon system. In 1996, a retrofit warhead upgrade was offered, with a new warhead developed for use against Bunkers, Light Armour And Masonry (BLAAM). However, in 1996, the US Army announced plans for a Follow On To TOW (FOTT) programme, with industry requested to submit proposals by 1998. The FOTT programme was cancelled in 1998. The US Army now plan a `fire and forget' technology insertion programme, to upgrade life expired missiles. This programme is expected to introduce an IR or imaging IR seeker, a new motor and a new warhead. A replacement for BGM-71 TOW and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles is expected to be developed separately, with a range of 12 km and an in-service date around 2007.

The ZT3 Swift missile developed in South Africa and a Romanian missile shown on a Puma helicopter in 1992 are both similar to TOW, but have no known connection with the US programme. Israel developed a missile similar to TOW, called MAPATS in the 1980s. An improved version has been developed by Rafael that is called NT-D Dandy with a fibre optic cable guidance system (see separate entry). TOW missiles have been cleared for carriage on AH-1 Cobra, MD 500 Defender, Agusta A 109, Agusta A 129, Westland Lynx, BO 105, Bell 206 and 406, Sikorsky ACH-76, Dauphin, Gazelle and Ecureuil helicopters.

Description
All versions of the TOW missile are stored, delivered and fitted to the helicopter launchers in a sealed container. The container has a length of 1.28 m and a diameter of 218 mm. They have four flip-out rectangular raked-tip wings at mid-body and four flip-out rectangular moving control fins at the rear. The BGM-71A/B missile has a rounded nose, is 1.17 m long, has a body diameter of 150 mm and a wing span of 0.45 m. The missile weighs 19 kg. BGM-71C ITOW has the same weight and dimensions as the BGM-71A/B except it is longer at 1.45 m because of a standoff nose probe. BGM-71D TOW 2 is 1.53 m long with a further extended probe, has a body diameter of 152 mm and, with a larger warhead of 5.72 kg HE, weighs 21.5 kg at launch. Guidance of all versions is by steering commands transmitted down two wires and controlled by the launch operator in the helicopter, using the SACLOS guidance method. In operation, the gunner aligns the cross-hairs in the sight unit on the designated target and presses the trigger. TOW is propelled from the launch tube by the momentary burn of the launch motor. Once it emerges, the four wings, indexed at 45º, spring open forwards and the four tail controls flip open rearwards. A few moments later, the flight motor fires through two lateral nozzles at mid-body. This accelerates the missile for 1.5 seconds before burning out and the missile then coasts to the target with a maximum speed of 280 m/s. The missile has a maximum range of 4 km and a minimum range of 500 m. The gunner need only keep the cross-hairs centred on the target by using a joystick to control the sight unit until missile impact. The TOW missile has two coded IR beacons mounted at the rear. An infra-red tracker on the launcher senses the missile beacon's radiation and detects any deviation in TOW's flight path in relation to the gunner's line of sight to the target. Computer-generated guidance commands that steer TOW along the line of sight are relayed to the missile through two fine steel wires that pay out from the missile. These commands drive the helium-pressure actuators working the four tail controls in pairs for pitch and yaw. Helicopters equipped with the TOW 2 Forward-Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) systems can fire TOW missiles at night or through smoke and haze. The BGM-71E TOW 2A has the same dimensions as TOW 2 but has an enhanced warhead for use against reactive armour. This warhead has a weight of 6.09 kg and the total missile weight is increased to 22.7 kg. This version has an improved K-41 solid-propellant motor, which accelerates the missile to 310 m/s. The maximum range is 4 km, and the BGM-71E missile takes 21 seconds to reach 3.75 km.

BGM-71F TOW 2B has the nose probe removed and looks very similar to the early TOW. This version is 1.17 m long and has a weight of 22.7 kg. The range is 4 km. The TOW 2B missile incorporates a dual-mode target sensor and tandem explosively formed penetrator warheads designed to explode downward onto the thinner top-armour of the target. The warhead has a weight of 6.14 kg. The sensor incorporates a Thorn-EMI laser altimeter which senses the tank profile to arm the warheads and a magnetic detector to activate them. With this particular TOW missile, the operator sights on the tank itself and the missile flight path is automatically biased upward to overfly the tank at a predetermined height.

The TOW 2, AN/UAS-12C night vision sight has been developed jointly by Kollsman and Israel Aircraft Industries subsidiary TPI, providing a laser range-finder and designator, a FLIR with x30 magnification and a telescope for day viewing with x13 magnification. A CCD television camera records imagery onto a video recorder. This system can be used with TOW 2 and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

FITOW is similar in appearance to TOW 2B and has a dual-mode target sensor and two downward-firing self-forging warheads. However, it is reported that, in addition to top attack, FITOW will also be used in the direct attack mode against softer targets.

Operational Status
BGM-71A TOW entered service as an air-to-surface missile in 1975 and BGM-71C ITOW in 1981. BGM-71D TOW 2 missiles and modification kits to upgrade basic TOW to TOW 2 standard have been in production since 1983. BGM-71E TOW 2A entered service in 1987 and production continues at around 3,000 per year for the US Army, US Marine Corps and exports. BGM-71F TOW 2B entered limited production in 1990 and entered service in 1993. Over 600,000 BGM-71 TOW missiles have been built and production is expected to continue until 2000.

Although a datalink system was successfully demonstrated in 1989, it is reported that the US Army has no plans to produce a longer-range TOW at this time. The UK's FITOW entered service on Lynx helicopters in 1994. In August 1990, TOW missiles were successfully test fired from a US Army AH-1F Cobra attack helicopter equipped with Cobra-NITE, or C-NITE, targeting system. During tests, nine ITOW and TOW 2 missiles were fired in daylight, during the night and through smoke and countermeasures. The US Army plans to upgrade around 5,000 TOW missiles from 2004, probably with a `fire and forget' IR seeker, new motors and new warheads. A replacement missile for both TOW and AGM-114 Hellfire is expected to be developed for an in-service date of 2007. It is reported that Pakistan has ordered C-NITE systems to upgrade its existing Cobra fleet. TOW missiles were used in Vietnam and have been used operationally in the Middle East by Israel and Iran as well as by the US in the 1991 Gulf War, when over 3,000 missiles were fired from ground vehicles and helicopters. Air-to-surface TOW versions are used by Belgium, Denmark, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UK and USA.

Specifications

Contractors
Raytheon Defense Systems

A rear view of a TOW BGM-71 missile, showing the sustainer motor nozzles between the mid-body wings and the boost motor nozzle, beacon illuminators and wire dispenser at the base of the missile (Duncan Lennox) (1997)

A model of the TOW 2B (BGM-71F) missile, showing the two apertures below the nose for the dual-mode target sensors (1993)

The TOW family of missiles: from left to right the BGM-71A, -71C, -71D and -71E, with the -71F in the foreground (1995)

A quadruple TOW launcher assembly on an AH-1 Cobra helicopter exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show in 1994 (Duncan Lennox) (1995)

BGM-71 (1997)