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BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile

Strengthening the anti-tank defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is one of the main tasks of the allies, who correctly count on the fact that the systematic destruction of tanks and armored vehicles of the Russian army will naturally lead to the impossibility of the Russians to carry out active combat operations.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces would soon be armed with 1500 US-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile systems. These weapons will help Ukrainian soldiers to destroy Russian armored vehicles. Anti-tank systems are included in a new package of US military support worth up to $775 million, the Pentagon stated on 19 August 2022. Although it was not clear what modification will be provided, it is clear that these will be the latest TOW-2 variants capable of destroying modern Russian tanks.

The transition to obtaining such complexes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine may mean raising the anti-tank defense of the Armed Forces to a qualitatively new level. The fact is that in the presence of lighter complexes, it is possible to use TOW as an anti-tank weapon of mobile platforms and (perhaps) on helicopters.

The BGM-71 TOW heavy anti-tank missile system is one of the main ATGMs in the US Army. Missiles are not homing - they must be accompanied by an operator and they require an open area for guidance. The guidance of the anti-tank missile is semi-automatic; control is carried out by the operator through wire communication. The missile is more reliable than Javelin anti-tank systems, more convenient to operate and does not depend on the state of the battery, can be aimed exactly at the object where the operator is leading, is not sensitive to thermal interference, has a long launch range - 3700 meters.

It is difficult to call the TOW anti-tank missile complex a new weapon, because in its first version it was adopted by the US Army back in 1970. After that, it was modernized many times and while the US Army continues to use it, it plans to replace it only somewhere in the 2030s. It is one of the most common second generation anti-tank missile systems in the world and is in service in more than 40 countries. The system, in its first version, was adopted by the US Army in 1970. After that, it was repeatedly modernized and the American army continues to use it. The preprocessed guided missile TOW-2A has a tandem warhead that is optimized to defeat the reactive armor of main battle tanks.

TOW is an abbreviation of three phrases - Tube -launched Optically -tracked W ire-guided, i.e. "Launch from a pipe, optical control, wire guidance". For semi-automatic missile guidance, a command is used, carried out by the operator. For decades, the transmission of control commands to the rocket took place over wires. Despite some anachronism of such a guidance system, it still remains the most tamper-proof. But in 2012, the TOW manufacturer, Raytheon, received an order for 6,600 missiles in the TOW-2A and TOW-2B versions with a radio command control system.

The TOW-2B is equipped with a rather interesting system with detonation of the warhead of a directed action on armored vehicles. For this, laser and magnetic sensors are used, which are responsible for flying at a given height and activating the warhead directly above the armored vehicle.

The total weight of the entire TOW complex is 93 kg. To clarify, the Ukrainian ATGM "Stugna-P" , together with the missile, weighs 68 kg. At the same time, its range, relative to Ukrainian designs, is more moderate - 3.75 km versus 5 km. But the TOW missile is faster, up to 320 m/s, versus 220 m/s. In comparison with "Stugna-P", the TOW operator must be at the launcher all the time, in contrast to the Ukrainian ATGM, which has a remote control.

A month and a half after the publication of a video of the Humvee armored car with the BGM-71 TOW during the exercises, in November 2022 the first video appeared, showing how the Armed Forces of Ukraine use a vehicle with an anti-tank missile system at the front. The United States handed over its ATGMs to Ukraine a few months ago. The BGM-71 TOWs, along with MRAPs, Javelin missiles and additional ammunition for the M142 HIMARS, were part of a $775 million military aid package announced in August 2022.

The record-breaking $3 billion US aid package, announced on 06 January 2023, included 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles with 500 TOW anti-tank missiles that can be mounted on them.