The BGM-71 TOW entered service with the United States Army in 1970 and quickly spread through the world. Now it is one of the most widely used anti-tank guided missiles in the world. In fact, the BGM-71 TOW was used in most armed conflicts since 1970. And the war in Ukraine is no exception – the defenders of Ukraine are using these anti-tank missiles to crack the armoured equipment of the invading Russian forces.
BGM-71 TOW is commonly mounted on Humvees or other vehicles. The TOW and Humvee combo is used in Ukraine too. Image credit: Wikimedia
The BGM-71 TOW is a 152 mm calibre anti-tank missile, introduced in 1970. The most basic variant of the TOW has a range of around 3 kilometres, but most variants can reach targets 3.75 km away. There are many different versions of the BGM-71 TOW.
Even though its name stands for “Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided”, some versions have wireless radio guidance systems, which plug into the same launcher. The wire-guidance system, obviously, requires long wires, but is quite reliable.
Of course, the operator has to keep the sight’s crosshair centered over the target until impact, which is not ideal compared to the modern shoot-and-forget approach.
The BGM-71 TOW has been around for so long now and there are many versions of this weapon now. The weight of the warhead varies from 3.9 to 6.14 kg. There are even bunker-busters there.
All of the TOW launchers are actually mounted on vehicles, such as Humvees, M2 Bradleys and many different helicopters. Of course, it can be carried around by a small crew, although it is definitely heavy, and can be launched from a tripod. Sort of like the Ukrainian Stuhna.
Speaking of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are one of many operators of the BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile system. The first TOW systems reached Ukraine in Autumn 2022. In August 2022 The Department of Defense revealed that 1,500 TOW missiles will be sent to Ukraine. Presumably, these were older types.
Soon enough videos emerged of the defenders of Ukraine using them to destroy the Russian tanks. Despite the TOW being an old weapon, Russian armour doesn’t seem to be able to withstand the hits of these missiles.
Here’s a recent video from one frontline sector in Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers destroyed a Russian tank using an American BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile. The tank commander and another crew member were killed instantly while the driver managed to jump out of the flaming tank. This gruesome video is just a glimpse to the reality that is war in Ukraine:
The BGM-71 TOW is definitely not the latest word in technology. NLAW, Javelin and a bunch of other anti-tank weapons work better. But the TOW is still good enough to defeat most of the Russian tanks out there. And it has a pretty good range.
Written by Povilas M.
Sources: Wikipedia, Censor.net