TOW Missile

TOW Missile. . , The TOW missile is the main heavy anti-tank guided missile of the US Army and US Marine Corps. Spools of wire are unraveled from its tail, giving the missile its name. TOW is an acronym for "tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided missile.", It can be fired from tube launchers installed on vehicles, helicopters, or on a tripod on the ground. It is loaded into the launcher from behind, using the missile container as a launch tube extension. Using the launcher's telescopic sight, the operator identifies a target and fires the missile. A rocket motor ejects the missile from the tube, stabilization and control fins flip out and the solid-fuel main booster accelerates the missile. The guidance wire spins out from the tail. After firing the missile, the gunner simply keeps the sight pointing on the target and the guidance system automatically transmits corrective commands to the system through the wire., In 1961, the US Army initiated studies for a replacement for the French SS-10 and SS-11 anti-tank missiles then in US Army service. From 1963 to 1968, TOW was developed in parallel for both ground-and air-launched applications. Production began in 1968 and it was fielded in 1970 by operational US Army ground troops, replacing the French SS-10 and SS-11 and the M140 106mm recoilless rifle., Considerable improvements have been made to the missile since 1970. The missile here is the original or Basic TOW. This was replaced in 1976 by up-graded versions of TOW., US soldiers used the TOW in combat during the Vietnam War, the first time American troops had ever fired an American-made missile under wartime conditions. TOW was used in Operation Desert Storm. It is still in service in the US and 36 other countries., Testing of TOW began at White Sands Missile Range in 1967. Between 1967 and 1977, 161 were tested here., Length: 48 inches (1.17 m) , Diameter: 6 inches (15.2 cm) , Weight: 42 pounds (19 kg) , Range: 10,000 feet (3000 m) , Propellant: Solid , First Firing: 1967