XBradTC

The TOW missile system has been around for almost 50 years, and yet the US Army has no plans to replace it as the primary ground based anti-tank missile for the force. That doesn’t mean they haven’t continually improved it. 

While most literature on the TOW talk about the various upgrades to the missile itself, the first really big upgrade to the TOW was the early 1980s introduction of the TOW 2 guidance set. That set featured greatly improved reliability, and a dual channel guidance mode, with both a flare and a xenon beacon being used for missile tracking.

Currently, the Army is fielding the M41A7 Improved Target Acquisition System for its TOW launchers. ITAS was originally simply supposed to be a third generation Infrared viewer to improve the range the gunner could acquire targets, particularly at night or in reduced visibility.

Along the way, a couple of interesting things happened that made the ITAS much more than a simple weapon sight. First, a laser rangefinder was added (shooting at targets too far out was a common problem at longer engagement ranges). Next, the ITAS gained the ability to plug into a remote display for the squad leader. That gave the squad leader better ability  to control engagements and ensure priority targets were engaged. Finally, the ITAS was integrated with a GPS based position and locating system. If the TOW vehicle knows where it is, and it knows the range and azimuth to a particular target, well, it’s an easy calculation to determine the location of that target, usually referenced via the Military  Grid Reference System. While the coordinates aren’t as accurate as those derived from dedicated systems such as those used by Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (the ITAS apparently doesn’t determine own or target elevation), it’s still a very useful tool for building situational awareness and plotting enemy positions. Indeed, units are increasingly using the ITAS equipped TOW system to augment their organic reconnaissance and surveillance capability.

All that, and it makes first round hits even easier with the TOW.