Matsimus, I was a TOW gunner in the USMC back in the 80's-90's. Thank you so much for this video! Yes, we called ourselves "gunners" even though it is a missile system, the actual MOS name was too wordy. We more commonly called ourselves TOW Cridders though. As for the wires, they were not that much of a problem, comm wire was worse, strung all over the damn place in 29 Palms, it would take your head off when we drove around in M151 Jeeps. pita. I loved that missile system, cantankerous though it may have been, always needing to be bore-sighted and collimated properly before a shoot. Would not want to waste a missile that costs as much as a sports car blowing up a bush or boulder. If you were lucky enough to shoot off a missile you got to keep the handling ring as a trophy and the rubber O-ring underneath, we would wear the O-ring around our helmet as a badge of honor. I have 2 ¬_¬ Cheers Mate!
The 24-second life span of the BGM-71 TOW missile begins 1.54 seconds before the ignition as the trigger is pulled. At this point, several things happen. (1) Three batteries are activated that provide power to the electronics, the Xenon or thermal beacon and the actuator subsystem. (2) The attitude control gyro spins up to 42,000 rpm. (3) Electronic signals are balanced between the Missile Command Amplifier and the missile. Finally, the engine ignites! The tube clearance engine, located in the back of the TOW produces 15,000 lbs. of thrust for 0.35 to 0.5 seconds and burns out before it leaves the tube. At the moment the front wings finish unfolding as they spring out after leaving the tube they close an electric circuit that causes the "flight" motor to ignite. This motor has two exhaust nozzles, one on each side of the rocket about halfway up the body in order to avoid the center of gravity (Cg) changing during flight. The flight motor ignites about seven meters from the launcher. Then, when the missile has reached between 35-70 meters from the launcher, the warhead is armed by acceleration G forces from the "flight" motor. Upon capture, the TOW missile becomes a closed-loop system. The Xenon beacon and thermal beacon ( TOW 2, TOW2A ) are installed in the rear of the missiles and are detected by the Xenon detector or thermal tracker in the TSU. Two-wire dispensers are mounted on the rear of the missile at 90 and 270-degree positions. These dispensers contain 3,750 meters of single strand wire. Control surface flippers respond to signals from this wire command link. Helium powers the control actuators. The attitude gyro, which limits yaw and roll, is driven by nitrogen. The rest of the flight profile: T + 1.35 sec.(~230 meters) - The IR sensors in the TSU switches from the wide field of view (FOV) (+ 6 degrees) to medium FOV (+ 1.5 degrees). T + 1.6sec.(~350 meters) - The flight motor burns out. Missile velocity is approximately 1,080 ft / sec. (639 knots or 735 mph). T + 1.85 sec. - Automatic wire-cut occurs if no IR source. T + 2.0 sec.(500 meters) - Minimum effective range. T + 2.34 sec.(~520 meters) - TSU IR sensors medium FOV (+1.5 degrees) end; narrow FOV (+0.25 degrees) begins. Narrow FOV IR sensor is contained in 13 power lens. T + 3.9 sec.(1,000 meters) - Missile velocity is approximately 840 ft / sec (497 kts or 571.4 mph. T + 4.325 sec. - Control surfaces (flippers move at 12.5 cps instead of 25 cps to conserve helium gas in the high-pressure bottle. T + 8.6 sec.(2000 meters) - Missile velocity is approximately 620 ft / second (367 kts or 422 mph). T + 14.8 sec.(3000 meters) - Missile velocity is approximately 450 ft / second (266 kts or 306 mph). T + 20.5 sec.(3750 Meters) - Missile velocity is approximately 375 ft/second (222 kts or 255 mph). The missile is at the maximum range of the wire. T + 23.04 sec. - An automatic wire-cut occurs if no wire-cut signal has been previously received. T + 23.12 sec. - Trigger reset for the next missile.
as a DCS flight sim player (where it takes 15 mins JUST to align the nav.... AKA before you can taxi or takeoff) this is the type of detailed, nerd heavy stuff i love, thanks man
@Ron Mclaughlin Had one do a moon shot on a live fire exercise in the late 1980s It went out maybe 1,000 meters or so and it simply went vertical and disappeared into the cloud deck never to be seen again. Any idea what would have caused that?
Drunkass Redneck Productions I have seen that happen a couple of times, it occurs when the wire breaks or you have a guidance fin failure. The Immediate action drill is point the sight down as fast as possible to attempt to get a signal a down signal to the missile in case you still have a connection
I participated in TOW tests in the early 70's at YPG, supporting the moving targets Huey's were shooting at. We called it "Thing Operated by Wire". We didn't recover the wire on that range and one morning, as the sun set at the head of that range, it glinted off all that copper, looking like some giant spider had strung some liner web in the valley. No one had a camera and that was days before cellphones.
I just hate that china got the TOW2 first. As a real life TOW Gunner I also wonder why they're not as realistic. As a side note I want to know how Shtora messes witha TOW when its wire guided and the Shtora is mostly for radio guided munitions, and yes I'm already salty about the T-90A lol
@@quarkedbutt8711 I found this on the german wikipedia about the TOW missile system: "The TOW works with the SACLOS steering system. The tracking device tracks the guided missile via a xenon infrared emitter attached to the stern. Guidance commands are calculated in the target tracking unit and transmitted to the guided missile via the wire connection." So since the tracking device tracks the missile via an infrared emitter, it can be diverted by Shtora-1.
@@dragonstormdipro1013 The AKM isn't in US service and as for the AR platform, there are so many variations it can hardly be put in a "don't fix it" list.
Neat! That 500m minimum range is interesting. I launched dumb rockets from SMAW, believe it had a 25 meter minimum range, warhead armed by spinning ogive
I got to fire one of these when I was in the US Army. I was in a heavy weapons company in a light infantry battalion, so we had TOWs mounted on humvees. I only fired one once in training, but it was loads of fun. The grainy, black/green image on the viewfinder and guiding the missile onto the decommissioned tank target made me feel like I was doing the trench run on the Death Star.
I was a 27E Tow/Dragon Missle Sys Repairmen early 80s. During my training the Night Site had recently been released for the TOW Package. My class (of 3) was one of the very first to train in the repair and calibration of the Nite Site. The TOW is a very impressive, compact and deadly anti-tank system.
I WAS A 27 ECHO IN 1987 TOFTOY HALL THEN SYSTEMS IT WAS A LONG BRAIN CHALLEGING SCHOOL I HAVE ONLY MET 2 27 ECHOES SINCE I GOT OUT IN 1990 BE ALL YOU CAN BE
As an American, I feel bad that our weapons are sold to our enemies. I thank you for your service,, glad you made it home. I’ve seen the TOW in practice, but never had the opportunity to see it in action. Anyhow, love your show and commentary. Stay healthy and keep up the good show!!👍
My friend was in the army (I´m navy), and he said the worst part of live firing TOW was retrieving the guidance wires. They are a hazard for wildlife and since every missile drops two wires for several kilometers, it´s quite a clean-up. Especially missile failures that goes off course.
@@kx7500 They are not connected to reels at the launcher that you can just reverse. They are designed to fire in a war situation and then leave. Besides, they tend to get snagged in branches and the like after they touch the ground, so there´s really only one way to retrieve them and that´s by hand.
@@schr75 I know they aren’t but I’m saying it should be a simple mechanism if you wanted to do so, even like a small pulley. And if you wanna leave it you can just detach it and go.
I was a Tow Critter in the late 90’s. Picking up the wire at the range after a shoot was a pain. My first TOW the flight motors didn’t kick on in time, thing hit the deck, flight motors kicked on, back it came, and blew up above the platoon about 50 feet up maybe. What a time to be alive.lol
Before someone tries calling bullshit. Talk to any Marine that was at Lejeune 1997-2000 at 2nd Tank BN, H&S Co, TOW or Scout Platoon. Or find the officer that filmed it, no idea who that was.
I can confirm that the TOW command wires are stupidly strong, with a higher tensile strength than one might expect from pure copper wire. Was an Army EOD tech back in the day. Picked up a wire in the tread of our Humvee while driving on a tank trail and it almost completely severed the CV joint on the drivers side front wheel. Would make awesome garrote wire.
0352 from 5th Marines 1990-94. The wire is actually a hazard, especially on training ranges. A Tow range can span 4km so may have another range crossing it or contained within the wire danger area. Policing of wire from expended missiles used to take us a lot of time if we were lucky enough to fire more than one or two missiles. We left it on the sand in Kuwait. Thank you for doing this video. I loved how you included the clip of the helicopter mounted TOW where the gunner followed a truck behind a hill with the missile. We employed Tow 2A and TOW2B during my tour. Armor identification was key in the early 1990s and is in the future battlefields.Anyone else remember studying flashcards for days?
This looks like a really cool weapon, I do wonder why there are weird jets shooting out of the side of the rocket thing. I guess I'll find out at the end of the video. Edit: The missile knows where it is at all times. It knows this because it knows where it isn't, by subtracting where it is, from where it isn't, or where it isn't, from where it is, whichever is greater, it obtains a difference, or deviation. The guidance sub-system uses deviations to generate corrective commands to drive the missile from a position where it is, to a position where it isn't, and arriving at a position where it wasn't, it now is. Consequently, the position where it is, is now the position that it wasn't, and it follows that the position where it was, is now the position that it isn't. In the event of the position that it is in is not the position that it wasn't, the system has required a variation. The variation being the difference between where the missile is, and where it wasn't. If variation is considered to be a significant factor, it too, may be corrected by the GEA. However, the missile must also know where it was. The missile guidance computance scenario works as follows: Because a variation has modified some of the information the missile has obtained, it is not sure just where it is, however it is sure where it isn't, within reason, and it knows where it was. It now subracts where it should be, from where it wasn't, or vice versa. By differentiating this from the algebraic sum og where it shouldn't be, and where it was. It is able to obtain a deviation, and a variation, which is called "air" RESOLVED Edit: Cool thing I noticed is the wire popping out then after a second or two of standing stiff just falls, I wonder why that happens. (You can't see the wire extending past a feet or two on camera, maybe something with the bitrate.)
@@driedink He explained that in the video. The missile uses a burning magnesium flare type device which the launcher needs to see for tracking purposes. By having the two rocket motors half way along the body, pointing out and rearwards, the tracking flare is unobscured. Using two angled motors either side of the missile also increases stability according to the information given in this overview.
I trained on the TOW in the early 1980's but I never got to fire one. Ours were mounted on Jeeps. As an 11B I carried an M47 Dragon and was the primary trainer for our battalion. I got to fire a live round once and it was quite an experience. I couldn't hear for days (even with ear protection). These weapons were a major improvement over the Bazooka that my father carried in WW 2. I could expect a first round hit/kill at 1000 meters whereas my dad said that he was lucky to hit a Panzer at 200 yards. I enjoy your videos. Thanks for sharing.
As a TOW/Dragon missile technician, I witnessed scores of both missiles launched. The evolution if this weapon system has been exciting to a Cold War warrior like me. As far as the command wire goes, Dragon wire was the most common and I had several spools of it.
9:22 I remember the first time I heard a DRAGON being fired at SOI. The loud launch and the subsequent pops as it changed direction. Pretty wild sounding but as I saw the gunner sitting there the whole flight time, I was glad to be 0311.
Yep. The M47 Dragon sucked balls. I was in the Army as an Airborne Infantryman and later in Mechanized Infantry. My MOS at that time was 11B1PC2. In Airborne I had to jump the right door of any aircraft so I don't small the missile and my rifle on the skin of the plane. It happens when the plane is bouncing up, down, and side to side and causes me to do a weak exit out of the plane. To prevent this I used my arms and right leg to heave myself out. My rucksack had the day and night sight along with batteries, coolant bottles, and the rest of my gear to hump when I landed. Still sucked to hump the Dragon. Airborne Infantry loved them so much that each platoon had 8 gunners, 2 per squad. This is what I got for flunking the math test during reception before Basic Training because they were looking for mortar guys. My Drill Sergeants punished me by making me a Dragon Gunner at Infantry School before I went to Airborne School. I got fucked.
Russian Tank Driver: That's a bird! Russian Tank Catcher: No, that's a drone! Russian Tank Commander: That's BGM-71 TOW, you idiots!!! That's chasing our tank!!! Мы мертвы!
@@cherrypoptart2001 Look, that's not the TOW equipment that the U.S. soldiers use. U.S. soldiers are up to date. It can hit the upper part and has a penetrating force of 800 to 1,000mm.
@@nahoy350 if u didnt observe correctly. It hit the T-90's turret. T-90's turret is rated 800mm against kinetic projectiles,over 900mm against HEAT projectiles and the ERA is strong enough to stop any tandem shaped projectiles. Also poor training didnt dictate the outcome of this because they were both poorly trained if they abondoned the tank and to shoot a tank in the front of the turret
@@cherrypoptart2001 I'm sorry. I think I misread the video. By the way, can the t-90, t 80, t14 tanks be able to steal the latest TOW or FGM-148 Javelin?
@Matsimus 4:56 You probably already know this by now, but it's "ah-plee-kay" armor. I love your videos, the amount of research you do is self-evident, and your presentation is on point.
I always find how impressive many of the american weapon systems (yes there are examples from other nations) are first deployed 50 years ago and are still in service. It shows how when you get it just right it can be effective for ages.
One of the advantages the TOW has over more technologically advanced systems is the ability to engage in any weather conditions, day or night. I spent 7 years as an 0352 (TOW anti-tank missile gunner) and that thing is mission capable when everything else is shut down, hence the "B" in BGM-TOW. Great system, VERY reliable, devastating hitting power.
Heres a nugget from a former TOW/ITAS gunner. They made us recover the wire from the ranges at Ft Bragg. We would fire one day, camp overnight on the range, wake up, eat chow, and start tracing our wires downrange.Targets ranged from 1500 to 3500 meters. Also if a TOW2A impacts a whitetail deer at a range of about 2 km. There is nothing left except paint.
Old TOW gunner 82d Airborne Division late 1980s (D Co. 4/325th if interested). They are man portable (sort of), but we mainly mounted them on vehicles. We used a slightly modified jeep when I first started and transitioned to hummers. Even though much larger, the hummers were better since the jeeps were dangerously top-heavy with the weapon system mounted. An improvement for TOW crews would have been if the rear hatch opened from the front instead of the rear for reloading. Back then, the thermal sight was separate and mounted on top of the optical sight and was not required for operation. In dismounted operations, it took an entire squad to operate. The traversing unit was insanely heavy and bulky and the guidance unit was almost as bad. I think that the primitive NiCd batteries for the guidance unit were designed as a secondary melee' weapon since they felt like they were filled with Uranium. Being an Airborne unit, we tried at least one airborne training operation with the system. It did not work out well at all. No injuries, but holy CRAP was it completely unwieldy and a completely stupid idea. Not only do you normally carry your ruck with all of your personal gear (110 pounds+), but the several pounds of parachute equipment. Add to that the burden of the heavy components (1 per man) to include their bulky nature. The traversing unit was a pure beast and try strapping the tripod on as well. All in all, the idea was destined to fail at best or get someone killed at worst. Just take a gander at the many videos of poor aircraft exits under normal training conditions to get a idea. One minor correction: Not the 117th but A troop 1st Squadron 17th Air Cav.
I was asking an AH-64 pilot about his favorite weapons (cannon and hellfire). TOW was his least favorite, and his reason was that firing it and trying to guide it in from a dynamic platform like a helicopter was a bad match.
Eh, not likely. You can only get so much out of a weapon frame. Sooner or later you'll have to make a new weapon system. It is probably that we'll be seeing the TOW slowly sent to the disassembly yards while a new weapon is created.
@@enrlichhartman no, the US Army doesn't have fixed-wings outside of the transports. Anything fixed-wing with weapons is owned by the Airforce if it's land-based... and the A-10s are currently useless as weapon tech has evolved in such a way that they'll get killed these days.
I wanted to mean , the Grount force loves to hear A 10 suport when they fight enemies that dont have Anti air defenses Sadly , even small guerrilla forces now have modern ainti air misles like the kurdish forces.
@@enrlichhartman Yeah, the proliferation of MANPADs has made the A-10's design useless... although if things keep going the way they are technologically, we'll probably have very light aircraft that make the A-10 look like a Zero in comparison... given that EndoSteel has been revealed to the world three years ago...
I was an 11 Hotel when I was in the Army. Heavy Ant Armor weapons Infantry. TOW was my weapon system. The fact that the sights have integrated FLIR and laser range finder is a huge upgrade of what I used. Optical sights and thermals.
i fired two in 1988 and 89. just awesome. the manual says, "dont look at the flight motor.", but you cant help it. Both times i hit an old M 48 tank. very accuarate. fired off an M901 ITV/ what a heavy maintanence dog.
hey jarhead, thanks for the 8 years. I was on a TOW team in the USMCR in 1985 - Waukegan, Ill.. heard that the Marines got the TOW from the Army cause they didn't want it no more. that big smoke signature when it's fired and the missile's slow speed, plus the fact the gunner had to sit still while he tracked the tank giving the tank plenty of opportunity to return accurate and much faster fire probably killed the TOW with the Army. I had ask myself if I could sit still while I was watchin a tank through the TOW crosshairs turning its fire on my position
@@marcuscicero9587 This was back in the mid 80's when I was in the Fleet Marine Force. We used the system for a lot of different missions other than anti-tank. In fact that was actually a rare occurrence, relatively speaking. It was a great system, NEVER failed when I needed it to perform. Thanks for your service my friend. Pretty rare when I meet another AT-TOW gunner! Semper Fi!
Re: Jamming SACLOS - the guidance system tries to keep the missile withing the reticle. However not the missile proper, but the light source ("tracer/flare") in its back. Now, when a target fired an ordinary signal flare, the eletronics have a chance to lock on the decoy and sends commands accordingly to the missile. That is how you jam it. And there are the smoke grenaded, driving into bushes or hard cover, etc. But all requires to see the missile and react within the 3-12 seconds you have before impact. Russian roulette with at least 3 bullets in the six shooter.
The NEWEST is wireless, 1 to improve it...and 2, because the factory making the wire closed. It's been out since '89'ish but most missiles "in service" are still wire guided, since they are there to be used. Also, the wireless version doesn't have "fired over water and shorting out" issues" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BGM-71_TOW I'd say more, but I forgot what's classified still or not, but I was made an instructor for ITAS before I got out :P
The wires wouldn't short out if fired over water. They are insulated. If they weren't insulated it would short out the wires pretty much every launch since the wires are so close to each other and they inevitably touch each other when the wire goes slack during flight.
@@rubiconnn As an US Army ITAS instructor, the civ contractor who trained me and from the tech manuals it was warned to NOT shoot it over water of XXX distance to avoid the risk of shorting out the wires/system. I was trained back in 2012/13
What happens to the wire after the use? Do you collect it or just abandon it lying around? Wouldn't the wire just lying around become a hazard? If they are collected, how is it done? Are there any special machines for that or just soldiers doing it manually?
I shot 2 of these (E11H, 2/48th Infantry). Amazing accuracy. When first briefed on weapon I was skeptical the TOW missile was actually connected via wires to the control unit. My skepticism was erased as we drove our APC's into the firing range and found 100's of wires strung across trees and on the ground. The wires are wound on a tapered spool and spring free when launched, preventing wire breakage. The missile is initially launched from the tube without rocket power. The rocket motor then ignites a safe distance from the tube usually dipping toward the ground slightly before the rocket motor ignites and the guidance system corrects trajectory.
Continuing for my previous post I was a volunteer for the cleanup crew but this was not my assignment I was assigned as electronic repair man for the chaparral and Vulcan anti-air systems. But this is my first exposure to any type of missile system and I found it very exciting as do I and all of your films thank you once again
“manportable,” what a happy word. In 1995 my platoon was temporarily assigned to the 11 ACR at Fort Irwin to serve as infantry dismounts, since CAV doesn’t have any organic infantry. As honored guests, we were allowed to hump TOWs all over the Mohave ... on foot. Including up a mountain. Tripods, sights, power packs, coolant, launchers, and missiles up a damn mountain.... such fun.
Another one of your excellent films when I was first drafted and got a basic I was assigned to Redstone Arsenal when I arrived I was early for my class AIT being bored in the turtle farm as we call reception I volunteered for range detail basically I was the cleanup from a test fire of something it turned out to be the toll missile they fired six missiles that day for some senator her some dignitaries a bunch of brass as well my job was to pick up the debris from the missiles the dummies for them were filled with sand that’s what I was told to were live and they had the DOD take care of them one of them actually shot a steel pot helmet off of a stump pretty amazing stuffThank you for your film it was amazing
11H10, fired 8 of them. Best part was the ticking of the thermals at night, or bending the pins, only to take the forgiveness cap off and plug in the fire control. All joking aside, loved every minute of it. Always target the stationary tank looking your way =D
For those wondering, the wire is nylon I believe, about as thick as dental floss and c has two thin exposed copper wires wrapped around it. You might trip on it but I can't remember anyone tripping over them.
I was in 4th I.D. 1-66AR in 04-07.When we deployed one of my wierd hobbies was collecting wire from tows"so hostel forces couldn't use it to set off IED's " . I collected enough that I mad hood ornaments for the 4 Humvees in our section. I usually was gunner in the LT's Humvee & R hood ornament was a little guy with the middle finger sticking in the air.
The best part about the ITAS is you can get a 10 digit grid of whatever you lase, and the TC of the Humvee can hook up a screen so he can see what the Gunner is seeing, recon, call for fire, prioritizing targets for a platoon, it's a flexible system that can do alot more than just take out vehicles and positions from very far away, but like most things in the inventory, needs some updating still.
My father was a commander of an Anti Tank battalion using TOWS on Humvees back in the 80s. I remember some of his home videos of practice shots. If it wasn’t a combat situation they would wind the wires back on a separate motorized spool afterward I have no idea if they re-used them or anything.
A beast of a missle. Didn't know about the short circuiting problem over water. Interesting. I would think that simple painted on insulation would solve that problem.
@@ph11p3540 'cute', really?! Maybe I just lack of imagination/romance 🤣, but to me it's just the nastiest little machine and one of the most rational military designs in modern history.
The two wires left trailing behind the TOW will most definitely lacerate your legs, ankles, or hands if pulled on. After testing TOWs, great care is taken in cleaning up the range, you can easily trip or cut yourself on the filament. The filament is extremely small in diameter but incredibly strong. If you pull on the filament you will lacerate yourself, but if you bend the filament, as if to tie a knot, it will easily break.
Back in 87' when i went to osut at Ft Benning we had a range detail cleaning up wires from a TOW range, they said we had to police up the wire from the range because wildlife would get tangled in it. The only protective gear we had to use was the basic issue wool insert/leather outer black gloves to pick up the wire, I wound up a couple wraps around my hand to pull the wire and the wire cut through the leather glove almost through the wool insert.....almost cutting into my hand. Needless to say that wire is some VERY tough stuff.
As per the last comments by our author, in the Yom Kippur war the Egyptians fired so many Soviet wire guided missiles at the Israelis, the tanks came off the battlefield smothered in copper wire. It is a known method to pick up the wire and follow it back to the launch site by snipers or other clever troops. Move Your Launch Position Frequently ! 😉
I was in the US Army Cavalry back in the mid 1980's. I was trained as a ITV crewman (19D Cav Scout). The TOW missile system was exactly the same as the ones mounted on a jeep or carried by the infantry. They at least gave us a chance of holding back Ivan, if the balloon went up back then.
I was a TOW gunner with both the 11ACR and 101st ABN ( Air Assault ) , yes that wire got everywhere , and would cut your hands if you didnt wear gloves Good times !
NSTIW, in my ITV doing live fire on a stormy day. A launch excursion took a missile straight up into a thunderhead, and lightening followed the wires directly to our vehicle. Our crew had no idea what happened until the range officer told us. We though the missile blew up right in front of us. Thank God we where in an armored vehicle and not firing ground mounted. Could have been very ugly.
i was a hotel off jeep in the early eighties. all of my vn vet sgts considered the tow a wonderweapon. you have to take it into context not compared to other missiles but compared to the m825 jeep mounted recoilless rifle which was just a very slow tank round and a dead giveaway for the gun team. that and it was deadly for anyone trying to pull protection for it that got caught in the back blast. having a directable tracking missile that could destry t-54's and up was awesome if you were in an infantry company that didnt have tanks around. the other thing is that you could use tows to initiate attacks instead of hit or miss artillery and mortars. being able to take out their armor before coming across was demoralizing. we would back our jeeps up to small hills and shoot back over them and only fire from the tripod if we got stuck in the mud. i started out as an 11b but switched to tow after realizing how great a weapon it was, unfortunately the 11h mos was a career killer as there was zero chance of promotion which degraded the talent pool of prospective tow gunners and thus the effectiveness. you didnt get the best troops as gunners. they have since eliminated the 11h mos and its all just 11b now.
T.O.W was a cool weapon to use. You hear the Gyro Click into motion, then the Launch motor fires, and you track the target they are pretty maneuverable.
I served as a 11HE9(ITV) crew member from 1988-1993. I fired two missiles, one live and one not. The nonlive missile I fired had a bad flight motor and just crashed in to the ground. The live one hit the target. I wires are very dangerous. After the range was shut down, the wires were rolled up. It took eight Soldiers to carry to carry one system and two missiles. We had to move the system one kilometer through the woods and set the system up in 30 minutes. I carried the MSG. Good times in northern West Germany during the Cold War.
Command link wire is incredibly strong and thin, you cannot break it with your bare hands and will end up cutting yourself badly. It is easily cut with lighter though with just a second of open flame to part the wire.
My father was an artillery Captain in the NJ National Guard from '63 to '83. (50th Armored Division, 5th Battalion, 112th FA) He was trained to fire towed and self propelled howitzers (105mm to 155mm) and he was also trained to fire the LAW, Dragon, and TOW. I had a hard time as a kid understanding the concept of the wire guided missile. How can a missile stay connected via wires? After seeing videos as an adult, I get it.
I was a soldier in Taiwanese army and I can tell you that you will not be able to see how the cable spool when firing, all you could see is the red light emits from the beacon in the rear of the missile, and yes those wires do trip people and that is the reason why we have to spend a whole day to manually collect and clean the missile range afterwards, or the wires might trip or potentially wound other soldiers
I was in A/1-17 Cav when the ITAS was tested and fielded. The FLIR is awesome--we were able to see rodents in the brush at 2km. How do we know 2km? Because we lased them. For reasons that I still don't understand, the rodents were clearly reacting to the laser. This is the most entertaining thing you can possibly do while sitting alone in the woods at 2:30 in the morning. As for the wire--it's pretty sturdy stuff. I used a leatherman to cut it, but it wasn't easy. I'd expect that a fair bit of it ends up tangled up in vehicle tracks and shredded into short pieces.
From the creator's of "Old AA Systems On Toyotas" comes a new exciting experience, "Tow's on Drones", coming this fall. You've seen Drone's on other shows, now teaming up with the star power of Tos's (whose blast of a entertainment package has two seasons already) the new combination show is sure to be a dialed in hit over many different demographics.
Hey dude, you mentioned the like function. Since it creates a playlist I use it to find videos I'd like to see over and over or are great to show friends etc. If it did not do this I would 'like' many more videos. Keep up the good work and thanks for this nice explainer video. I am curious as to how they managed to not get the wire to fail as the missile accelerated and makes the wire spool out at a massive pace.
Infantry use these missiles. They are put on top of Humvees. When I was in operation desert storm. Every infantry Battalion in the 82D had a company Of Tow missiles crews. My father and my Uncle worked for Hughes aircraft company in Tucson Arizona. I remember him telling me that one of the biggest challenges of designing that missile was coming up with a way for the wire to unspool without breaking. I believe the tow missile was produced originally in or near Phoenix Arizona. The Tucson plant produced Phoenix and other missiles. Hughes aircraft also produced helicopters in phoenix or Mesa Arizona. Hughes aircraft also manufactured the best radar for airplanes until the company which purchased and sold a couple of times. Raytheon ended up with the missile division of Hughes aircraft. Boeing ended up with the helicopter division.
Matsimus, I was a TOW gunner in the USMC back in the 80's-90's.
Thank you so much for this video!
Yes, we called ourselves "gunners" even though it is a missile system, the actual MOS name was too wordy.
We more commonly called ourselves TOW Cridders though.
As for the wires, they were not that much of a problem, comm wire was worse, strung all over the damn place in 29 Palms, it would take your head off when we drove around in M151 Jeeps. pita.
I loved that missile system, cantankerous though it may have been, always needing to be bore-sighted and collimated properly before a shoot.
Would not want to waste a missile that costs as much as a sports car blowing up a bush or boulder.
If you were lucky enough to shoot off a missile you got to keep the handling ring as a trophy and the rubber O-ring underneath, we would wear the O-ring around our helmet as a badge of honor.
I have 2 ¬_¬
Cheers Mate!
0352 rah
You must have had those God awful tripod mounted tow systems. We carried 8 live tows at all times on the gap.
mongo0532, what is your opinion if they ever tried to make a remote controlled turret for the BGM-71 TOW?
TOW gunner 84'-87'
We usually just brought a power drill for the wire, I miss shooting TOWs. I was a USMC TOW Gunner (0352) from 2016-2020
The 24-second life span of the BGM-71 TOW missile begins 1.54 seconds before the ignition as the trigger is pulled. At this point, several things happen. (1) Three batteries are activated that provide power to the electronics, the Xenon or thermal beacon and the actuator subsystem. (2) The attitude control gyro spins up to 42,000 rpm. (3) Electronic signals are balanced between the Missile Command Amplifier and the missile. Finally, the engine ignites!
The tube clearance engine, located in the back of the TOW produces 15,000 lbs. of thrust for 0.35 to 0.5 seconds and burns out before it leaves the tube. At the moment the front wings finish unfolding as they spring out after leaving the tube they close an electric circuit that causes the "flight" motor to ignite. This motor has two exhaust nozzles, one on each side of the rocket about halfway up the body in order to avoid the center of gravity (Cg) changing during flight. The flight motor ignites about seven meters from the launcher. Then, when the missile has reached between 35-70 meters from the launcher, the warhead is armed by acceleration G forces from the "flight" motor.
Upon capture, the TOW missile becomes a closed-loop system. The Xenon beacon and thermal beacon ( TOW 2, TOW2A ) are installed in the rear of the missiles and are detected by the Xenon detector or thermal tracker in the TSU. Two-wire dispensers are mounted on the rear of the missile at 90 and 270-degree positions. These dispensers contain 3,750 meters of single strand wire. Control surface flippers respond to signals from this wire command link. Helium powers the control actuators. The attitude gyro, which limits yaw and roll, is driven by nitrogen.
The rest of the flight profile:
T + 1.35 sec.(~230 meters) - The IR sensors in the TSU switches from the wide field of view (FOV) (+ 6 degrees) to medium FOV (+ 1.5 degrees).
T + 1.6sec.(~350 meters) - The flight motor burns out. Missile velocity is approximately 1,080 ft / sec. (639 knots or 735 mph).
T + 1.85 sec. - Automatic wire-cut occurs if no IR source.
T + 2.0 sec.(500 meters) - Minimum effective range.
T + 2.34 sec.(~520 meters) - TSU IR sensors medium FOV (+1.5 degrees) end; narrow FOV (+0.25 degrees) begins. Narrow FOV IR sensor is contained in 13 power lens.
T + 3.9 sec.(1,000 meters) - Missile velocity is approximately 840 ft / sec (497 kts or 571.4 mph.
T + 4.325 sec. - Control surfaces (flippers move at 12.5 cps instead of 25 cps to conserve helium gas in the high-pressure bottle.
T + 8.6 sec.(2000 meters) - Missile velocity is approximately 620 ft / second (367 kts or 422 mph).
T + 14.8 sec.(3000 meters) - Missile velocity is approximately 450 ft / second (266 kts or 306 mph).
T + 20.5 sec.(3750 Meters) - Missile velocity is approximately 375 ft/second (222 kts or 255 mph). The missile is at the maximum range of the wire.
T + 23.04 sec. - An automatic wire-cut occurs if no wire-cut signal has been previously received.
T + 23.12 sec. - Trigger reset for the next missile.
as a DCS flight sim player (where it takes 15 mins JUST to align the nav.... AKA before you can taxi or takeoff)
this is the type of detailed, nerd heavy stuff i love, thanks man
That was cool man, tnx for effort
Ron Mclaughlin wau, many thanks..
@Ron Mclaughlin
Had one do a moon shot on a live fire exercise in the late 1980s
It went out maybe 1,000 meters or so and it simply went vertical and disappeared into the cloud deck never to be seen again.
Any idea what would have caused that?
Drunkass Redneck Productions I have seen that happen a couple of times, it occurs when the wire breaks or you have a guidance fin failure. The Immediate action drill is point the sight down as fast as possible to attempt to get a signal a down signal to the missile in case you still have a connection
Every one asking where is the missile, what is a missile, why the missile, but never how is the missile
@@ugur747 but I'd you know where you isn't then you know where you are
It was designed for that question to never be answered.
@@mathewa.4032 Designed to not be answered, but desperately in the need of an answer...like a replicant looking for his mother
It knows where it is because it knows where it isn't
"Sad ATGM noises"
I participated in TOW tests in the early 70's at YPG, supporting the moving targets Huey's were shooting at. We called it "Thing Operated by Wire". We didn't recover the wire on that range and one morning, as the sun set at the head of that range, it glinted off all that copper, looking like some giant spider had strung some liner web in the valley. No one had a camera and that was days before cellphones.
The entire concept sounds old-fashioned by now, but at least wire-guidance can't be tampered with by modern countermeasures.
what if i trip on the wire like i do on every damn wire
oops
Then it’ll feel like if your profile picture would shoot you.
Human Fall Down
Biko - Bruh Moments Inc. ah yes. The feeling of vaporization
I fear no man, but that thing [insert image of KV-2], it scares me.
T.O.W
Tank Obliteration Weapon
Yes
Bold of you to assume they only obliterate tanks
Arming lever up, backblast area clear, fire!
From my position- on the way!
T.O.W., AT4, Dragons... And L.A.W.s... Were ALL fun to play with!!
@@fragout9575 I thought that the dragon was a pain in the ass to set up.
I don't know how many times I've heard that yelled out just prior to someone letting loose a big ass fart.
@@danielhowell1640 ,same here.😆
Legend has it Matt was so pissed off after that War Thunder match he made a whole video about the TOW missile 😂, great video btw
Hahhha!! Legend!! That’s awesome 😂👍❤️
I just hate that china got the TOW2 first. As a real life TOW Gunner I also wonder why they're not as realistic. As a side note I want to know how Shtora messes witha TOW when its wire guided and the Shtora is mostly for radio guided munitions, and yes I'm already salty about the T-90A lol
@@quarkedbutt8711 I found this on the german wikipedia about the TOW missile system:
"The TOW works with the SACLOS steering system. The tracking device tracks the guided missile via a xenon infrared emitter attached to the stern. Guidance commands are calculated in the target tracking unit and transmitted to the guided missile via the wire connection."
So since the tracking device tracks the missile via an infrared emitter, it can be diverted by Shtora-1.
My "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" list in no particular order:
1. A-10 Thunderbolt II
2. BGM-71 TOW Missile
3. Browning M2HB
4. KA-BAR Fighting Knife
5. B-52 Stratofortress
6. M67 Fragmentation Grenade
7. M134D "Minigun"
8. M61 Vulcan
9. UH-1 "Huey" Iroquois (Still in USMC service as UH-1Y Venom)
Ahem AKM and AR-15s
@@dragonstormdipro1013 The AKM isn't in US service and as for the AR platform, there are so many variations it can hardly be put in a "don't fix it" list.
@@angus57720 AR-15 isn't a military weapon. M16 series was and has been replaced by the M4 series.
Also: U-2 Dragon Lady
Tbh a 10 isnt as good as believed when it comes to piercing modern tanks but yes its one good aircraft for CAS
Talk about an explosive cable package.
Only this cable package, cancels you lol.
But you are guaranteed to like what's playing
Purchase this today and we will guarantee to cancel your tank.
Neat! That 500m minimum range is interesting. I launched dumb rockets from SMAW, believe it had a 25 meter minimum range, warhead armed by spinning ogive
As a former 0352 it was a awesome experience shooting this weapon system. Not so much humping it up and down mountains. SEMPER FI brothers
I got to fire one of these when I was in the US Army. I was in a heavy weapons company in a light infantry battalion, so we had TOWs mounted on humvees. I only fired one once in training, but it was loads of fun. The grainy, black/green image on the viewfinder and guiding the missile onto the decommissioned tank target made me feel like I was doing the trench run on the Death Star.
I was a 27E Tow/Dragon Missle Sys Repairmen early 80s. During my training the Night Site had recently been released for the TOW Package. My class (of 3) was one of the very first to train in the repair and calibration of the Nite Site. The TOW is a very impressive, compact and deadly anti-tank system.
I WAS A 27 ECHO IN 1987 TOFTOY HALL THEN SYSTEMS IT WAS A LONG BRAIN CHALLEGING SCHOOL I HAVE ONLY MET 2 27 ECHOES SINCE I GOT OUT IN 1990 BE ALL YOU CAN BE
As an American, I feel bad that our weapons are sold to our enemies. I thank you for your service,, glad you made it home. I’ve seen the TOW in practice, but never had the opportunity to see it in action. Anyhow, love your show and commentary. Stay healthy and keep up the good show!!👍
So glad the Humvee's are equipt by a TOW Launcher's, only i've seen that the less-armoured Humvee's got those even the armored ones.
We were born just in time to witness this work of art
I miss Justin Y. I guess you’re his replacement.
My friend was in the army (I´m navy), and he said the worst part of live firing TOW was retrieving the guidance wires. They are a hazard for wildlife and since every missile drops two wires for several kilometers, it´s quite a clean-up. Especially missile failures that goes off course.
Poor man's javelin in all departments
@@paulwilliams2663it’s way too expensive
Why can’t they just reel it in?
@@kx7500 They are not connected to reels at the launcher that you can just reverse. They are designed to fire in a war situation and then leave. Besides, they tend to get snagged in branches and the like after they touch the ground, so there´s really only one way to retrieve them and that´s by hand.
@@schr75 I know they aren’t but I’m saying it should be a simple mechanism if you wanted to do so, even like a small pulley. And if you wanna leave it you can just detach it and go.
I was a Tow Critter in the late 90’s. Picking up the wire at the range after a shoot was a pain. My first TOW the flight motors didn’t kick on in time, thing hit the deck, flight motors kicked on, back it came, and blew up above the platoon about 50 feet up maybe. What a time to be alive.lol
Before someone tries calling bullshit. Talk to any Marine that was at Lejeune 1997-2000 at 2nd Tank BN, H&S Co, TOW or Scout Platoon. Or find the officer that filmed it, no idea who that was.
I can confirm that the TOW command wires are stupidly strong, with a higher tensile strength than one might expect from pure copper wire. Was an Army EOD tech back in the day. Picked up a wire in the tread of our Humvee while driving on a tank trail and it almost completely severed the CV joint on the drivers side front wheel. Would make awesome garrote wire.
I was like:
"Nah, its not an actual wire there, it must be some sort of weird military shit..."
After seeing a goddamn wire:
"Wait, WTF"
0352 from 5th Marines 1990-94. The wire is actually a hazard, especially on training ranges. A Tow range can span 4km so may have another range crossing it or contained within the wire danger area. Policing of wire from expended missiles used to take us a lot of time if we were lucky enough to fire more than one or two missiles. We left it on the sand in Kuwait. Thank you for doing this video. I loved how you included the clip of the helicopter mounted TOW where the gunner followed a truck behind a hill with the missile. We employed Tow 2A and TOW2B during my tour. Armor identification was key in the early 1990s and is in the future battlefields.Anyone else remember studying flashcards for days?
@Todd Kimsey 2009-2013 slides on PowerPoint instead of note cards but yes it felt like months instead of days.
This looks like a really cool weapon, I do wonder why there are weird jets shooting out of the side of the rocket thing. I guess I'll find out at the end of the video.
Edit: The missile knows where it is at all times. It knows this because it knows where it isn't, by subtracting where it is, from where it isn't, or where it isn't, from where it is, whichever is greater, it obtains a difference, or deviation. The guidance sub-system uses deviations to generate corrective commands to drive the missile from a position where it is, to a position where it isn't, and arriving at a position where it wasn't, it now is. Consequently, the position where it is, is now the position that it wasn't, and it follows that the position where it was, is now the position that it isn't. In the event of the position that it is in is not the position that it wasn't, the system has required a variation. The variation being the difference between where the missile is, and where it wasn't. If variation is considered to be a significant factor, it too, may be corrected by the GEA. However, the missile must also know where it was. The missile guidance computance scenario works as follows: Because a variation has modified some of the information the missile has obtained, it is not sure just where it is, however it is sure where it isn't, within reason, and it knows where it was. It now subracts where it should be, from where it wasn't, or vice versa. By differentiating this from the algebraic sum og where it shouldn't be, and where it was. It is able to obtain a deviation, and a variation, which is called "air"
RESOLVED
Edit: Cool thing I noticed is the wire popping out then after a second or two of standing stiff just falls, I wonder why that happens. (You can't see the wire extending past a feet or two on camera, maybe something with the bitrate.)
"I do wonder why there are weird jets shooting out of the side of the rocket thing" This is the exhaust from the rocket motor.
@@whya2ndaccount oh yeah that makes sense, I forgot about the exhaust. My brain was like "shouldn't the rocket engine be pointing straight?"
The part of the wires you can see are insulated to protect the wires from contacting the launch vehicle and defensive berms.
@@joshcrys thanks for the info
@@driedink He explained that in the video. The missile uses a burning magnesium flare type device which the launcher needs to see for tracking purposes. By having the two rocket motors half way along the body, pointing out and rearwards, the tracking flare is unobscured. Using two angled motors either side of the missile also increases stability according to the information given in this overview.
I trained on the TOW in the early 1980's but I never got to fire one. Ours were mounted on Jeeps. As an 11B I carried an M47 Dragon and was the primary trainer for our battalion. I got to fire a live round once and it was quite an experience. I couldn't hear for days (even with ear protection). These weapons were a major improvement over the Bazooka that my father carried in WW 2. I could expect a first round hit/kill at 1000 meters whereas my dad said that he was lucky to hit a Panzer at 200 yards. I enjoy your videos. Thanks for sharing.
As a TOW/Dragon missile technician, I witnessed scores of both missiles launched. The evolution if this weapon system has been exciting to a Cold War warrior like me. As far as the command wire goes, Dragon wire was the most common and I had several spools of it.
I WAS A 27 ECHO TOW AND DRAGOON MISSILE REPAIRER TOFTOY HALL REDSTONE ARSENAL 1987
9:22 I remember the first time I heard a DRAGON being fired at SOI. The loud launch and the subsequent pops as it changed direction. Pretty wild sounding but as I saw the gunner sitting there the whole flight time, I was glad to be 0311.
SOI, that takes me back to 1996. I was an 0341. Oh the memories.
Yep. The M47 Dragon sucked balls. I was in the Army as an Airborne Infantryman and later in Mechanized Infantry. My MOS at that time was 11B1PC2. In Airborne I had to jump the right door of any aircraft so I don't small the missile and my rifle on the skin of the plane. It happens when the plane is bouncing up, down, and side to side and causes me to do a weak exit out of the plane. To prevent this I used my arms and right leg to heave myself out. My rucksack had the day and night sight along with batteries, coolant bottles, and the rest of my gear to hump when I landed. Still sucked to hump the Dragon. Airborne Infantry loved them so much that each platoon had 8 gunners, 2 per squad. This is what I got for flunking the math test during reception before Basic Training because they were looking for mortar guys. My Drill Sergeants punished me by making me a Dragon Gunner at Infantry School before I went to Airborne School. I got fucked.
Russian Tank Driver: That's a bird!
Russian Tank Catcher: No, that's a drone!
Russian Tank Commander: That's BGM-71 TOW, you idiots!!!
That's chasing our tank!!! Мы мертвы!
ua-cam.com/video/2rfyeR-YaJw/v-deo.html i dont think a tow would do much to the newer T80s, T-90s or T14
@@cherrypoptart2001 😂
@@cherrypoptart2001 Look, that's not the TOW equipment that the U.S. soldiers use.
U.S. soldiers are up to date.
It can hit the upper part and has a penetrating force of 800 to 1,000mm.
@@nahoy350 if u didnt observe correctly. It hit the T-90's turret. T-90's turret is rated 800mm against kinetic projectiles,over 900mm against HEAT projectiles and the ERA is strong enough to stop any tandem shaped projectiles. Also poor training didnt dictate the outcome of this because they were both poorly trained if they abondoned the tank and to shoot a tank in the front of the turret
@@cherrypoptart2001 I'm sorry. I think I misread the video.
By the way, can the t-90, t 80, t14 tanks be able to steal the latest TOW or FGM-148 Javelin?
Always a Pleasure to watch Matt, Happy Holidays!
@Matsimus 4:56 You probably already know this by now, but it's "ah-plee-kay" armor.
I love your videos, the amount of research you do is self-evident, and your presentation is on point.
I was an 11H TOW “ gunner” for over eight years in the Army. Ground mount, M220 (M113), ITV , Jeep mounted and HMMV mounted, I used them all!
I always find how impressive many of the american weapon systems (yes there are examples from other nations) are first deployed 50 years ago and are still in service. It shows how when you get it just right it can be effective for ages.
One of the advantages the TOW has over more technologically advanced systems is the ability to engage in any weather conditions, day or night. I spent 7 years as an 0352 (TOW anti-tank missile gunner) and that thing is mission capable when everything else is shut down, hence the "B" in BGM-TOW. Great system, VERY reliable, devastating hitting power.
Heres a nugget from a former TOW/ITAS gunner. They made us recover the wire from the ranges at Ft Bragg. We would fire one day, camp overnight on the range, wake up, eat chow, and start tracing our wires downrange.Targets ranged from 1500 to 3500 meters. Also if a TOW2A impacts a whitetail deer at a range of about 2 km. There is nothing left except paint.
Old TOW gunner 82d Airborne Division late 1980s (D Co. 4/325th if interested).
They are man portable (sort of), but we mainly mounted them on vehicles. We used a slightly modified jeep when I first started and transitioned to hummers. Even though much larger, the hummers were better since the jeeps were dangerously top-heavy with the weapon system mounted.
An improvement for TOW crews would have been if the rear hatch opened from the front instead of the rear for reloading.
Back then, the thermal sight was separate and mounted on top of the optical sight and was not required for operation.
In dismounted operations, it took an entire squad to operate. The traversing unit was insanely heavy and bulky and the guidance unit was almost as bad. I think that the primitive NiCd batteries for the guidance unit were designed as a secondary melee' weapon since they felt like they were filled with Uranium.
Being an Airborne unit, we tried at least one airborne training operation with the system.
It did not work out well at all. No injuries, but holy CRAP was it completely unwieldy and a completely stupid idea.
Not only do you normally carry your ruck with all of your personal gear (110 pounds+), but the several pounds of parachute equipment. Add to that the burden of the heavy components (1 per man) to include their bulky nature.
The traversing unit was a pure beast and try strapping the tripod on as well.
All in all, the idea was destined to fail at best or get someone killed at worst.
Just take a gander at the many videos of poor aircraft exits under normal training conditions to get a idea.
One minor correction: Not the 117th but A troop 1st Squadron 17th Air Cav.
"*hey, check in our new tow missiles*"
I was going to comment that. You beat me to it.
I love that game.
EYYYYY
"Chew on these!"
Breaking loose!
You want some of this?
I was asking an AH-64 pilot about his favorite weapons (cannon and hellfire). TOW was his least favorite, and his reason was that firing it and trying to guide it in from a dynamic platform like a helicopter was a bad match.
Yes probably not the best adapted weapon for an Helicopter but if you don't have fire and forget weapon yet in your technology you have to use it.
Loved the tow. It'll continue on just like the A-10
Eh, not likely. You can only get so much out of a weapon frame. Sooner or later you'll have to make a new weapon system. It is probably that we'll be seeing the TOW slowly sent to the disassembly yards while a new weapon is created.
USA army needs a Brrrt plataform so unlees they create a new type of flying minigun they will dont replace the A 10
@@enrlichhartman no, the US Army doesn't have fixed-wings outside of the transports. Anything fixed-wing with weapons is owned by the Airforce if it's land-based... and the A-10s are currently useless as weapon tech has evolved in such a way that they'll get killed these days.
I wanted to mean , the Grount force loves to hear A 10 suport when they fight enemies that dont have Anti air defenses Sadly , even small guerrilla forces now have modern ainti air misles like the kurdish forces.
@@enrlichhartman Yeah, the proliferation of MANPADs has made the A-10's design useless... although if things keep going the way they are technologically, we'll probably have very light aircraft that make the A-10 look like a Zero in comparison... given that EndoSteel has been revealed to the world three years ago...
Yep remember this back in Baghdad when we board the Humvees with my 4 Missile Defender friends. The TOW rips enemies tanks.
I was an 11 Hotel when I was in the Army. Heavy Ant Armor weapons Infantry. TOW was my weapon system. The fact that the sights have integrated FLIR and laser range finder is a huge upgrade of what I used.
Optical sights and thermals.
i fired two in 1988 and 89. just awesome. the manual says, "dont look at the flight motor.", but you cant help it. Both times i hit an old M 48 tank. very accuarate. fired off an M901 ITV/ what a heavy maintanence dog.
That was my primary M.O.S. (0352) for 8 years, 1985-1993. Thanks for the video, good stuff. Semper Fidelis!
hey jarhead, thanks for the 8 years. I was on a TOW team in the USMCR in 1985 - Waukegan, Ill.. heard that the Marines got the TOW from the Army cause they didn't want it no more. that big smoke signature when it's fired and the missile's slow speed, plus the fact the gunner had to sit still while he tracked the tank giving the tank plenty of opportunity to return accurate and much faster fire probably killed the TOW with the Army. I had ask myself if I could sit still while I was watchin a tank through the TOW crosshairs turning its fire on my position
@@marcuscicero9587 This was back in the mid 80's when I was in the Fleet Marine Force. We used the system for a lot of different missions other than anti-tank. In fact that was actually a rare occurrence, relatively speaking. It was a great system, NEVER failed when I needed it to perform. Thanks for your service my friend. Pretty rare when I meet another AT-TOW gunner! Semper Fi!
love your videos very informative lots of information worth watching twice usually.
You are one of kind man!!
Love your show
Re: Jamming SACLOS - the guidance system tries to keep the missile withing the reticle. However not the missile proper, but the light source ("tracer/flare") in its back. Now, when a target fired an ordinary signal flare, the eletronics have a chance to lock on the decoy and sends commands accordingly to the missile.
That is how you jam it.
And there are the smoke grenaded, driving into bushes or hard cover, etc.
But all requires to see the missile and react within the 3-12 seconds you have before impact. Russian roulette with at least 3 bullets in the six shooter.
works only on older models
This was a really helpful video, thank you
The NEWEST is wireless, 1 to improve it...and 2, because the factory making the wire closed. It's been out since '89'ish but most missiles "in service" are still wire guided, since they are there to be used.
Also, the wireless version doesn't have "fired over water and shorting out" issues"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BGM-71_TOW
I'd say more, but I forgot what's classified still or not, but I was made an instructor for ITAS before I got out :P
The wires wouldn't short out if fired over water. They are insulated. If they weren't insulated it would short out the wires pretty much every launch since the wires are so close to each other and they inevitably touch each other when the wire goes slack during flight.
@@rubiconnn As an US Army ITAS instructor, the civ contractor who trained me and from the tech manuals it was warned to NOT shoot it over water of XXX distance to avoid the risk of shorting out the wires/system.
I was trained back in 2012/13
What happens to the wire after the use? Do you collect it or just abandon it lying around? Wouldn't the wire just lying around become a hazard? If they are collected, how is it done? Are there any special machines for that or just soldiers doing it manually?
@@internetdefender2971 it's left there. No one cares. You are fighting TANKs. It's a very thin wire.
@@xxxlonewolf49 Thank you for your reply. This was interesting for me.
Thanks for creating new content MAT I like your videos !
I shot 2 of these (E11H, 2/48th Infantry). Amazing accuracy. When first briefed on weapon I was skeptical the TOW missile was actually connected via wires to the control unit. My skepticism was erased as we drove our APC's into the firing range and found 100's of wires strung across trees and on the ground. The wires are wound on a tapered spool and spring free when launched, preventing wire breakage. The missile is initially launched from the tube without rocket power. The rocket motor then ignites a safe distance from the tube usually dipping toward the ground slightly before the rocket motor ignites and the guidance system corrects trajectory.
Continuing for my previous post I was a volunteer for the cleanup crew but this was not my assignment I was assigned as electronic repair man for the chaparral and Vulcan anti-air systems. But this is my first exposure to any type of missile system and I found it very exciting as do I and all of your films thank you once again
very much enjoyed! good job soldier, keep'em coming!
“manportable,” what a happy word. In 1995 my platoon was temporarily assigned to the 11 ACR at Fort Irwin to serve as infantry dismounts, since CAV doesn’t have any organic infantry. As honored guests, we were allowed to hump TOWs all over the Mohave ... on foot. Including up a mountain. Tripods, sights, power packs, coolant, launchers, and missiles up a damn mountain.... such fun.
I was trained on this and fired quite a few. Quite effective.
Another one of your excellent films when I was first drafted and got a basic I was assigned to Redstone Arsenal when I arrived I was early for my class AIT being bored in the turtle farm as we call reception I volunteered for range detail basically I was the cleanup from a test fire of something it turned out to be the toll missile they fired six missiles that day for some senator her some dignitaries a bunch of brass as well my job was to pick up the debris from the missiles the dummies for them were filled with sand that’s what I was told to were live and they had the DOD take care of them one of them actually shot a steel pot helmet off of a stump pretty amazing stuffThank you for your film it was amazing
Sorry once again are you Siri I forgot to check the spelling sorry
Thank you so much for the videos, you are a great help with all your experience.. thank you again!!
I had no idea wire guided was actually connected through flight crazy awesome cool.
Awesomely informative vid! One of your best. Thanks much!!!
11H10, fired 8 of them. Best part was the ticking of the thermals at night, or bending the pins, only to take the forgiveness cap off and plug in the fire control. All joking aside, loved every minute of it.
Always target the stationary tank looking your way =D
Awesome video man, thanks!
Awesome channel man. Well done!
Thanks, that was great!
For those wondering, the wire is nylon I believe, about as thick as dental floss and c has two thin exposed copper wires wrapped around it. You might trip on it but I can't remember anyone tripping over them.
U.S. Army combat veteran, MOS 11HE9. Thanks for the nostalgia.
Love the TOW. Oldie but still relevant, though the Hellfire is a much better missle. Love you videos brother! Thanks.
I was in 4th I.D. 1-66AR in 04-07.When we deployed one of my wierd hobbies was collecting wire from tows"so hostel forces couldn't use it to set off IED's " . I collected enough that I mad hood ornaments for the 4 Humvees in our section. I usually was gunner in the LT's Humvee & R hood ornament was a little guy with the middle finger sticking in the air.
Thanx Mat, love the content
Great vid Mat. Well done sir. Glad I was mechanic and not TOW missile crewman. Hehe
The best part about the ITAS is you can get a 10 digit grid of whatever you lase, and the TC of the Humvee can hook up a screen so he can see what the Gunner is seeing, recon, call for fire, prioritizing targets for a platoon, it's a flexible system that can do alot more than just take out vehicles and positions from very far away, but like most things in the inventory, needs some updating still.
My father was a commander of an Anti Tank battalion using TOWS on Humvees back in the 80s. I remember some of his home videos of practice shots. If it wasn’t a combat situation they would wind the wires back on a separate motorized spool afterward I have no idea if they re-used them or anything.
A beast of a missle. Didn't know about the short circuiting problem over water. Interesting. I would think that simple painted on insulation would solve that problem.
The AT weapon of choice for the awesome Fallschirmjägers' 'Wiesel'
The cutest little thing on tracks. Nothing can out cute a Wiesel. Not even an Ontos or an Abbott
@@komradearti9935
Well, that's how it goes in life. Someone prettier comes around and that's it, even for the most successful long-term relationships.
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'cute', really?!
Maybe I just lack of imagination/romance 🤣, but to me it's just the nastiest little machine and one of the most rational military designs in modern history.
The two wires left trailing behind the TOW will most definitely lacerate your legs, ankles, or hands if pulled on. After testing TOWs, great care is taken in cleaning up the range, you can easily trip or cut yourself on the filament. The filament is extremely small in diameter but incredibly strong. If you pull on the filament you will lacerate yourself, but if you bend the filament, as if to tie a knot, it will easily break.
Brilliant video keep them coming
Cool. Fired the training one at school.
Back in 87' when i went to osut at Ft Benning we had a range detail cleaning up wires from a TOW range, they said we had to police up the wire from the range because wildlife would get tangled in it. The only protective gear we had to use was the basic issue wool insert/leather outer black gloves to pick up the wire, I wound up a couple wraps around my hand to pull the wire and the wire cut through the leather glove almost through the wool insert.....almost cutting into my hand. Needless to say that wire is some VERY tough stuff.
As per the last comments by our author, in the Yom Kippur war the Egyptians fired so many Soviet wire guided missiles at the Israelis, the tanks came off the battlefield smothered in copper wire.
It is a known method to pick up the wire and follow it back to the launch site by snipers or other clever troops. Move Your Launch Position Frequently ! 😉
I was 11 Hotel TOW missile Infantry good job on this video
I was in the US Army Cavalry back in the mid 1980's. I was trained as a ITV crewman (19D Cav Scout). The TOW missile system was exactly the same as the ones mounted on a jeep or carried by the infantry. They at least gave us a chance of holding back Ivan, if the balloon went up back then.
Thank you, excellent video! :)
If it works, it works, no reason to replace it.
I was a TOW gunner with both the 11ACR and 101st ABN ( Air Assault ) , yes that wire got everywhere , and would cut your hands if you didnt wear gloves
Good times !
NSTIW, in my ITV doing live fire on a stormy day. A launch excursion took a missile straight up into a thunderhead, and lightening followed the wires directly to our vehicle. Our crew had no idea what happened until the range officer told us. We though the missile blew up right in front of us. Thank God we where in an armored vehicle and not firing ground mounted. Could have been very ugly.
i was a hotel off jeep in the early eighties. all of my vn vet sgts considered the tow a wonderweapon. you have to take it into context not compared to other missiles but compared to the m825 jeep mounted recoilless rifle which was just a very slow tank round and a dead giveaway for the gun team. that and it was deadly for anyone trying to pull protection for it that got caught in the back blast. having a directable tracking missile that could destry t-54's and up was awesome if you were in an infantry company that didnt have tanks around. the other thing is that you could use tows to initiate attacks instead of hit or miss artillery and mortars. being able to take out their armor before coming across was demoralizing. we would back our jeeps up to small hills and shoot back over them and only fire from the tripod if we got stuck in the mud. i started out as an 11b but switched to tow after realizing how great a weapon it was, unfortunately the 11h mos was a career killer as there was zero chance of promotion which degraded the talent pool of prospective tow gunners and thus the effectiveness. you didnt get the best troops as gunners. they have since eliminated the 11h mos and its all just 11b now.
T.O.W was a cool weapon to use. You hear the Gyro Click into motion, then the Launch motor fires, and you track the target they are pretty maneuverable.
I served as a 11HE9(ITV) crew member from 1988-1993. I fired two missiles, one live and one not. The nonlive missile I fired had a bad flight motor and just crashed in to the ground. The live one hit the target.
I wires are very dangerous. After the range was shut down, the wires were rolled up.
It took eight Soldiers to carry to carry one system and two missiles. We had to move the system one kilometer through the woods and set the system up in 30 minutes. I carried the MSG.
Good times in northern West Germany during the Cold War.
I've gotten to fire the training version of these from my Bradley when I was stationed in Korea. Missiles are SOOOOO much fun to fire. :-)
"Whe have Stugna-P at home." Stugna-P at home:
Hi Matsimus, can you please make a video on HAL LCH and Rudra Helicopters.
Command link wire is incredibly strong and thin, you cannot break it with your bare hands and will end up cutting yourself badly. It is easily cut with lighter though with just a second of open flame to part the wire.
I have shot many of these, old ones tended to break wires, Tow 2 was very dependable super accurate.
The missile knows where it is because the missile knows where it isn't...
Interesting, thanks Matsimus
As a m901 itv gunner I can tell ya it is an awesome feeling to fire.
My father was an artillery Captain in the NJ National Guard from '63 to '83. (50th Armored Division, 5th Battalion, 112th FA) He was trained to fire towed and self propelled howitzers (105mm to 155mm) and he was also trained to fire the LAW, Dragon, and TOW. I had a hard time as a kid understanding the concept of the wire guided missile. How can a missile stay connected via wires? After seeing videos as an adult, I get it.
I was a soldier in Taiwanese army and I can tell you that you will not be able to see how the cable spool when firing, all you could see is the red light emits from the beacon in the rear of the missile, and yes those wires do trip people and that is the reason why we have to spend a whole day to manually collect and clean the missile range afterwards, or the wires might trip or potentially wound other soldiers
I was in A/1-17 Cav when the ITAS was tested and fielded. The FLIR is awesome--we were able to see rodents in the brush at 2km. How do we know 2km? Because we lased them. For reasons that I still don't understand, the rodents were clearly reacting to the laser. This is the most entertaining thing you can possibly do while sitting alone in the woods at 2:30 in the morning.
As for the wire--it's pretty sturdy stuff. I used a leatherman to cut it, but it wasn't easy. I'd expect that a fair bit of it ends up tangled up in vehicle tracks and shredded into short pieces.
Its 1:30 AM for me, still will watch my boy though.
This is such awesome stuff. I wish the military wouldn't cheap out on good weapons systems.
This is a brilliant, wonder weapons system
From the creator's of "Old AA Systems On Toyotas" comes a new exciting experience, "Tow's on Drones", coming this fall. You've seen Drone's on other shows, now teaming up with the star power of Tos's (whose blast of a entertainment package has two seasons already) the new combination show is sure to be a dialed in hit over many different demographics.
Hey dude, you mentioned the like function. Since it creates a playlist I use it to find videos I'd like to see over and over or are great to show friends etc. If it did not do this I would 'like' many more videos. Keep up the good work and thanks for this nice explainer video. I am curious as to how they managed to not get the wire to fail as the missile accelerated and makes the wire spool out at a massive pace.
Infantry use these missiles. They are put on top of Humvees. When I was in operation desert storm. Every infantry Battalion in the 82D had a company Of Tow missiles crews. My father and my Uncle worked for Hughes aircraft company in Tucson Arizona. I remember him telling me that one of the biggest challenges of designing that missile was coming up with a way for the wire to unspool without breaking. I believe the tow missile was produced originally in or near Phoenix Arizona. The Tucson plant produced Phoenix and other missiles. Hughes aircraft also produced helicopters in phoenix or Mesa Arizona. Hughes aircraft also manufactured the best radar for airplanes until the company which purchased and sold a couple of times. Raytheon ended up with the missile division of Hughes aircraft. Boeing ended up with the helicopter division.