Variants
Raytheon has taken over for Hughes in recent years, and now handles production of all current variants, as well as TOW development.
| Designation | Description | Length | Diameter | Wingspan | Launch weight | Warhead | Armor penetration (est.) | Range | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XBGM-71A/BGM-71A | Hughes Tube launched Optically tracked Wire command link guided (TOW) Missile | 1.16 m | 0.152 m | 0.46 m | 18.9 kg | 3.9 kg (2.4 kg HE) HEAT | 430 mm (exact value) | 65–3,750 m | 278 m/s |
| BGM-71B | BGM-71A variant; improved range | ||||||||
| BGM-71C | BGM-71B variant; Improved TOW (ITOW) w/ improved shaped-charge warhead | 1.41 m (probe extended) 1.17 m (probe folded) |
19.1 kg | 630 mm (exact value) | |||||
| BGM-71D | BGM-71C variant; TOW-2, improved guidance, motor and enlarged main warhead | 1.51 m (probe extended) 1.17 m (probe folded) |
21.5 kg | 5.9 kg (3.1 kg HE) HEAT |
900 mm | ||||
| BGM-71E | BGM-71D variant; TOW-2A optimized to defeat reactive armor with tandem warheads | 22.6 kg | 900 mm (behind ERA) (and layer of ERA) |
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| BGM-71F | BGM-71D variant; TOW-2B top-down attack variant using explosively formed penetrators | 1.168 m | no data | ||||||
| BGM-71G | BGM-71F variant; different AP warhead; not produced | no data | no data | no data | no data | ||||
| BGM-71H | BGM-71E variant; “bunker buster” variant for use against fortified structures | no data | no data | no data | no data |
Original armor penetration estimates were 600 mm for BGM-71A/B and 700–800 mm for BGM-71C. However, according to a now declassified CIA study "U.S. INTELLIGENCE AND SOVIET ARMOR" written by Paul F. Gorman (Major General, USA), the true penetration values against a vertical target are much lower—just 430 mm for basic TOW and 630 mm for Improved TOW (see graph US ATGMs vs. Soviet Tank on page 18 of mentioned document, available through Freedom of Information Act).
Time to target at maximum range is 20 seconds therefore giving an average speed of 187.5 m/s.
Read more about this topic: BGM-71 TOW
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