US Army awards $322 million contract for TOW 2B missile systems

News, US August 22, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Army awarded a $322 million contract to the U.S.-based defense manufacturer, Raytheon Technologies (RTX), for the production of Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wire-guided (TOW) 2B missile systems.

The latest military contract is part U.S. Army’s ongoing military capability modernization that would contribute to the global security partnership.

The TOW weapons are typically used for anti-armor, anti-bunker, anti-fortification, and anti-amphibious landing missions.

The U.S. Army plans to integrate the TOW missiles with its fleet of Bradley Fighting Vehicles to increase the efficacy and accuracy of the attacking vehicles. The missiles are expected to be delivered by September 2026.

The U.S. has also donated at least 59 Bradley Fighting Vehicles along with more than 500 TOW missile systems to Ukraine. Some analysts believe that after providing TOW missiles from its inventory, the U.S. Army is giving large-scale military contracts to fill up its depleting arsenal.

TOW 2B missile

Raytheon’s TOW missile uses a one-way radio frequency to connect the launcher and the projectile missile. The operator can use telescopic sight for more accurate target detection and strike. A TOW 2B variant missile is about 1.2 meters in length and 152 mm in diameter. It has a range of more than 3 kilometers and its weight ranges between 4 to 6 kilograms depending on the warheads and other equipment.

The missile was created to replace U.S. Army’s SS.10 and ENTAC missile systems. It offers twice the range and an effective target detection capability due to the advanced equipment. The missile also uses an infrared camera for nighttime target detection.

TOW 2B anti-tank guided missile — *^{A TOW 2B missile is fired during an exercise at the Joint Multinational Training Command in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Feb. 1, 2014 (Image Credit: U.S. Army)}*

The 2B variant of the TOW missile is equipped with a Thales dual-mode target sensor, which includes a laser profilometer with a magnetic sensor. This provides increased accuracy to the missiles in detecting and destroying the target.

It also features a “flyover shoot down” top attack mode to hit targets where they are most vulnerable. In order to execute this feature, the weapon is used by two warheads that explode simultaneously. One of the exploding warheads points straight downwards and the other slightly offset for increased hit probability.

The system can be mounted on several platforms. The U.S. Army typically uses the weapons with the M151 Jeep, the M113 APC, the M966 HMMWV, and the M1045 HMMWV. The current batch is expected to be paired with the Bradley Fighter Vehicles.

The missile system is highly effective in land-to-land battle scenarios, hence it was profoundly used in several battlefields including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon. There are dozens of different variants of TOW that are used all over the world including a helicopter-launched variant.