Why the TOW Missile System is Wire-Guided

Why the BGM-71 TOW Missile System is Wire-Guided

[@flaviusbelisarius1408]

"spends half of the video explaining advantages of a wire guided"... "the new version is wireless".

[@Sinerwray]

Right lol

[@CrazyPalidin57]

Naturally, it ain't broke, so let's fix it. 😊

[@nicolasolton]

Wires are good for heavy electronics warfare environments like the putin nazis are using in Ukraine..

[@rampagesniper2588]

also it isn't wireless is also quite a big oversight

[@NiSiochainGanSaoirse]

glad you said it... that was my first thought.

[@johnsimpson3240]

The tow was designed before laser guidance systems were feasible. Heat or radio guided missiles can be thwarted by radio jamming, or flare countermeasures.

[@jesuszamora6949]

Fair. Makes sense to switch to laser guidance nowadays.

[@kenji214245]

Also most modern vehicles will notice a laser painting them and will react. This thing can fire without laser targeting and so can avoid be noticed for longer.

[@leehaelters6182]

​@@kenji214245, so, what guides the missle to the target?

[@kenji214245]

@@leehaelters6182 Pretty much the sight on the launcher sends signals trough the TOW wire to guide it. Using your launch position as a navigation point.

[@leehaelters6182]

@@kenji214245, thanks very much for your reply, but many commentors seem to have different ideas about the latest iteration mentioned, with wireless guidance. I was asking about that. All the best!

[@cum_as_you_are]

Meanwhile the wire on my cellphone charger cable breaks from slightly bending it too much a couple of times

[@ashleyobrien4937]

nice muff..

[@tedkaczynskiamericanhero3916]

​@@ashleyobrien4937it's a broom

[@robertharris6092]

This wire literaly only gets used once.

[@BackYardScience2000]

What I find funny is if you make it wireless, the acronym won't change. The W would simply go from wire guided to wireless.

[@ashleyobrien4937]

the guy it hits would call it OW...(that hurt!)

[@derbe8647]

I mean WLAN is the acronym for Wireless Local Area Network, so TOW isnt that weird if wireless

[@Ichangedmynom]

Missed opportunity to call it TOWL

[@KP-eq9bl]

@@Ichangedmynom towely

[@dave_sic1365]

Tow works almost exactly like the Ruhrstahl x4 missile from ww2

[@markfoor4137]

I trained on this system about 30 years ago and was impressed that the missile could go around a corner to hit a target!

[@daletate6913]

I have fired a half dozen tow missiles and never have I ever seen one "fly around a corner". More likely for the wire to break and it does a U turn back towards the gun team......

[@timothybrady2749]

Either version of the TOW is outstanding! This is some of the best anti-armor kit available!

[@98karlh]

4.5km of wire.... ?

[@nobeltnium]

yep. All that spooled INSIDE OF THE MISSILE. Not the launcher

[@bw1227]

​@@nobeltnium I am amazed how easily it unravels without breaking at an unbelievable speed

[@phillipdavidhaskett7513]

@@bw1227 I'm pretty sure the same high-tensile copper alloy wire is used in TASERs.

[@power2084]

The wire is made of gold. Seriously.

[@phillipdavidhaskett7513]

@@power2084 Then the Russians must be sacrificing their armor to gather it up, probably to make up their foreign exchange deficit.

[@velvetthundr]

The first generation of TOW missiles could be jammed from IRCM like the Doom Eyes on the early T-90A tanks because it blinds the seeker the launcher uses to guide the missile. The operator’s view isn’t affected but the missile will be. They fixed this by putting “sunglasses” on the seeker

[@MrDportjoe]

Sounding like either a gunner OR (like me) an old time27E/

[@levilastun829]

I don't think that's accurate, the Shtora aps used on T-90A can affect only laser guided missiles and laser range finders, it's useless against wire guided or infrared homing missiles

[@Kandralla]

​​@@levilastun829 The operator station tracks a beacon on the missile to figure out how to get the missile on target. The missile itself is blind. The initial beacon was IR. Simply putting a strong enough IR source somewhere could probably confuse it until they added more anti-jamming mechanisms to the beacon. The original is 1960's tech.

[@janiss5634]

Which countries have this? Nato?

[@MrDportjoe]

@@janiss5634 Oh no! global distribution here. Sometimes both sides of a civil war have it. Anti Assad forces in Syria, the Houthis in Yemen, Cameroon, Bahrain, Chile, Chad, Columbia, Egypt builds then under license, Ethiopia, Hezbollah, Iran, (their local version) Iraq (using the Iranian version, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kosovo, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan,Thailand, Tunisia, Vietnam and speaking of civll wars the government of Yemen uses it against the Houthis.

[@akifsyed17]

Had lots of fun with that wire, it used to burn like fireworks 🎇😂

[@ecogrunt3355]

TOW missiles haven't been wired guided for a while, my father worked for a company that helped design the new fire and forget launchers in the early 2010s or even prior. I have one of the said launchers, completely gutted of course.

[@swordbrethrenmordred1230]

I still don't get why they call the new wireless ones TOW missiles. It literally means "Target Over Wire." So calling a wireless version TOW is straight up wrong.

[@Martinit0]

@@swordbrethrenmordred1230 Target Over Wireless ? ;-)

[@czartraktheprotogen]

​@@swordbrethrenmordred1230Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wirelessly Guided

[@czartraktheprotogen]

​@@swordbrethrenmordred1230also the acronym NEVER meant "target over wire". I don't know where you got that. It was previously Tube-launched, optically tracked, wire guided

[@nole1546]

I need to send this to my cupid and upgrade his gear. He always misses...

[@DrCruel]

He isn't missing. He's aborting the mission to avoid collateral damage.

[@cherrybush3250]

​@@DrCruelgod damn 💀

[@ahoosifoou4211]

​@@DrCruel why kill the bro like that?

[@DrCruel]

@@ahoosifoou4211 Someone has to tell him.

[@tibbers3755]

Plot twist: dr cruel has the Tow missile

[@jessemeyer445]

Okay so if the wired is so much better why is the second version without a wire

[@neon.kalash3115]

It's not. That's why we dont use it anymore lol.

[@ashleyobrien4937]

cos copper is rare now didn't you know ? lol...

[@leechowning2712]

Range. The limiting factor on the original tow was "where do we put 10 km of wire". Wire guided is still one of the top guidance packages, but it takes up a lot of space.

[@neon.kalash3115]

@@leechowning2712 Unless there's powerlines or water lol.

[@leechowning2712]

@@neon.kalash3115 If the rocket could go through, So can the wires. Yes, if you fired across powerlines, as the wire dips it will be an issue. But for guidance itself, wire guided is the second most secure option... the first being gravity.

[@richtomlinson7090]

it's unbelievable that a wire can be that strong and reeled out that fast, so far.

[@Trusteft]

The last line was hilarious.

[@jonasemanuelsson3146]

Leta see if i remember it correctly - Tube launched, Optical tracked, Wire command, link guided antitank missile ...... Platoon leader for Tow unit - Sweden ..... Long time ago ...

[@briancase6180]

This is one of those ideas that must have seen absolutely crazy the first time it was proposed by weapon designer. "Yeah, we'll spool out a wire so the missile is continuously connected to the mission control system. Sure, that'll work." But, it does. Now, getting that wire to unwind fast enough and with enough reliability would seem to be a major challenge.

[@williamwchuang]

Our heavyweight torpedoes are also wireguided.

[@I___Am]

​@@williamwchuang Fuck, is that true? How long the wire for that?

[@timseytiger9280]

Not fire and forget, so you have to stand up there in full view until it hits after firing it.

[@jsb354]

Not necessarily in FULL VIEW. 🤔...

[@MrDportjoe]

First off this a long distance ambush system. So hull down if mounted on any vehicle and if man portable system used set up with some cover and or concealment. Next comes the distance. factor. As a solider you are taught to dispose of the closest viable threat first. So if you are in a buttoned up tank or AFV you are not likely to see TOW first because have limited vision. If you think your opponent does not have anything beyond RPG's you are not going to think, or really look that far out. 700M for RPG7vs 3000 for the first gen TOW. Just call me a long retired 27E Tow/Dragon Missile systems repair tech.

[@mikeyoung7660]

We used to use Swingfire in the 70's it was the same wire guided

[@AnalogBuddy]

Wire is more reliable - let's make it wireless for longer ranges

[@sabi771]

We going back to 19th century with this one 🔥

[@ThatOneGuy496]

now i know why tf there are these weird strings that come out of my tow missle in war thunder, i thought my monitor was broken lol. so Thank You

[@frankcastillo8609]

Damn !! Blew that turret clean off

[@vj-cs6ql]

Magic of marketing.

[@-Ryan_Gasoline-]

It feels kinda weird now that I know there's a missile literally plugged on a socket.

[@Reactordrone]

Same with a lot of torpedoes.

[@thehubrisoftheunivris2432]

6 kilometers of wire fits in there? That's pretty cool.

[@ronrobertson59]

As long as a good tank gunner doesn't put a main gun round on the operator before the TOW gets to the tank since a tank gun is much faster than the TOW flys. The TOW has a big firing signature easily seen.

[@phillipdavidhaskett7513]

It takes b**ls of steel to be a TOW gunner in combat. When enemy infantry detect a launch plume, if possible they shower the operator with fire trying to make him lose his visual lock on the target vehicle. But it would take a pretty agile tank crew to respond to an incoming TOW. The flight time is just too short, and where it's going impossible to determine.

[@Brian-pz3wh]

Always remember kids that if you can see them...they can see you!

[@chrisfisichella6659]

Nice designs.

[@dumptrump2294]

Nice turret toss.

[@rburrows7786]

Ya. Work great as long as the wire doesn’t break

[@deltahavoc1224]

The last one wasnt a tow though, that was a javelin

[@combatcurtful]

I like the javelin at the end

[@AdniteSean]

"Behold the new TOW! The modern W stands for wifi"

[@tomriley5790]

Wire guidance has numerous advantages including resistance to jamming... forgets to mention it can be jammed by a stream....

[@yuk-erkmckirk9277]

a stream of what , water?

[@yuk-erkmckirk9277]

Come on tommy boy , you can't make a statement like that without elaborating on what the fuck you're trying to state in the first place . I'll just have to stream some piss in your direction and see if you're jammed mentally.

[@Mrtweet81]

TOW has a wire because if it didn’t it would just be the TO system…

[@paulgrieve7031]

Lol!

[@InterstellarKev]

The Forbidden Tooth Puller

[@trespire]

The missil' knows where it is at all times.

[@insectinvasion4201]

The tow -2b is also top down attack isn’t it

[@PodofGold]

TOW-2B is not, it has a shape charge in the nose and is for direct hits. There are several variations, including a version that can go over a tank and detonate downwards for a "top attack" and a version that looks like it has a short pole on the front to trigger reactive armor before the actual shape charge is delivered. Pretty sure there's a thermobaric variation out there too. 2B is the most plentiful for sure.

[@j7cc]

Col. Neil S. Williamson 3rd. Miss you. 🇺🇸✝️☘️

[@robertlee8805]

The new version may need a jammer to prevent it being jammed by the Adversaries.

[@neon.kalash3115]

It's essentially immune.

[@Googledybunkers]

what happens to all the wires that are fired from these missiles on the battlefield are they just left there?

[@KATHLEEN-XM772]

>This is the TOW missile >Shows javelin at the end

[@therealasian6999]

All I know is I heard in my head “check out our new tow missiles”

[@AverageSunfush]

I always thought the wire was to destroy landmines along a path

[@vlieglex]

Old skool but still good

[@ragnarrocksoft9096]

>Video about the TOW missile (and wireguided missiles in general) >Second clip is an NLAW

[@user-ny8nw8yl3u]

Saw those fail when I was in,so did my brother.

[@The_Great_Hejaz]

The wire is an optic fiber wire ,its transmit the video footage in realtime faster than copper wire, and the wire is guid the missile for like 100 m until the thermal battery start works and supply the missile electronics so the rear laser detector keeps align himself with the launcher until the missile hit the target ,so it is not launch and forget missile ,Russian Kornet missile works with the same technique btw

[@TheFool_0]

I've always wondered what happens to the wire. Are there just wires spread out everywhere after a long battle where a lot are used?

[@thomasauger6777]

My local crack heads gonna raid those ammo supplys when they find out there 4.5km of wire inside

[@CarlosAlejandro.-ke6gr]

I used them a lot.. On battlefield 3😂

[@IndianLondoner]

Wow. Clever technology... 😢😢

[@donaldarthur3497]

Well we lived a few days men. This modern equipment will get us before long. The odds are against us.

[@darius3550]

That's old....we had those in Cuba back in the 1980's

[@user-en2tl2fw1c]

Penatrates 900mm (36 inches) of armour .... Holly crap ... that exceeds anything out there.

[@Chuck59ish]

Tube launched Optically tracked Wire guided

[@AdamosDad]

I always wondered what wire they used, it seems like most any wire would burn/melt or get snagged and break. It is I 'am told though, the most dependable tank killer there is.

[@chriswhorror6658]

I use this in battlefield. Didn’t know it works like that. I thought it was laser guided.

[@lightuk8958]

Nah, the missile knows where it is and where it isn’t.

[@user-xi2bi2zh2n]

The missile destroyed the tank and made the tank turret fly into space. The destructive power of the missile

[@Austin.Kilgore]

So does the wire stays behind the missile the whole time?

[@somedude6833]

>wireless missile >look inside >wires

[@AA-xo9uw]

TOW - Tube launched Optically tracked Wire guided

[@mospeada1152]

4.5km? That's a lot of wire!

[@friedfrawg]

Yeah the insurgents string them across the street at neck level so gunners and tank commanders get beheaded.

[@justuskid9577]

Wire is best... Now its wifi 😂😂😂😂

[@aussi3212]

It can penitrate 900mm of armour ? So double the penetrative capability of a battleship ?

[@johncraig1431]

What happens if the wire breaks or gets stuck

[@SW-qr8qe]

Unfortunately it locates the guy who fired it

[@MrDportjoe]

Much less than you would think. You are shooting from ambush and if you do that right you minimize the back blast exposure and if the AFV or tank is buttoned up odds are you are far enough that they won't even spot the blast check out video from Syria in 2015

[@kingpackagers8032]

You listed the advantages of wire. So the new wireless version you mentioned at the end is therefore inferior

[@thefatkid9298]

Good, next they will find the launcher targeting the "wire".

[@entertainmentjoke2871]

Friendly reminder: one missile can feed thousands of hunger

[@phillipdavidhaskett7513]

Well, we're not going to spend the money on the poor just so they can continue feeding and breeding. Defending the productive segment of society takes precedence.

[@shimsy41]

And just remember, one missile can free a dozen from hunger forever....

[@justineast1539]

Hell on a wire, nothing can stop this bit another target

[@rubinkiritparekh]

Does this mean this system cannot be used in wooded, grass land, scrub land etc ...I.e terrain where physical barriers albiet natural exist.....What happens if the wire tangles in the tree branches ....reeds....tall grass....Etc??? As a lay man civilian have always been intrigued....Is this essentially a weapon that is not suitable "beyond visual range " ???.

[@thelaw2174]

Can pearce through 900mm of armor? Wut?

[@josephozdemir6210]

Yup

[@marczhu7473]

It's armor equivalent in rolled steel. 😂

[@thelaw2174]

@@josephozdemir6210 900mm????

[@thelaw2174]

@@josephozdemir6210 it's almost a meter

[@PodofGold]

Shape charges are amazing at punching through steel. It is why modern day armor utilizes advanced composites, reactive armor, etc. Basically, our ability to destroy is greater than our ability to protect. Most tanks now-a-days are immune to small arms fire, basic rockets, etc, and are amazing weapons platforms, giving ground troops localized heavy fire. However, there's only so much armor you can put onto a vehicle. Steel has its limits, which is why composites and even depleted uranium is used as defense. Look up shape charges and what they can do to steel, its pretty terrifying that a man-portable missile can go through two feet of homogenous steel.

[@3v4761]

So wire is so good you had to illuminate it

[@Pandrnchicken]

Tommy cooker anyone? Sorry, I love WW2 history!

[@swanygaming6668]

Because that’s how it was designed at the time it’s old there saved u a video

[@azriabubakar9489]

What happen if the thin wire got snap ?

[@magnetacyan5032]

No control and missle will go where the last movement on the guidance system told it to go to

[@metalman6708]

Its made of kevlar type stuff.

[@PodofGold]

Or shooting over a body of water, or any number of things can affect the wires has to be thought about before shooting. It had its limitations, but was also pretty resilient for its time.

[@820hurleyj]

Plus you can wrap the wire around the legs of a Walker and bring it down. 😅

[@jentraniansdnbhd1680]

Wired systems is more reliable then wireless

[@haakonsteinsvaag]

It is, the only problem is that the operator is exposed to enemy fire while the missile flies towards its target. The exemption is if the TOW is operated from inside an armored vehicle. This is only marginally safer.

[@neon.kalash3115]

It is not lol.

[@vampire-ww3vw]

Why you added wires - it's a new technology Why you removed wires - it's a new technology

[@MrHeuvaladao]

It's a wireless cable

[@lredhulk340]

Target hit, now you two go and collect the wire from enemy area😅

[@partiespronto]

So that thing has like 8 miles of wire wrapped up in it?

[@ticklingoscillators1852]

About 4 but yes, it does.

[@drgonzo305]

The new ones are wireless

[@no.1spectator39]

The question is how long is the wire?

[@konjobomama222]

How long is the wire

[@cannonfodder6299]

Its wire guided because it was developed in the 60s.

[@alexlo7708]

It does not immune to all jams. Target can use a laser beam in blinding the missile operator.

[@PodofGold]

Target would have to locate the missile operator and get a laser beam on the sights of the missile operator in seconds for this to work. Off the top of my head, max flight time is just under 20 seconds, so to "jam", you are talking about a human being, in less than 20 seconds, identifying that specifically a TOW missile has been launched at them (or someone), identifying the POO site, instantly pulling out a laser with its own sights that can see a human at 4km away, and accurately putting said laser beam directly into the optics of the operator. That's what you're saying jams it, right?

[@alexlo7708]

@@PodofGold Its no matter ,I said it or not. But it is significant enough US made fire&forgot, Javelin missile to replace them.

[@dunknow9486]

If wired is so good why later version is wireless?

[@lenowoo]

Not going to say the con?

[@kwcbomb6969]

the video should say.. "why was the TOW missile wire-guided" they arent anymore as they fixed the jamming issues...

[@fridaycaliforniaa236]

Hell on a wire

[@HennyvilleX]

How can you call it a TOW if it's wireless? Maybe it follows similar priciples like the famous WIFI cable

[@callme_buddieganja4514]

Keep those around for when the enemy has EMP's. May save our lives to keep and old school artillery in use

[@henriqueandrade9829]

I bet the missile knows where it is 🤔

[@handyearly3653]

It surely sucks when you drive through where they were fired. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@father6371]

35 inches of armor...

[@raineralessandro3188]

Of course, the wire guided missile is superior to the wireless one as it cannot be jammed nor countered by electrical jammers and defenses, however the attack is prone to be countered by the enemy by pulling the wire in between the missile...

[@zmc50]

He he he they will never know where this missile came from. Umm sir