Raytheon Company and the US Army achieved excellence in recent flight tests of the tube-launched, opticallytracked, wireless (TOW) missile. In September, the team scored its 100th TOW hit, which marked the successful engagement of 100 out of 100 targets.

During the testing programme, which began in 2011, several missiles hit targets beyond 4,000 metres with zero inches of deviation from the aim point in either altitude or azimuth, demonstrating accuracy and reliability.

“TOW continues to build on its legacy as one of the most accurate and effective precision assault weapon systems in militaries around the world,” said Scott Speet, Raytheon Missile Systems’ TOW program director. “At the same time, it remains the most affordable missile in its category.”

The TOW weapon system features a family of multimission missiles fired from a variety of ground and helicopter platforms. Wireless TOW missiles include an RF transmitter added to the missile case and an RF receiver located inside the missile. Since no launcher modifications were required for the transition to wireless, this growth in capability is transparent to TOW customers.

The tube-launched, optically-tracked, wireless weapon system, with the multimission TOW 2A, TOW 2B, TOW 2B Aero and TOW Bunker Buster missiles, is the premier long-range, precision anti-armour, antifortification and anti-amphibious landing weapon system used throughout the world today. TOW is in service in more than 40 international armed forces and integrated on more than 15,000 ground, vehicle and helicopter platforms worldwide. The TOW weapon system is expected to be in service with the US military beyond 2025. December 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the TOW missile programme, with more than 6,50,000 missiles produced.