TOW missile

Also known as: tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missile(Show More)

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Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

The TOW (tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided) missile is a significant type of guided missile developed after World War II. It is primarily used for antitank and assault purposes, offering greater range and power than earlier infantry antitank weapons.1

TOW missiles are typically launched from vehicles or attack helicopters. The guidance system involves an operator visually tracking the target with an optical sight, while the missile is automatically guided via a wire that unreels behind it. This wire transmits course corrections to the missile's control mechanism. While initially wire-guided, later generations of similar missiles have incorporated radio, infrared, and laser guidance systems. The TOW missile was a principal U.S. antiarmour munition until the development of more advanced systems like the Hellfire missile.12

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rocket and missile system
Antitank and guided assault
…pending the development of the TOW (for tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided) missile. Because it was designed for greater range and hitting power, TOW was mounted primarily on vehicles and, particularly, on attack helicopters. Helicopter-fired antitank missiles were first used in combat when the U.S. Army deployed several TOW-equipped UH-1 “Hueys”…
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…pending the development of the TOW (for tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided) missile. Because it was designed for greater range and hitting power, TOW was mounted primarily on vehicles and, particularly, on attack helicopters. Helicopter-fired antitank missiles were first used in combat when the U.S. Army deployed several TOW-equipped UH-1 “Hueys”…
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tactical weapons system
Surface-to-surface systems
TOW or the Franco-German HOT, a wire unreels behind the missile and the operator signals course corrections to a control mechanism inside the missile as it flies. Other missiles are guided by radio, infrared, and laser beams. The U.S. Copperhead is a laser-guided artillery projectile…
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TOW or the Franco-German HOT, a wire unreels behind the missile and the operator signals course corrections to a control mechanism inside the missile as it flies. Other missiles are guided by radio, infrared, and laser beams. The U.S. Copperhead is a laser-guided artillery projectile…
Read More