The US Army has awarded a pair of production contracts to Raytheon for the TOW 2B anti-tank missile.
The contracts for fiscal 2023 and 2024 are valued at $430 million and $246 million, respectively.
“Our TOW production line is active, and we can manufacture up to 10,000 missiles annually,” president of Land and Air Defense Systems at Raytheon Tom Laliberty said.
“This combat-proven effector is ready to meet current and future anti-tank guided missile requirements for the US Army, Marines Corps, and land forces across the globe.”
TOW Anti-Armor Missile
The tube-launched, optically-tracked, wirelessly guided top-attack missile is used in anti-armor, anti-bunker, and anti-fortification missions.
The TOW has the fastest detection time in its category and has a range of around 3,750 meters (12,303 feet).
It is compatible with a range of manned and unmanned platforms including the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, Stryker anti-tank guided missile vehicle, and Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
Moreover, the missile has also been fitted on several attack helicopters in at least 13 countries around the world.
2B variant
The 2B variant features design updates in the form of modernized fusing and target detection upgrades.
It helps the missile maintain the fastest target engagement time in the segment, enabling superior performance in complex urban engagements comprising varied targets.
Moreover, “improvements to the overall missile design and packaging will help meet the latest military environmental requirements to support evolving logistical and terrain challenges.”
More than 700,000 TOW missiles have been delivered by Raytheon to the US and other militaries, including approximately 13,000 to Ukraine.
