The BGM-71 TOW is an American anti-tank missile. TOW replaced much smaller missiles like the SS.10 and ENTAC, offering roughly twice the effective range, a more powerful warhead, and a greatly improved semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) that could also be equipped with infrared cameras for night time use.
An M41 tripod-mounted TOW ITAS-FTL with PADS of the U.S. Army in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, May 2009
A U.S. Army soldier in 1964, with the first concept mock-up of Redstone Arsenal's proposed future HAW system (Heavy Antitank Weapon). The HAW ultimately resulted in the modern-day TOW.
TOW launch showing guidance wires
A TOW missile cutaway at a museum in Germany. The warhead is on the left, with its copper liner evident. Behind the warhead is the rocket motor with one exhaust nozzle visible. At the right is the guidance system and wire dispensers.
An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulder-launched weapons, which can be transported by a single soldier, to larger tripod-mounted weapons, which require a squad or team to transport and fire, to vehicle and aircraft mounted missile systems.
FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile of the United States Army
The 9M133 Kornet tripod-mounted ATGM of the Russian Ground Forces
The Brimstone missile is a fire-and-forget missile of the RAF
PARS 3 LR fire-and-forget missile of the German Army