Russian site Avia believes that the number of 1,500 US TOW missiles sent to Ukraine is much more dangerous than Javelin and NLAW. This is explained by the long combat distance and good armor penetration.
The Pentagon announced that it is sending a shipment of weapons and military equipment worth $ 775 million, including the “tank killer” TOW, to help Ukraine launch a counterattack in the south.
This information was announced by the US Department of Defense on August 19. This is the 19th aid package for Ukraine since the outbreak of hostilities, aimed at fueling Ukrainian artillery and building an arsenal to support a counterattack near Kherson.
In this batch of weapons, it is worth noting that there are 1,500 BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles.
Russian media said that the TOW anti-tank systems sent by the US to Ukraine should not be underestimated, because this system has proved very effective in the fight against the tanks of the Syrian government army.
It is known that the TOW missile in the hands of the Syrian opposition has caused a lot of damage to the T-54/55, T-62M, T-72/72B3, and even T-90 tanks on the Syrian battlefield.
Although not as modern, in return TOW missile, has 12-50% higher armor penetration, and a 250% longer range than Javelin and NLAW.
The main reason why the US provides Ukraine is that the current method of confrontation on the Ukrainian battlefield is becoming more and more distant, so the long-range, high armor penetration is an advantage.
If Ukraine organizes counterattacks with a target combat range of 4.5 km, TOW anti-tank systems are an advantage.
On the other hand, the large loss of Russian armored forces at the beginning of the special campaign forced them to deploy older tanks to compensate such as T-62M T-64B, and T-72B.
But these tanks have much weaker armor and protection systems than the T-72B3, T-80BVM, T-90A, and T-90M, so they can be vulnerable to TOW missiles.
Russian media said that the first hundreds of TOW missile complexes arrived in Ukraine a few weeks ago, the US announcement is only a matter of formality.
However, it has not been recorded that the Ukrainian military used TOW missiles on the breakaway territories of Luhansk and Donetsk. Currently, the Kiev side has not commented on the information given by Russian media.
Large quantity, cheap price, strong power, TOW is a fear for armored forces when facing them. Currently, this weapon is being used on the Syrian battlefield, TOW missiles in the hands of pro-US opposition forces have destroyed many tanks supplied by Russia to Syrian government troops.
It is estimated that hundreds of tanks and armor of the Syrian army were destroyed by TOW missiles in the hands of the opposition forces. Born in the 1970s, the US BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile is still considered an extremely dangerous weapon. This missile was first deployed on the Vietnam battlefield, and so far they have appeared in many hot spots of the world.
Versions of the TOW later developed were: TOW 2A (BGM-71E), produced in 1987 with more than 118,000 units sold; TOW 2B (BGM-71F), produced in 1991 with over 40,000 units sold.
The TOW rocket is equipped with a two-stage solid-fuel propellant ATK. When shooting, the gunner observes and guides the missile’s flight path to destroy the target through the telescope. The maximum attack range of the latest TOW 2B version is up to 4,200m.
The TOW 2B version is equipped with dual warheads that can neutralize the explosive reactive armor of modern tanks and the ability to penetrate steel shells up to 900mm.
In addition, this missile line is upgraded to be able to penetrate ERA explosive reactive armor tanks. In addition to the version with a fixed base, TOW can be deployed on jeeps and armored vehicles to increase mobility. Currently, TOW is the most widely used anti-tank missile in the US military as well as in other NATO countries.
