From the moment the vehicle takes a firing position, it takes only 20 seconds to raise the launcher, acquire a target, and engage. The launcher is not stabilized, and must be lowered prior to fast movement in order to avoid damage, but the TOW missile is incapable of being guided from a moving vehicle anyway. It is lowered when the vehicle is traveling, and raised when firing. ![]() Nicknamed the "Hammerhead", the SEI 901 TUA (TOW Under Armor) launcher slews 360 degrees in 10 seconds, elevates to +34 degrees, and depresses to -30 degrees. As the Army already had an ATGM vehicle based on the M113 (the M150), the new weapon system was designated as the "Improved TOW Vehicle", or ITV. This graphic demonstration of the ATGM carrier's capabilities in modern warfare prompted the US Army to finally initiate serious research and development into such a vehicle. M901 ITV becoming fully-operational in 1979Īfter the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when Arab-operated tank destroyer variants of the BRDM-2 scout car armed with "pop-up" ATGM launchers inflicted significant losses on the IDF's tank force.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |