DrainBamage
Gold Member
- Dec 31, 2016
- 1,750
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I found this interesting...
> U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Contract
Raytheon Missiles Systems, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $101,333,802 modification (P00014) to contract W31P4Q-17-C-0194 to procure Tactically-Launched Optically-Tracked Wireless-Guided missiles. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2017 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $101,333,802 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
This missile first saw combat over 47 years ago fired from helicopters to take out NV tanks, and is now slotted to be produced to 2022 making for a 50 year lifespan weapon system.
Granted it's a completely different missile, despite name acronym still W="wire guided" this modern production lot is RF guided. TOW 2Bs also use a top attack profile and dual charge warhead to defeat reactive armor. Despite better (and more expensive) true fire-and-forget missiles out there like Hellfire and Javelin, TOW is still being churned out since compatibility with thousands of existing launch systems.
I'm betting they will never upgrade the Bradleys from TOW since that's a dead-end path with Bradley nearing end of service life, lots of talk of a new IFV, and evolution of Stryker brigade as a new component in combined arms warfare. Obviously Stryker units can employ Javelin from the dismounted infantry, in addition to the TOW mounted on the vehcile itself.
> U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Contract
Raytheon Missiles Systems, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $101,333,802 modification (P00014) to contract W31P4Q-17-C-0194 to procure Tactically-Launched Optically-Tracked Wireless-Guided missiles. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2017 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $101,333,802 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
This missile first saw combat over 47 years ago fired from helicopters to take out NV tanks, and is now slotted to be produced to 2022 making for a 50 year lifespan weapon system.
Granted it's a completely different missile, despite name acronym still W="wire guided" this modern production lot is RF guided. TOW 2Bs also use a top attack profile and dual charge warhead to defeat reactive armor. Despite better (and more expensive) true fire-and-forget missiles out there like Hellfire and Javelin, TOW is still being churned out since compatibility with thousands of existing launch systems.
I'm betting they will never upgrade the Bradleys from TOW since that's a dead-end path with Bradley nearing end of service life, lots of talk of a new IFV, and evolution of Stryker brigade as a new component in combined arms warfare. Obviously Stryker units can employ Javelin from the dismounted infantry, in addition to the TOW mounted on the vehcile itself.
