Will this heat it up, or cool it down ?

[ironglow]

.
   It could work either way, Putin could read it as determination by NATO, even if Biden is mentally AWOL,
  or he could lose it, and start some kind of action.
  He could also recognize that Boris Johnson is more akin to Trump, that similar to Biden..

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHIKLaAHfDU

[Bob Riebe]

As Boris in the U.K. is politically in hot-water, it might just be a political play; to increase U.K.s defense budget if nothing else.

[ironglow]

  .
   The British are sending TOW weapons..  The TOW can fire straight on a target or go high and come down directly on top of a tank..

  Coming down on top of a tank with a HEAP round, would be extremely NASTY !

[mcbammer]

  .
   The British are sending TOW weapons..  The TOW can fire straight on a target or go high and come down directly on top of a tank..

  Coming down on top of a tank with a HEAP round, would be extremely NASTY !

  Yep;  with the laser guided weapons today , I would not want to be inside a tank . A  Sitting Duck .

[Graybeard]

The TOW missile, Tube launched, Optically sighted, Wire guided, missile can only go where the gunner firing it can see.

If it were fired from above then yes it could come down on top of a tank. But if as is most typical of the TOW missile it is fired from the ground using it's tripod or from a vehicle like a Humvee then no, I don't see how.

I spent several years of my working career working on the guidance system for the TOW missile. It was my job to rebuild the optical sight that was used to guide it so I do have some experience here.

I have made no attempt to keep up with changes since I left that job. Back then it was fired from the ground using a traversing unit mounted atop a tripod or from a Jeep, the Humvee was just coming into existence back then. It was not at least at that time fired from helicopters.

[ironglow]

The TOW missile, Tube launched, Optically sighted, Wire guided, missile can only go where the gunner firing it can see.

If it were fired from above then yes it could come down on top of a tank. But if as is most typical of the TOW missile it is fired from the ground using it's tripod or from a vehicle like a Humvee then no, I don't see how.

I spent several years of my working career working on the guidance system for the TOW missile. It was my job to rebuild the optical sight that was used to guide it so I do have some experience here.

I have made no attempt to keep up with changes since I left that job. Back then it was fired from the ground using a traversing unit mounted atop a tripod or from a Jeep, the Humvee was just coming into existence back then. It was not at least at that time fired from helicopters.

   Thanks for the correction, Bill ..    The tow came out some time after I served, so iI am not personally familiar with that weapon system. I was going by what I read somewhere...so, thanks for setting it straight.

[Dee]

LOL, Yeah like 50 years.

The Democrats/idiots have ruined the economy, ruining the stock markets, ruining the energy industry, and have flung the Southern border doors wide open.

Lets start a war in Europe. It'll be good for us.

[O-mega]

Actually, the TOW has received many upgrades, one version the TOW 2B has the top attack capability, and they can now be wired or wireless.
https://www.military-today.com/missiles/tow_2.htm#:~:text=TOW%202B%20or%20BGM-71F%20is%20a%20top-attack%20missile.,the%20tank%20to%20penetrate%20its%20thin%20top%20armor.

[Graybeard]

Interesting, the wireless came after I ended my involvement with the TOW system.

I watched the firing of two of them. First was when we were handing the systems off to troops. Gunners went thru a month long (I think) training and the top man in class got to fire a real live missile in front of the class. Since I was there handing off the systems to them that day I got to watch him fire.

They had a target out at 2000 meters I think it was. Looked like a white bed sheet with a red cross in the middle. I'd guess he missed dead center by no ore than 2' if that at 2000 meters.

I saw both the TOW and the Dragon missiles being fired another time at another location.

[billy_56081]

The down side of the TOW missile as I remember in the early 90s, was you were exposed during the flight of the missile while you guided it.

[ironglow]

.
  This must have been the TOW missile I saw demonstrated in a video;

  " TOW 2B or BGM-71F is a top-attack missile. It appeared in 1987. This missile explodes above the tank to penetrate its thin top armor. In concept it is similar to a Swedish RBS 56 BILL. It has a maximum range of 4 200 m. Its warhead weights 6.14 kg

   Armoring up top, bottom or both, eaual to frontal armor, would make almost any tank too heavy.

   But of course, they now have reactive armor and the Israeli designed "Trophy" system, that explodes most projos, before they strike the tank. 

     Always has been a see-saw development battle..improved tank killer, followed by improved tank protection..