The Ukrainian Defense Forces will soon be armed with US-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile systems.

These weapons will help Ukrainian soldiers to destroy Russian armored vehicles.

Anti-tank systems are included in a new package of US military support worth up to $775 million, the Pentagon stated on August 19.

U.S. President Joe Biden is authorizing additional aid to Ukraine using his presidential authority to transfer surplus weapons from the U.S. stockpiles.

This weapons package is the nineteenth seizure of equipment from U.S. Army stockpiles for Ukraine since August 2021 authorized by President Biden’s Administration.

The BGM-71 TOW heavy anti-tank missile system is one of the main ATGMs in the US Army. It is one of the most common second generation anti-tank missile systems in the world and is in service in more than 40 countries.

The system, in its first version, was adopted by the US Army in 1970. After that, it was repeatedly modernized and the American army continues to use it.

The guidance of an anti-tank missile is semi-automatic; control is carried out by the operator through wire communication.

The preprocessed guided missile TOW-2A has a tandem warhead that is optimized to defeat the reactive armor of main battle tanks.

In the modern version, the ATGM has a sighting kit that combines a thermal sight and a laser rangefinder.

The TOW is used as an infantry weapon, as well as in the armament of the Bradley IFV and other equipment and self-propelled anti-tank installations. The total weight of the entire system is 93 kg. Operational range is up to 4 km.

The system proved itself well during hostilities in various military conflicts.