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The M41 TOW improved target acquisition system (ITAS) is a block upgrade to the M220 ground/high-- mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV)-mounted TOW 2 missile system. The TOW ITAS is currently being fielded to airborne, air assault, and light infantry forces throughout the active and reserve components of the U.S. Army. The ITAS, in addition to providing better antiarmor capabilities to antitank units, also has capabilities that make it an integral part of the combined arms team. Even when organized in heavy-light task forces, where the preponderance of antiarmor capabilities traditionally has resided in the heavy elements, TOW ITAS-equipped antitank units can not only destroy threat targets but also provide superior reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA), rear area protection, and urban operations capabilities.
The TOW ITAS consists of three new line replaceable units: the target acquisition subsystem (TAS), the fire control subsystem, and the battery power source; a modified TOW 2 traversing unit; the existing TOW launch tube and tripod; and a TOW HMMWV modification kit. The TAS integrates into a single housing the direct view optics, a second-generation forward looking infrared (FLIR) night vision sight (NVS), missile trackers, and a laser range finder. TAS electronics provide automatic boresighting for these components, eliminating both tactical collimation and 180-day verification requirements.
The fire control subsystem, which is the system's brain, contains the software that controls the missile flight, the aided target tracker, passive ranging, and NVS zoom. The tracker enables the gunner to lock onto the thermal image of a target by properly sizing "track gates" on the target. The tracker will cause the missile to fly to the center of mass within the track gates during the brief period of target obscuration after missile launch. These track gates can be used to determine the approximate range to a target on the basis of standard target form sizes. The fire control system also contains the embedded training circuitry for sustainment training, and advanced built-in test/built-in test equipment (BIT/BITE), which provides fault detection and isolation for both operator and direct-support maintenance.
The battery power source gives TOW ITAS a ten-hour dismount capability, a power conditioner for on-vehicle power, and an AC/DC battery charger. The modified traversing unit has an elevation brake to reduce launch transients, and improved...