2003 Iraq War

BGM-71 TOW in the 2003 Iraq War

U.S. Army and DoD sources document BGM-71 TOW use in the 2003 Iraq War, including Operation Iraqi Freedom fire-control systems and a 101st Airborne Division missile firing in Mosul.

Weapon profileBGM-71 TOW
SideUnited States and coalition forcesRoleAnti-ArmorFire SupportForce Protection
BGM-71 TOW, Heavy anti-tank guided missile, Infantry Weapons - 2003 Iraq War
Image source: File:BGM-71 TOW fired.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
TOW ITAS, Bradley IBAS, and Stryker MITAS provided precision assault and antitank fires in Operation Iraqi Freedom since 2003.

Sources: The TOW Missile - Precise And Powerful

Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division fired a TOW missile in Mosul, Iraq, on July 22, 2003.

Sources: 101st Airborne TOW Missile In Mosul

A companion DoD image records a TOW missile streaking toward the Mosul building in the same July 22, 2003 engagement.

Sources: TOW Missile Streaks Toward Mosul Building

Army reporting describes ITAS as a long-range anti-tank and precision assault fires system used in Operation Iraqi Freedom since 2003.

Sources: TOW System Upgrade Goes To Troops In Afghanistan

The sourced record identifies U.S. Army use and does not document Iraqi government, insurgent, or militia TOW operation in this conflict.

Sources: 101st Airborne TOW Missile In Mosul, The TOW Missile - Precise And Powerful

Timeline

BGM-71 TOW In 2003 Iraq War

  1. Army reporting places TOW-family precision fires in OIF from 2003

    Army AL&T reported that ITAS, Bradley IBAS, and Stryker MITAS provided precision assault and antitank fires in Operation Iraqi Freedom since 2003.

    Sources: The TOW Missile - Precise And Powerful

  2. 101st Airborne fires TOW missiles in Mosul

    Defense Department imagery documents soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division firing a TOW missile at a building in Mosul suspected of harboring Qusay and Uday Hussein.

    Sources: 101st Airborne TOW Missile In Mosul, TOW Missile Streaks Toward Mosul Building

  3. Army article summarizes OIF TOW/ITAS role

    The Army described ITAS as a long-range heavy anti-tank and precision assault fires capability that had played a leading role in Operation Iraqi Freedom since 2003.

    Sources: TOW System Upgrade Goes To Troops In Afghanistan

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The BGM-71 TOW is directly documented in the 2003 Iraq War through U.S. Army reporting and official Defense Department imagery. Army AL&T reported in 2009 that TOW's Improved Target Acquisition System, the Bradley Improved Bradley Acquisition Subsystem, and the Stryker Anti-Tank Guided Missile Vehicle's modified ITAS had provided precision assault and antitank fires in Operation Iraqi Freedom since 2003.

A Defense Department photo record from Mosul documents soldiers of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division firing a TOW missile at a building suspected of harboring Saddam Hussein's sons Qusay and Uday on July 22, 2003. A companion DoD image records a TOW missile streaking toward the same building during that engagement.

Sources: The TOW Missile - Precise And Powerful, 101st Airborne TOW Missile In Mosul, TOW Missile Streaks Toward Mosul Building

Timeline

The public source record supports a 2003 start point for TOW-family use in Operation Iraqi Freedom, with Army AL&T identifying ITAS, IBAS, and MITAS as systems used for precision assault and antitank fires since 2003. The strongest dated incident in the record is the July 22, 2003 Mosul operation, when 101st Airborne soldiers fired TOW missiles during the attempt to apprehend Qusay and Uday Hussein.

Later Army reporting described the TOW Improved Target Acquisition System as a leading asset in Operation Iraqi Freedom since 2003 and emphasized its use beyond classic tank fighting. That reporting framed TOW/ITAS as a precision direct-fire and target-location system able to destroy targets with missiles or pass locations to close air support and artillery.

Sources: The TOW Missile - Precise And Powerful, 101st Airborne TOW Missile In Mosul, TOW System Upgrade Goes To Troops In Afghanistan

Operational role

In Iraq, the documented users in this record are U.S. Army forces on the United States and coalition side. The evidence covers both a specific dismounted or HMMWV-mounted TOW firing by the 101st Airborne Division in Mosul and broader Army descriptions of TOW-family fire-control systems in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The role was not limited to anti-tank engagements. Army sources describe ITAS as a long-range heavy anti-tank and precision assault fires capability for light, airborne, air-assault, Marine Corps, and Stryker forces, with related TOW fire-control equipment integrated on Bradley and Stryker anti-tank platforms. In urban and counterinsurgency conditions, the same sources describe TOW as useful against positions, buildings, and other non-tank targets when commanders needed precision direct fire.

The sources used here directly document U.S. and coalition use. They do not establish Iraqi government, Iraqi insurgent, or militia operation of BGM-71 TOW missiles during the 2003 Iraq War.

Sources: The TOW Missile - Precise And Powerful, TOW System Upgrade Goes To Troops In Afghanistan, 101st Airborne TOW Missile In Mosul

Images

Conflict Context

Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division fire a TOW missile at a building in Mosul, Iraq, on July 22, 2003
Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division fire a TOW missile at a building in Mosul, Iraq, on July 22, 2003.

Sources: 101st Airborne TOW Missile In Mosul

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Sources