BGM-71 TOW vs Milan

Entering service in 1970 and 1972 respectively, the American BGM-71 TOW and the Franco-German MILAN established the baseline for Western anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) doctrine during the Cold War. With 700,000 TOWs and 350,000 MILANs produced, both systems rely on semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) wire guidance. Their physical specifications, however, forced a permanent divergence in how NATO militaries deployed them.

Development and Design

Hughes developed the TOW around a 152mm diameter, 1.55-meter airframe. This size dictated vehicle and rotary-wing integration early in its lifecycle, resulting in dedicated ATGM platforms like the M901 ITV, the M2/M3 Bradley, and the AH-1 Cobra. Euromissile designed the MILAN specifically for dismounted infantry. Its smaller 90mm diameter and 0.77-meter length allowed a two-man squad to transport and fire the weapon, though it later saw integration on armored vehicles like the German Marder.

Performance and Capabilities

The TOW outranges the MILAN by a factor of two. Baseline and mid-generation TOW variants reach 3,750 to 4,000 meters, while the MILAN is restricted to 2,000 meters. The TOW’s larger form factor carries a 3.9 kg warhead compared to the MILAN's 2.9 kg payload. This volume allowed the TOW to evolve beyond direct-fire profiles. The TOW 2B Aero variant introduced a top-attack flight path utilizing explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) to bypass thick glacis armor. Euromissile limited MILAN upgrades to direct-fire tandem warheads (MILAN 2T and 3) to counter explosive reactive armor (ERA), never fielding a top-attack capability.

Guidance and Technology

Both missiles use SACLOS wire guidance. The operator must keep the crosshairs on the target throughout the flight time. The TOW travels at 1,000 km/h against the MILAN’s 720 km/h, reducing the operator's exposure to counter-battery fire at equivalent ranges. To counter electro-optical jammers such as the Russian Shtora system, the MILAN 3 introduced a xenon tracking beacon, while the TOW 2 added dual thermal and optical beacons. Because neither possesses fire-and-forget targeting, operators of both systems remain highly vulnerable to modern active protection systems (APS) and thermal optics.

Deployment and Combat Record

Both systems have established combat records across distinct environments:

• Vietnam and Middle East: US forces deployed the TOW at Kontum in 1972. In the Syrian Civil War, rebel forces used TOW-2As to destroy Syrian T-72s, though operators regularly took casualties from return fire due to the missile's 15-second flight time.
• Falklands and Chad: British infantry fired MILANs to destroy Argentine bunkers in 1982, while French forces used the system to neutralize Libyan armored columns in Chad.
• Iraq: Kurdish Peshmerga relied on German-supplied MILANs to stop up-armored Islamic State vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) outside Mosul.

Conclusion

The BGM-71 TOW holds a definitive edge over the MILAN. The TOW’s 4,000-meter range, vehicle-integrated survivability, and development into top-attack profiles keep it relevant against 21st-century main battle tanks. The MILAN’s strict direct-fire trajectory and 2,000-meter range render it obsolete against modern armor equipped with current-generation ERA and thermal sights. The TOW's 152mm airframe provided the physical growth margin necessary to defeat evolving armor configurations, whereas the MILAN's design prioritized portability at the permanent expense of lethality and range.