Toophan
Encyclopedia
Toophan is an Iranian anti-tank missile that is a reverse-engineered copy of the US military TOW missile
. The Toophan's payload is a 3.6 kg high-explosive anti-tank warhead that can penetrate up to 550mm of steel armor. The range is 3,850m, the top speed 310m/s. The manufacturer is the Aerospace Industries Organization of Iran, which has produced the missile since 2000.
In May 1975 negotiations between Iran and Hughes Missile Systems on co-production of the TOW and Maverick
missiles stalled over disagreements in the pricing structure. Hughes set the royalty and initial investment costs for Iran at $20 million for the TOW and $25 million for the Maverick. The subsequent 1979 revolution ended all plans for such co-production.
Hezbollah has reportedly used Toophan missiles against Israeli Merkava
tanks in the 2006 Lebanon War.
and Toophan 5, have also been manufactured, the latter one having greatly increased range over the original TOW.
BGM-71 TOW
The BGM-71 TOW is an anti-tank missile. "BGM" is a weapon classification that stands for "Multiple Environment , Surface-Attack , Missile ". "TOW" is an acronym that stands for "Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire command data link, guided missile"...
. The Toophan's payload is a 3.6 kg high-explosive anti-tank warhead that can penetrate up to 550mm of steel armor. The range is 3,850m, the top speed 310m/s. The manufacturer is the Aerospace Industries Organization of Iran, which has produced the missile since 2000.
Operational history
Iran was among the earliest country to import the TOW missile as far back as 1971. Extensive repair and assembly facilities were setup at the Iran Electronics Industries (IEI) by the Texas-based Emerson Energy Systems as well as Hughes Missile Systems to repair TOW and FGM-77A Dragon missile.In May 1975 negotiations between Iran and Hughes Missile Systems on co-production of the TOW and Maverick
AGM-65 Maverick
The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile designed for close-air support. It is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation and fuel storage facilities....
missiles stalled over disagreements in the pricing structure. Hughes set the royalty and initial investment costs for Iran at $20 million for the TOW and $25 million for the Maverick. The subsequent 1979 revolution ended all plans for such co-production.
Hezbollah has reportedly used Toophan missiles against Israeli Merkava
Merkava
The Merkava is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces. The tank began development in 1974 and was first introduced in 1978. Four main versions of the tank have been deployed. It was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War...
tanks in the 2006 Lebanon War.
Variants
Two improved versions, the Toophan 2Toophan 2
Toophan 2 is an upgraded version of Iran's Toophan missile, which itself is a copy of the American BGM-71 TOW armor piercing, anti-tank missile.-See also:*Toophan*Military of Iran*Iranian military industry*Current Equipment of the Iranian Army...
and Toophan 5, have also been manufactured, the latter one having greatly increased range over the original TOW.