Photo By Spc. Wyatt Davis | Pvt. Jason Thomas, an infantryman with Delta Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT STEWART, Georgia - Missiles ripped through the morning air as infantrymen tested their skill and accuracy with the Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) anti-tank missile at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Dec. 10.
Soldiers of Delta Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division trained for two months in preparation for this TOW missile live-fire exercise. After hours of simulations, two Soldiers were chosen to fire the missile.
“We practiced differentiating between targets, ran through different simulation lanes and learned all the controls of the weapon,” said Pvt. Jason Thomas, an infantryman with Delta Co.
Thomas was one of two Soldiers chosen to fire the TOW missile, after proving himself during gunnery training two months prior. This was the first time Thomas experienced firing a weapon with this much firepower.
“I've never actually seen a video of the missile firing,” said Thomas. “I would much rather experience it for myself.”
The TOW missile systems utilize the Improved Target Acquisition System, or the ITAS, which can be mounted on multiple vehicles and platforms. With both day and night capabilities, it can be a combat multiplier for a unit facing armored threats or lacking aerial support.
“It can most often be used for vehicles, certain structures, and some terrain,” said Sgt. Brandon Koonce, an infantryman who had previously fired the TOW missile. “When you don't have air support it can really help out,”
Thomas accurately engaged his target with the one missile he was given.
“It was a great experience. I loved it,” said Thomas. “It was better than I expected, a very intense feeling.”
| Date Taken: | 12.10.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 12.13.2016 11:48 |
| Story ID: | 217521 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 88 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, 3-7 IN. Soldiers obliterate targets with TOW missiles, by SPC Wyatt Davis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
