Jordan-ordered TOW missiles to arrive this year

AMMAN — Jordan on Tuesday signed an agreement with US Department of Defence to acquire tube-launched, optically tracked, wireless-guided (TOW) missiles made by the company.

Raytheon will begin deliveries to the Kingdom this year, the company said in a statement on its website.

The agreement was announced during the 11th Special Operations Forces Exhibition (SOFEX) 2016, which is held at the King Abdullah I Air Base in Marka until May 12th with the participation of 380 companies from 37 countries that showcase the latest equipment used in special operations related to the national security.

TOW is in service in more than 40 international armed forces and integrated in more than 15,000 ground, vehicle and helicopter platforms worldwide. Raytheon has delivered more than 690,000 TOW missiles to US and allied warfighters. The TOW weapon system will be in service with the US military beyond 2025, the manufacturer said in the statement.

“Our international partners rely on the kind of extended-range precision TOW provides,” said Scott Speet, Raytheon TOW programme director. “We’re looking forward to providing them with this capability for many years to come,” Speet added.

TOW, with the multi-mission TOW 2A, TOW 2B Aero and TOW Bunker Buster missiles, is the premier long-range, precision, anti-armour, anti-fortification weapon system used throughout the world today, according to the website of  US-based Raytheon, which is a technology and innovation leader specialising in defence, civil government and cyber security solutions.