El Balanced ScoreCard y su Construcción

a. Position the eye well into the rubber eyepiece and place both hands firmly on the control knobs (Figure 5-10). Place the body so there is no contact between the shoulder and the encased missile. The only contact with the launcher is with the hands and eye. Assume a firing position that is comfortable. An uncomfortable position causes muscle tension, which affects the ability to track smoothly.

NOTE: When firing from the tripod, kneel on one or both knees.

b. Raise the trigger protective cover and establish a smooth tracking rate while keeping the crosshairs on the center of visible mass of the target (Figure 5-11).

Figure 5-11. Crosshairs on the center of visible mass of the target. c. Move the launch tube left or right by applying a smooth, steady force to both control knobs (pushing one and pulling on the other) and rotating the body from the waist up as the launcher moves. Elevate or depress the launch tube by applying a smooth, steady turning force to both control knobs. Applying pressure to only one control knob, or applying uneven pressure, makes it more difficult to track smoothly. Maintain the same arm, shoulder, and head position throughout an engagement. Any change in body position other than leaning with the controls will cause a jerking motion that could result in grounding of the missile.

d. Proper breath control is especially important during the first and last 400 meters of missile flight. Improper breathing will cause poor tracking. Take a deep breath and let part of it out; then, press the trigger. After a 1.5-second delay, the missile will launch. The delayed firing of the launch motor may cause you to flinch or jerk the control knobs if you are not prepared for it. Be prepared for two noises after the trigger is pressed. The first noise is the gyro being activated. While it is not loud, it may cause you to think a misfire has occurred, and you may not be prepared for the next noise. The second noise is the launch motor firing and it is loud. The dust, smoke, heat, and debris from the backblast may cause flinching. When the missile appears in the sight picture, ignore it.

Never try to guide the missile. If distracted, tracking becomes poor and chances of hitting

the target are reduced. Continue to track the target at a smooth tracking rate, keeping the crosshairs on the center of visible mass until missile impact (Figure 5-12).

Figure 5-12. Keep crosshairs on the center of visible mass. 5-5. TARGET ENGAGEMENT WITH THE M220A2 (TOW 2)

Specific procedures are followed to engage a target using the M220A2.

a. Looking through the daysight tracker, adjust the focus control until the crosshairs are in focus. (To see the crosshairs clearly, set RETICLE LIGHT switch to ON.) Position the crosshairs on the target, and remove the front lens cover from the nightsight by releasing two latches. Set the ON-OFF-STBY switch to ON. Look through the eyepiece and adjust the diopter adjustment ring to focus the reticle. Ensure the battery monitor light is off. Set the field of view selector to wide field of view, locate the target, and adjust the range focus, contrast, and brightness controls to obtain the best possible sight picture. Set the field of view selector to narrow field of view and adjust the range focus, contrast, and brightness knobs.

(1) Because handoff may occur when limited visibility conditions exist, locate the target with the daysight tracker and fire using the nightsight. During daylight, the battlefield can be obscured by smoke, dust, and so forth. If limited visibility conditions exist, the MGS automatically transfers control of the missile from the daysight tracker to the nightsight. The nightsight allows continuous observation of the target regardless of battlefield visibility conditions.

(2) To view the battlefield, ensure the TOW 2 nightsight ON-OFF-STBY switch is in the ON position. Battlefield conditions requiring the nightsight to be in operation are area target monitoring and target engagement. The ON-OFF-STBY switch on the TOW 2 nightsight allows greater battery life from the BPC when placed in the STBY position. After the TOW 2 nightsight has been turned on and allowed to cool down (about three minutes), place the ON-OFF-STBY switch in the STBY position. The STBY position causes the closed-cycle cooler to cycle OFF for 100 seconds and ON for 20 seconds. Cool down is not required if the nightsight has been operating in the STBY position.

(3) When firing the TOW 2 system, ensure the nightsight is turned ON. Always allow three to five minutes cool down time before operation regardless of which sight is used. This ensures that the enhanced capabilities of TOW 2 are used during firing, flight, and impact. Certain conditions may permit degraded firing. During the system check-out procedure, if the display indicates a nightsight (postamplifier) failure, the TOW 2 can be fired using the daysight tracker only. If limited visibility causes handoff during flight, control of the missile may be lost.

b. To complete the firing sequence, follow the procedures for the basic TOW launcher (paragraph 5-4, page 5-9).

Section ll. HELICOPTER ENGAGEMENT

Enemy armor is the primary threat to friendly ground forces employed in forward areas. The primary mission of the TOW is the destruction of these tanks at the greatest possible range. However, TOW gunners can also successfully engage attacking enemy helicopters, which are a significant threat to ground forces.