This 1970s Era Missile Is Still Being Used Today to Deadly Effect

24/7 Wall St. Insights

We used data from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, arms, and aircraft.
One weapons system that would revolutionize the world of small arms is the BGM-71 TOW / TOW-2, which is an anti-tank-guided missile system.
Also, 2 Dividend Legends To Hold Forever

During the 1970s, the United States was involved in two slow-burning conflicts, the Vietnam War and the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In 1973, after slogging through a decade of a costly, divisive, and ever-intensifying conflict in Vietnam, U.S. combat troops left the country. With the fall of Saigon in April 1975, the government made its exit from the Southeast Asian jungles. They would then turn their attention to the Soviet Union. Special task forces were set up to monitor countries like the Soviet Union, Afghanistan, and Iran for potential threats to democracy.

These changes ushered in a new era of the U.S. military. While this was true for all the higher-ups in a broad sense, the average American soldier would also see a new generation of weapons come to light. A new generation of weapons, including modern designs like the M14 and the M16, would go on to impact how U.S. soldiers were equipped for decades to come. These were the American-made guns of the 1970s.

To identify American guns introduced in the 1970s, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a catalog of small arms from Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, arms, and aircraft. We ordered these guns alphabetically. Though these guns were developed in the 70s, it is important to note some of them were not used by the military until years later. We included supplemental information regarding the type of small arm, year introduced, manufacturer, firing action, caliber, and feed.

This post was updated to clarify military usage, BGM-71 TOW range, and the Vietnam/U.S. timeline.

Why Is This Important?

One weapons system that would revolutionize the world of small arms is the BGM-71 TOW / TOW-2, which is an anti-tank-guided missile system. Introduced in 1970, it would go on to be one of the most pervasive anti-tank weapons systems in the world. With 127mm or 152mm missiles, the original was capable of hitting targets up to 9,800 feet away, while the TOW 2 extended the range to roughly 14,800 feet. The TOW has been outfitted to a number of military vehicles as well as attack helicopters due to its operational effectiveness. It can also be fired by infantry units as well, but these require a tripod.

There are a number of other revolutionary weapons that came from this decade that would go on to influence small arms for years to come.

Here is a look at the American guns introduced in the 1970s:

AMT Hardballer

AMT Hardballer (CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED) by en:User:Amthardball

Type: Semi-automatic pistol
Year introduced: 1977
Manufacturer: Arcadia Machine & Tool / Galena Industries
Firing action: Semi-automatic, short-recoil, locked breech
Caliber and feed .45 ACP, .40 S&W, .400 Corbon; 7- or 8-round box magazine

BGM-71 TOW / TOW-2

Type: Anti-tank guided missile system
Year introduced: 1970
Manufacturer: Hughes Aircraft / Raytheon
Firing action: Tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided
Caliber and feed 127mm, 152mm; Single-shot, reusable

Bushmaster Arm Pistol

Type: Bullpup personal defense weapon
Year introduced: 1977
Manufacturer: Bushmaster Firearms
Firing action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt, long-stroke gas piston
Caliber and feed 5.56x45mm NATO; 20-round detachable box magazine

Colt IMP (Individual Multipurpose Weapon)

Type: Aircrew survival weapon
Year introduced: 1972
Manufacturer: Colt Defense
Firing action: Automatic fire
Caliber and feed .221-17 IMP; 10- or 30-round detachable box magazine

Ingram MAC-10 (M10)

Type: Submachine gun
Year introduced: 1970
Manufacturer: Military Armament Corporation
Firing action: Blowback-operation, full-automatic fire
Caliber and feed .45 ACP, 9x19mm Parabellum, .380 ACP; 30- or 32-round detachable box magazine

M202 FLASH (Flame Assault Shoulder Weapon)

Type: Shoulder-fired incendiary rocket launcher
Year introduced: 1978
Manufacturer: Designed by Hughes Aircraft, produced by Chrysler’s Missile Division
Firing action: Trigger-actuated
Caliber and feed 66mm; Four-shot, reusable launcher

M240

Type: Medium machine gun
Year introduced: 1977
Manufacturer: Fabrique Nationale
Firing action: Gas-operated, open bolt, belt-fed, full-automatic
Caliber and feed 7.62x51mm NATO; Disintegrating metal link feed of various counts

M47 Dragon

Type: Portable wire-guided anti-tank missile system
Year introduced: 1975
Manufacturer: Raytheon / McDonnell Douglas
Firing action: Line-of-sight, hollow charge
Caliber and feed 140mm; Single-shot, single use

Mini-14

Type: Semi-automatic, self-loading rifle
Year introduced: 1973
Manufacturer: Sturm, Ruger & Company
Firing action: Gas-actuated, rotating bolt, semi-automatic
Caliber and feed .223 Remington, 5.56x45mm NATO, 7.62x39mm, 6.8mm Remington SPC, .300 Blackout; 5-, 10-, 20-, or 30-round detachable box magazine