Aloha Everyone!!!

In drawing up my lastest diorama idea I thought of showing a LAV-25-AT with its launcher in the raised position while the gunner confers with another member of his unit about firing cordinates with his hatched raised. Not having inside knowledge on this vehicle (and forgive me for my naviete) when the launcher is raised are the TOWS armed? If so would you not see the gunners hatch opened and subsequently the gunners head sticking out? Or could the gunner still be able to raise the hatch and operate safely with the launcher raised?

Thank You In Advance!!!

First off, it is just a LAV-AT (no 25). When the head is raised, there is a hath interlock switch that won't allow the head to move. Also, the gunner does not get coordinates to fire it. It is a direct-fire system. The gunner looks through a site which is in the targeting head and puts the cross hairs on the target to fire. He has to hold them on the target for at least 13 seconds for the missile to arm and be able detonate on the target. The cross-hairs have to be held on the target the entire flight to be successful and hit it.

Gino got it right. Basically, the AT (same as ITV in the Army) is a TOW (Tube Launched, Opticaly Sighted, Wire Guided) ground system inside an armored head. You can see the basic componetns in my TOW articles in the feature section. In the "hammerhead" is the Day Sight and an AN/TAS-4? Night Vision Sight. The MGS(Misille Guidence Set) is located under the gunners seat in the turret. Optics and cables interface it all together. Just like in a Bradley, the TOW system has to be armed by a switch and the gunners triggers have to be squeezed.

If a TOW system was going to be fired at a vehicle or something of that sort that was gonna shoot back, it would be buttoned up so that after the missile hit the target, the vehicle could get the hell out of there because once it is fired, like Gino said, you have to stay there with the cross hairs on target till it hits. This exposes the vehicle to the enemy.