TV Missile

A TV Missile is a precision guided air-to-ground missile that carries a large payload. It is remotely controlled by the crew, with a camera mounted on the nose of the missile feeding closed-circuit TV to the operator, and the operator steering the missile from the launch platform.

Battlefield 2

The TV Missile is an alternate weapon for gunners on all attack helicopters.

Battlefield 2142

The TV Missile is also available on both gunships as a gunner's alternate weapon. Each gunship can carry up to eight at a time.

The Northern Strike expansion pack added the Type-36 Hachimoto, a light hovercraft whose gunner seat also featured a TV missile as alternate armament. Compared to the gunship, the Hachimoto's missile has less range.

Battlefield 3

TV Missile
Guided Rocket ←
Unlocked at	60000 AH score
Special Feature	Remote-guided missile for gunner
Vehicle	Attack Helicopter (Gunner)
Customization slot	Weapon

"TV-Guided missiles launched by the helicopter gunner which are flown by direct-feed-video." — Battlelog description

The TV Missile is a specialization that provides an attack helicopter gunner with a controllable missile. Because it is steered by the gunner, it cannot be diverted by countermeasures due to its user-controlled nature. It can also be used by the pilot of a helicopter should they have an empty seat and decide to switch to the gunner position mid flight.

The TV missile is sometimes hard to control because the gunner can only fire it in the direction the helicopter is facing, since the missile is mounted on the underside of the helicopter's stub wing in a fixed position. The pilot must provide the gunner with a suitable angle on a potential target. The missile travels at a constant, very fast rate of speed up to about 1000 meters.

One missile is enough to take down an enemy aircraft. The player can exit the TV Missile pressing Enter/Exit Vehicle if it happens to miss the desired target, or to guarantee straight flight towards a stationary or slow-moving target. However, the gunner should be careful not to press the key multiple times or they will risk bailing from the helicopter.

In games in which the airspace is heavily contested, TV missiles are an excellent complement to Heat Seekers on the pilot, as the pilot can fly at high altitude and engage enemy jets while the gunner engages other targets with missiles.

Patches

Various patches have attempted to eliminate bugs associated with TV Missile use.

One notable correction was made to the TV Missile's behavior against airborne targets. Before patch, the missile would not hit its target, even when steered properly. Missiles would also occasionally bounce harmlessly off their air target.

Another notable correction was to the missile's damage against armor. Before patch, the missile would destroy its target in one hit. Missiles now inflict only enough damage to disable armor at full health.

On rare occasions, a TV missile will impact its own helicopter during launch, destroying the vehicle and causing a teamkill and suicide. In even rarer cases, only the gunner will be killed, while the pilot and helicopter carry on.

Battlefield 4

TV Guided Missile
Vehicle type	• Attack Boat • Attack Jet
Customization slot	AB: Secondary Weapon AJ: Secondary Weapon

The TV Guided Missile returns in Battlefield 4 as a secondary weapon option for the attack boat and attack jet. It is also expected to return as a secondary weapon for attack helicopter gunners.

Trivia

• Battlefield 3

• While the gunner is controlling the TV missile, their nametag will appear on the missile instead of the chopper gunner seat. The gunner's character model may also disappear from the copilot seat, as they are considered by the game to 'exist' in the missile itself.
• Although the missile controls and camera cut out near maximum range, the missile will continue to travel for a fraction of a second longer.
• In BF3, TV missiles can be destroyed by gunfire. No points are awarded for the effort. They can also be tracked by guided weaponry, though it is practically impossible to lock onto.