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M2 Bradley IFV
Specifications
Weight	30.4 tonnes
Length	6.55 m
Width	3.6 m
Height	2.98 m
Crew	3 + 6
Armour	Aluminium / Steel
Primary armament	25 mm M242 Chain Gun 900 rounds TOW Anti-Tank Missile 7 TOW Missiles
Secondary armament	7.62 mm M240C machine gun 2,200 rounds
Engine	diesel 600 hp (447 kW)
Power/weight	19.74 hp/tonne
Suspension	torsion bar
Operational range	483 km or 300 m
Speed	66 km/h or 41mph

The M2 Bradley IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) and M3 Bradley CFV (Cavalry Fighting Vehicle) are American infantry fighting vehicles manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, (formerly United Defense, originally FMC).

The mission of the Bradley on the battlefield is to transport infantry, to provide fire cover to dismounted troops and to suppress enemy tanks and armored fighting vehicles. The M2 holds a crew of three: a commander, a gunner, and a driver; as well as six fully equipped soldiers. The M3 mainly conducts scout missions and carries a crew of three and two scouts.

Infantry load into the rear of an M2A3 in Iraq. The Bradley's role is to transport infantry, provide fire cover, and suppress enemy armor.

The Bradley AFV was designed largely to trump the BMP-1, and to serve as both an APC and a tank-killer. Specifically, it was designed in response to the higher cruising speed of the Abrams. The older models of the M113 APC could not keep up, though they were more cross-country mobile in closed terrain, amphibious and C-130 air-transportable — capabilities lost with the Bradley. Newer M113 models with bigger engines can easily outpace the Bradley in open terrain and upgraded into the AIFV have the same 25 mm autocannon capabilities. The M113 however is only protected against 7.62 mm AP rounds whereas the original Bradley was protected against 14.5 mm rounds and the A2 (and up) version is protected against 30 mm AP and RPGs.

The 25 mm cannon fires up to 200 rounds per minute, and is accurate up to 2500 m. The twin TOW2B missiles are capable of destroying most hostile tanks at a maximum range of 3750 m. A large drawback of the TOW is that it can only be fired while the vehicle is standing still. The Bradley also carries an M240C coaxial 7.62 mm medium machine gun, located to the right of the 25 mm chain gun. Its open terrain cross-country capability is superb, as during its design phase, a main objective was to keep it up to speed with the M1 Abrams main battle tank. The M113 would float without much preparation. The Bradley was initially designed to float by deploying a flotation curtain around the vehicle. This caused some drownings due to failures during its first trials. Armour upgrades negate this capability.

The vehicle hull is of aluminum construction, one of the points used by critics to deride the vehicle. Aluminium armor tends to vaporize in the face of HEAT warheads; this and the prodigious storage of ammunition in the vehicle initially raised questions about its combat survivability. Spaced laminate belts and high hardness steel skirts have been added to later versions to improve armor protection at the cost of overall weight increasing to 33 tons. Actual combat operations, however, have not shown the Bradley to be overtly deficient as losses have been few but more than what should be expected from a 33-ton vehicle. In friendly fire incidents in Desert Storm, many crew members survived hits that resulted in total losses for lighter USMC LAV-25 vehicles.

USAF LTC James Burton's conducted highly publicized live fire tests where it was found that the center of the vehicle was most likely to be hit. His efforts to redesign the Bradley were not fully implemented; Bradleys still store their fuel dangerously in the vehicle center when M113A3s have their fuel stored on the left and right rear to prevent fires/explosions inside the troop compartment.

The Bradley series has been widely modified. Its chassis is the basis for the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, the M4 C2V battlefield command post, and the M6 Bradley Linebacker air defense vehicle. Armed with a quad Stinger surface to air missile launcher (instead of the TOW anti-tank missiles) and maintaining the 25 mm autocannon, the M6 Bradley Linebacker Air Defense Vehicle possesses a unique role in the U.S. Army, providing highly mobile air defense at the front line. Its suspension system has also been used on upgraded versions of the US Marines' Amphibious Assault Vehicle.

The Bradley, named after WWII General Omar Bradley, consists of two types of vehicles, the M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle. The M3 CFV was originally going to be named after General Jacob L. Devers,^[1] but it was decided the Bradley name would apply to both, since both vehicles are based on the same chassis (they differ in only some details). The M2 carries a crew of three and a six-man infantry squad. The M3 carries the crew of three and a two-man scout team and additional radios, TOW and Dragon or Javelin missiles.

Since entering service with the U.S. Army in 1981, 6,724 Bradleys have been produced. (4,641 M2s and 2,083 M3s)

The troubled development history of the Bradley^[2] is described in a book by Air Force Lt. Col. James Burton,^[3] which was adapted for the 1998 film The Pentagon Wars starring Kelsey Grammer and Cary Elwes.

M6 Linebacker along the highway near Balad, Iraq, October 3, 2005

During the Gulf War, M2 and M3 Bradleys destroyed more Iraqi armored vehicles than the M1 Abrams.^[4] 20 Bradleys were lost; 3 by enemy fire and 17 due to friendly fire incidents; another 12 were damaged.^[5] To remedy some problems that were identified as contributing factors in the friendly fire incidents, infrared identification panels and other marking/identification measures were added to the Bradleys.

In Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Bradley has proved somewhat vulnerable to mobility kills (attacks that do not necessarily destroy the vehicle completely, but render it inoperable or immobile, such as track or engine malfunctions) through IED and RPG attacks, but casualties have been light—the doctrine being to allow the crew to escape at the expense of the vehicle. As of early 2006, total combat losses included 55 Bradleys.^[6]

M2A0 Bradley configured for swimming.

The M2 (also sometimes written M2A0 to help prevent confusion) was the basic production model, first produced in 1982. The M2A0 was can be identified by its standard TOW missile system and 500-horsepower engine with HMPT-500 Hydromechanical transmission. Basic features also included an integrated sight unit for the M242 25 mm, and thermal imaging system. The M2A0 was amphibious with the use of a "Swim Barrier" and was C-141 and C-5 transportable. All M2A0 vehicles have been upgraded to improved standards. The A0 series armor protects the vehicle against 14.5 mm AP.

Introduced in 1986, the A1 variant included an improved TOW II missile system, a Gas Particulate Filter Units (GPFU) NBC system, and a fire-suppression system. By 1992, the M2A1s had begun being remanufactured to upgraded standards.

U.S. Army soldiers head out on a mission in their M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, seen here fitted with Explosive Reactive Armour boxes

Introduced in 1988, the A2 received an improved 600-horsepower (447 kW) engine with a HMPT-500-3 Hydromechanical transmission and improved armor (both passive and the ability to mount explosive reactive armor). The new armor protects the Bradley against 30 mm AP rounds and RPG's (or similar anti-armor weapons). Ammo stowage was reorganized and spall liners were added. The M2A2 was qualified to be transported by the C-17 Globemaster III. M2A2s will all eventually be modified to M2A2 ODS or M2A3 standard.

The "Operation Desert Storm" and "Operation Desert Storm-Engineer" improvements were based on lessons learned during the first Gulf War in 1991. The major improvements included an eye-safe laser rangefinder (ELRF), a tactical navigation system (TACNAV) incorporating the Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver (PLGR) and the Digital Compass System (DCS), a missile countermeasure device designed to defeat first-generation wire-guided missiles, and the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2) Battlefield Command Information System. The internal stowage was further improved and a thermal imaging system was added for the driver.

Introduced in 2000, the A3 upgrades make the Bradley IFV/CFV totally digital and upgrade or improve existing electronics systems throughout improving target acquisition and fire control, navigation, and situational awareness. Also, the survivability of the vehicle is upgraded with a series of armor improvements, again both passive and reactive, as well as improved fire-suppression systems and NBC equipment.

The BSFV is designed specifically for the carriage and support of a Stinger MANPADS team.

An air defense variant, these vehicles are modified M2A2 ODSs with the TOW missile system replaced with a four-tube Stinger missile system. Despite the fact that the vehicle is superior to the Bradley SFV (the crew does not have to dismount and can fire on the move) and the M1097 Humvee Avenger (since it is tracked and armored) these are due to be retired from U.S. service.^[7]

The Bradley FiST is designed to replace existing forward observation vehicles in the U.S. Army inventory, and adds an inertial navigation system and a new targeting station control panel. A mission-processor unit automates the fire-request system.In OIF II and III, six M7 BFISTs formed 1st PLT, Fox Battery, 3rd Bn 82d Field Artillery.

The Bradley is equipped with the M242 25 mm chain gun as its main weapon. The M242 has a single barrel with an integrated dual feed mechanism and remote feed selection.^[8] The gun contains ammunition in two ready boxes of 70 rounds and 230 rounds each for a total of 300 ready rounds and carries 600 rounds in storage. The two ready boxes allow selectable mix of rounds such as the M791 APDS-T (Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot (with) Tracer), and M792 HEI-T (High Explosive Incendiary (with) Tracer) rounds. The APDS-T depleted uranium rounds proved highly effective in Desert Storm being capable of knocking out many Iraqi vehicles including several kills on T-55 tanks. There have even been reports of kills against Iraqi T-72 tanks (at close range).

It is also armed with a M240C machine gun mounted coaxially to the M242, with 2,200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. For engaging heavier targets (such as when acting in an anti-tank fashion), the Bradley has a TOW missile system onboard, which was changed to fire TOW II missiles, onwards from the M2A1 model. Bradleys also have turreted firing ports for a number of M231 Firing Port Weapons or FPWs, providing a button-up firing position to replace the top-side gunners on the old ACAV. Initial variants carried 6 total, but the side ports were removed for the new armor used on the A2 and A3 variants, leaving only the two rear-facing mounts in the loading ramp. All versions are also equipped with two four-barreled smoke grenade launchers on the front of the turret for creating defensive smoke screens, and can also be loaded with chaff and flares.

• The Pentagon Wars
• British Warrior Tracked Armoured Vehicle
• French AMX-10P
• German Schützenpanzer Marder
• German Schützenpanzer Puma
• Japan Mitsubishi Type-89 IFV
• Spanish ASCOD AFV
• Soviet BMP IFV
• Swedish CV90 IFV
• BAE Systems Land and Armaments

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Bradley IFV

• Bradley M2/M3 Information - Army Technology
• U. S. Army Factfile: Bradley FV
• Bradley M2/M3 at army-guide.com
• Bradley Fighting Vehicle Systems Upgrade to A3