Product Type: |
Armored fighting vehicle |
Using Service (US): |
Army |
Program Status: |
Modifications and upgrades |
Prime Contractor: |
BAE Systems Land & Armaments |
The M2A3 and M3A3 Bradley are tracked armored combat vehicles manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments and includes
the M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) and the M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV). Both types are powered by a single Cummins VTA-903T
8 cylinder diesel engine with 600 hp, which gives the Bradley a maximum speed of 66km/h.
The M2 is primarily used to close with the enemy by means of fire and maneuver.
The primary tasks performed by M3 as part of a troop and/or squadron are reconnaissance,
security, and flank guard missions. The M2 carries three crew (commander, gunner and driver) plus six combat equipped troops.
The M3 carries three crew plus two scouts. The Bradley fighting vehicles are designed to operate at the same speed as
the M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank and provides better protection than the U.S. Army's M113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC).
The Bradley performs excellent in cross-country open terrain and is amphibious. The A3 configuration is equipped with inflatable
pontoons and the Bradley's tracks act as "propellers".
The Bradley entered service with the U.S. Army in 1981 and
since then, the vehicle has undergone significant improvements.
In fiscal year 1991, the last year of purchases of new-builds, the Army purchased 600 Bradley vehicles.
In total, 6,720 M2s and M3s have been produced. The latest configuration (A3) arrived in 2000.
The U.S. Army Bradley Modernization Program upgrades and modifies M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
There are two Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs) in the Bradley Modernization Program .
ECP-1 improves vehicle suspension with improved shocks, roadarms, torsion bars and extended life track.
ECP-2 improves the power train and electrical system to enable the Bradley Vehicle fleet
to host new technologies including Handheld Manpack Small Radios (HMS) and the Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P).
Additionally, the Bradley Modernization Program procures M2 conversions, safety upgrades, upgrades to the transmission,
including but not limited to high priority improvements, survivability enhancements and obsolescence mitigation.
The Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) was intended to replace the Bradley IFV but the GCV program was cancelled in the DoD FY 2015 Budget.
The U.S. Army's new Armored Multi Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) manufactured by BAE Systems is a turretless version of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
BAE Systems rolled out the first AMPV prototype on December 15, 2016. The AMPV replaces Vietnam-era M113 APCs.
The M2/M3 Bradley features a two-man turret and is equipped with an Orbital ATK 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun, a Raytheon BGM-71 TOW II anti-tank missile system (two launch tubes), and a 7.62mm M240C machine gun.
The role of the M2 IFV is to transport infantry on the battlefield, to provide fire cover to troops, and to suppress enemy tanks and fighting vehicles. The M3 CFV performs scouting and flank guard missions.
This data is available in Forecast International's U.S. Defense Budget Forecast, a comprehensive analytical database containing historical and forecast budget figures, year-to-year funding comparisons, congressional budget markups, program justification documents, and much more.
Source: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and BAE Systems.
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