Bradley Fighting Vehicle

Bradley Fighting Vehicle
A U.S. Army M2 Bradley on display at Fort Irwin, California, in 2013
Type
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1981–present
Used by§ Operators
Production history
DesignerFMC Corporation
Designed1963–1981
Manufacturer
Produced
No. built6,724[1]
Variants§ Variants
Specifications
Mass30.4 short tons (27.6 t)
Length21.5 ft (6.55 m)
Width12 ft (3.6 m)
Height9.8 ft (2.98 m)
Crew3 + variable number of passengers depending on variant

ArmorSpaced laminate armor:
Main
armament
Secondary
armament
7.62 mm M240C machine gun
EngineCummins VTA-903T diesel
600 hp (450 kW)
Power/weight19.7 horsepower per short ton (16.2 kW/t)
SuspensionTorsion bar
Operational
range
250 mi (400 km)
Maximum speed 35 mph (56 km/h)

The Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) is a tracked armored fighting vehicle of the United States developed by FMC Corporation and now manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, formerly United Defense. It is named for U.S. General Omar Bradley.

The Bradley is designed to transport infantry or scouts with armor protection, while providing covering fire to suppress enemy troops and armored vehicles. Variants include the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M3 Bradley reconnaissance vehicle. The M2 holds a crew of three—a commander, a gunner and a driver—along with six fully equipped soldiers. The M3 mainly conducts scout missions and carries two scout troopers in addition to the regular crew of three, with space for additional BGM-71 TOW missiles.

In 2014, the U.S. Army selected BAE Systems' Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) proposal of a turretless variant of the Bradley to replace over 2,800 M113 armored personnel carriers.[4] Some 2,907 surplus Bradleys will be modified to become AMPVs for the U.S. Army.

  1. ^ "M2A3 and M3A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle Systems (BFVS)". man.fas.org.
  2. ^ Cooke, Gary W. "M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle". Archived from the original on 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  3. ^ "M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles". Military Suppliers and News. Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  4. ^ McLeary, Paul (23 December 2014). "Army Awards AMPV to BAE Systems, Future Fights Loom". Army Times. Retrieved 3 February 2022.[permanent dead link]

Developed by StudentB