Bradley Fighting Vehicle
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. The BFV is named for U.S. General Omar Bradley.
| Bradley Fighting Vehicle | |
|---|---|
A U.S. Army M2 Bradley on display at Fort Irwin, California, in 2013 | |
| Type | Armored fighting vehicle Infantry fighting vehicle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1981–present |
| Used by | § Operators |
| Production history | |
| Designer | FMC Corporation |
| Designed | 1963–1981 |
| Manufacturer | United Defense (1981–1995) BAE Systems Platforms & Services (since 2004) |
| Produced | 1981–1995 (United Defense) 2004–present (BAE Systems Platforms & Services) |
| No. built | 6724 |
| Variants | § Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 30.4 short tons (27.6 t) |
| Length | 21.5 ft (6.55 m) |
| Width | 12 ft (3.6 m) |
| Height | 9.8 ft (2.98 m) |
| Crew | 3 + variable number of passengers depending on variant |
| Armor | Spaced laminate armor:
|
Main armament | 25 mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun 2× BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile |
Secondary armament | 7.62 mm M240C machine gun |
| Engine | Cummins VTA-903T diesel 600 hp (450 kW) |
| Power/weight | 19.7 horsepower per short ton (16.2 kW/t) |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
Operational range | 250 mi (400 km) |
| Maximum speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
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 and infantry fighting 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 BFV to replace over 2,800 M113s. Some 2,907 Bradleys will be modified to become AMPVs for the U.S. Army.