M2 / M3
BRADLEY US ARMY INFANTRY FIGHTING VEHICLE / CAVALRY FIGHTING VEHICLE (CFV)
IMAGES OF WAR SOFTBOUND BOOK in
ENGLISH by DAVID DOYLE
RARE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM WARTIME
ARCHIVES
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Additional Information from Internet
Encyclopedia
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV)
is an American fighting vehicle platform manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, formerly United Defense. It was named after 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. There are several Bradley variants,
including the M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle.
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
two scouts in addition to the regular crew of three, with space for additional TOW missiles.
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. 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 (in the M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle
variant) or 1200 stowed rounds (in the M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle variant).
The two ready boxes allow a 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 tungsten APDS-T 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. Subsequent
ammunition developments resulted in the M919 APFSDS-T (Armor-Piercing Fin
Stabilized Discarding Sabot with Tracer) round, which contains a finned
depleted uranium penetrator similar in concept to armor piercing munitions used
in modern tanks. The M919 was used in combat during the 2003 invasion phase of
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
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 on board, which was changed to fire TOW II missiles, from the M2A1 model
onwards. M2 infantry Bradleys also have firing ports for a number of M231 Firing Port Weapons (FPWs), providing a means for the
occupants to fire from within the vehicle and replacing the top-side gunners on
the M113-based Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicles (ACAV), though the M231 is
rarely employed. Initial variants carried six in total, but the side ports were
plated over with the new armor configuration on the A2 and A3 variants, leaving
only the two rear-facing mounts in the loading ramp. No versions of the M3 CFV
carry firing port weapons, though early versions had all six firing port mounts
fitted and plated over, while newer versions retain the two ramp mounted firing
ports though again, plated over.
The use of aluminum armor and the
storage of large quantities of ammunition in the vehicle initially raised
questions about its combat survivability. Spaced laminate belts and high
hardness steel skirts have been added to improve the side protection of later
versions, although this increases overall weight to 33 tons. However actual
combat operations have not shown the Bradley to be deficient as losses have
been few. In friendly fire incidents in Desert Storm, many crew members survived hits that resulted in total losses for lighter
U.S. Marine Corps LAV-25 vehicles.
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.
During the Gulf War, M2 Bradleys destroyed more Iraqi armored vehicles than the M1 Abrams. Twenty Bradleys were lostthree by enemy fire and 17 due to friendly fire
incidents; another 12 were damaged. The gunner of one Bradley was killed when
his vehicle was hit by Iraqi fire, possibly from an Iraqi BMP-1, during the Battle of 73 Easting. 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 the Iraq War, the Bradley proved somewhat vulnerable to improvised explosive device (IED) and rocket propelled grenade (RPG) attacks, but casualties were
lightthe doctrine being to allow the crew to escape at the expense of the vehicle.
As of early 2006, total combat losses included 55 Bradleys. By 2007, the Army
had stopped using the M2 Bradley in combat, instead favoring more survivable MRAPs.
The M2
Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)
consists of four variants: the M2, M2A1, M2A2 and M2A3. Their main mission is
to provide protected transport of an infantry
squad (up to six
passengers at a time) to critical points. Aside from carrying mechanized infantry into close contact with the enemy, the M2 can
also provide overwatching fire to dismounting infantrymen. The M2 Infantry
Fighting Vehicle also has six external firing ports for the squad M231 Firing Port Weapon on the M2 and M2A1 versions only. Four ports were
removed on the sides of the vehicle on the M2A2-A3 versions, and only 2 in the
ramp remain. These ports allow passengers to engage the enemy from within the
protection of the Bradley vehicle. These firing ports are almost always covered
by additional armor kits and it is rare to see a Bradley with them operable.
The proper use of M231 FPWs was rare in practice. It is adequately armored to
provide protection against small
arms fire and
artillery, as well as being able to destroy any vehicle on the battlefield
using its TOW or Stinger
missiles.
The M3
Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV) is virtually identical to the M2
Bradley except that it is equipped as a cavalry/scout vehicle. Instead of holding six infantrymen in
the payload compartment, it is designed to seat two scouts and hold additional
radios and ammunition. Also lacking are the six external firing ports present
on the M2 Bradley IFV.