hello everyone and welcome back again with us
today we'll show you about how bradley fighting vehicles work
before and during combat the u.s military uses the bradley fighting
vehicle to scout enemy positions and transport troops into hostile territory
this 500 horsepower amphibious vehicle has enough armaments to destroy
enemy tanks and provide protective fire for the troops it carries to battle
developed as a replacement for the m113 series of armored personnel carriers
the bradley is more powerful and faster than its predecessor
there are two main variations of the bradley the m2 and the m3 the primary purpose of the m2 is to
provide transport to battle and the m3 is designed to battle enemy tanks and perform reconnaissance
in this video we'll ride into battle with the bradley fighting vehicle
you will learn about the bradley's power and weaponry and how it was developed
the namesake the bradley is named for general omar nelson bradley
1893-1981 who served as a braggadier general and major general for the united states in world war
ii bradley led forces in north africa and sicily and later commanded american
forces in the 1944 d-day invasion to liberate france from german occupation
bradley was the first chairman of the joint chiefs of staff from 1949 to 1953 and was
promoted to a five-star general during his tenure in that post bradley died in 1981 the
same year the vehicle bearing his name entered service the m2 and m3 bradley fighting vehicles
are light armored personnel vehicles that are designed to be fast the standard 24.9 ton bradley
is powered by a 500 horsepower supercharged eight-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel engine
giving it enough power to keep up with other armored vehicles like the m1 abrams tank
with a power to weight ratio of 20 horsepower per ton the bradley can reach a top speed of
40 miles per hour or 64.4 kilometers per hour on paved roads in comparison the m1 abrams tank is
powered by a 1 500 horsepower engine and travels at 30 miles per hour or 48.3 kilometers per hour
the bradley models have a fuel capacity of between 175 gallons and 197 gallons or 662 to 746 liters
an upgraded m2a2 bradley has a 600 horsepower engine that delivers a power to weight ratio of
24 horsepower per ton similar to a tank the bradley is a track vehicle with six
dual tired road wheels and three track return rollers on each side one track return roller
is a double roller the other two rollers support only the inside half of the track
the bradley is designed to cross any terrain even water
and can transition to amphibious mode in 5 minutes the newest bradley models the m2a3 and the m3a3
have an inflatable pontoon that is fitted to the front and side of the vehicle the tracks propel
the bradley through the water at a top speed of about 4 miles per hour or 6.4 kilometers per hour
by the numbers length 21.16 feet width 11.83 feet with armored tiles 10.75 feet without armor tiles
height 9.74 feet combat weight 24.73 tons cruising range 300 miles or 48.28 kilometers
road speed 40 miles per hour or 64.4 kilometers per hour
riding in the belly of the beast the m2 infantry fighting vehicle has a three-man crew including a
commander gunner and driver the original m2 also carries seven fully equipped soldiers
the enhanced m2a2 carries six soldiers the m3 calvary fighting
vehicle has the same three-man crew but only accommodates two additional soldiers
inside the vehicle the driver sits in front of the hull in a two-thirds reclining position
the only vision available to the crew is periscopes the driver's station has four
periscopes the center periscope can be interchanged with a night vision scope
the commander sits to the right of the main armament an m13a1 filter is located in the
commander station to provide breathable air in case of a gas attack the gunner is located to the
left of the turret the turret is a large section on top of the bradley that is equipped with a
machine gun more on fire power later two power day thermal sights and the customary periscopes
are available to the gunner the gunner's view also includes an optical relay to the commander
a compartment for transported troops is in the back of the vehicle
this compartment includes a single piece hatch in the roof and a hydraulically operated rear ramp
for troop entry and exit the m2 also features six firing ports the bradley is equipped with
an automatic fire detection and suppression system which is also included in the engine
compartment as well as a central nuclear biological and chemical protective suit
the entire bradley is covered with aluminum armor
and the rear and sides are also covered with space laminate armor
the tourette has an additional layer of steel and the whole bottom has additional anti-mine armor
vitals entered service 1981 total produced through 2003 7122 united states 6722 vehicles saudi arabia
400 vehicles unit price 1.25 million dollars m2 m2a2 and m3a2 1.54 million dollars for the m2a3
m3a3 manufacturer united defense industries incorporated variations m2a1 m3a1 entered
production in 1985 m2a2 m3a2 entered production in 1988. m2a3 m3a3 entered production in 2001.
armament and history the bradley is a formidable vehicle it has teeth in the
form of high-powered machine guns and anti-tank missiles these armaments are used to provide
protective fire for the troops it transports as well as to suppress and destroy enemy tanks
combined with its speed and agility the bradley is well equipped to combat enemy vehicles the primary
weapon of both the m2 and m3 is a 25 millimeter m242 bushmaster chain gun which features a single
barrel with an integrated dual feed mechanism and remote feed selection the m242 is mounted
on the turret which is the rotating component that sits on top of the bradley's main chassis
the gun has a maximum fire rate of 200 rounds per minute the m2 carries 900 rounds of 25 millimeter
ammunition 300 ready to fire 600 in reserve and the m3 carries 1500 rounds both bradley
models also have twin bgm 71 toe anti-tank guided missile launchers mounted on the left side of the
turret tow is an acronym that stands for target sensitive optically tracked wire guided missile
an optical sight is used to track each target after firing the missile the launch transmits
flight data to the missile's guidance system the missile can reach any target within a 2.33 mile or
3.75 kilometer range the m2 carries 7 bgm 71 tow anti-tank guided missiles and the m3 carries 12.
additionally the bradley is equipped with an m240 7.62 millimeter machine
gun for which the m2 carries 2200 rounds of ammunition 800 ready 1400 in reserve the
m3 carries 4 400 rounds of ammunition for the m240 the bradley is equipped with two
m257 smoke grenade launchers each loaded with four smoke grenades these grenades are
deployed during battle and release smoke to conceal the bradley from visual observation
history of the bradley fighting vehicle the development of the bradley dates back to
pre-vietnam era the early plans of an advanced armored personnel vehicle were being discussed
in the early 1960s even as the m113 armored personnel carrier was just entering service
the us military recognized the need to address the needs of battlefield transport as far into
the future as the 1980s and beyond the search for a mechanized infantry combat vehicle micv
began in 1963 the search for an micv was long the army tested and rejected the mic v65 created by
pacific car and foundry in 1965. it was not until 1972 that the army signed a contract with fmc
corporation for its xm723 micv design four years later the army merged with the micv program with
the armored reconnaissance scout vehicle program noting similarities and requirements the resulting
vehicles were the xm2 infantry fighting vehicle and xm3 calvary fighting vehicle each of which
incorporated the 25 millimeter m242 bushmaster which was also under development at the time
the bradley fighting vehicle entered production in 1981 and became a replacement for the m113
the bradley is considered to be a more powerful and faster vehicle than the m113 and its better
suspension increases speed on off-road terrain within just a few years after the bradley rolled
into service its survivability and combat effectiveness became targets of concern
in 1985 it underwent a series of tests as part of the joint life fire test program
during which several u.s and russian munitions were used to fire on a fully loaded bradley
in 1988 modifications were incorporated in the m2a2 m3a2 model including
new composite armor improved ammunition storage to protect personnel high water barrier skirt to
improve amphibious operation improved suspension system these subsequent enhancements have made
the bradley a highly survivable combat vehicle in operation desert storm 2200 bradley vehicles
were deployed for battle and only three were lost to enemy fire in 1991 following operation desert
storm further enhancements were made the operation desert storm ods upgrades were implemented in the
upgraded m2a2 ods and m3a2 ods models and included gps capability anti-tank missile counter measure
device redesigned seating improved storage for ammunition the m2a2 and m3a3 bradley models were
also a result of upgrades made after desert storm the m2a3 m3a3 package is the most technically
advanced of the bradley models and was approved for production in 1994. this package includes
commander flat panel display unit mass memory unit driver display unit squad display unit in the true
compartment with continued modification the army has reported that the bradley will continue to be
a key armored vehicle for the us military through the first quarter of the 21st century for more
information on the bradley fighting vehicle and other war technology check out the links below
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