Photo: BAE Systems
Ever since the 1980s, whenever America's military needed to put boots on the ground, those boots have relied on something called the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) for support. And thanks to a new variant called A4, they'll continue to rely on it some more.
The work of defense contractor BAE Systems, the A4 comes with a series of upgrades meant to bring the Bradleys (which, as a side note, wear the name of American general Omar Bradley) into the modern age when it comes to capabilities.
More to the point, the Bradley A4 features "the latest digitized electronics for optimum situational awareness, network connectivity, and communication," but is also more survivable thanks to upgrades of a more physical nature.
What that means is that the armored vehicle now has an improved underbelly protection against improvised explosive devices (IED). For urban combat, so-called Bradley Urban Survivability Kits (BUSK) are available, consisting of blast-proof fuel cells and driver seats, a turret protection system, and emergency ramp release.
About a year ago, America's military tasked BAE Systems with upgrading Bradleys of the M2A2 Operation Desert Storm – Situational Awareness (ODS-SA) variant to A4, and now we get a more solid take on what that means.
The defense contractor said this week it has received a contract modification worth $190 million "for continued production of the Bradley A4." The deal covers the conversion of 70 M2A4 Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and an unspecified number of M7A4 Fire Support Team Vehicles.
The A4 Bradley is not the only version of the fighting vehicle targeted by changes. One of the most famous offshoots of the family, the M2 Bradley, is on the verge of being completely replaced by something called the XM30 Infantry Combat Vehicle
Announced initially as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV), the XM30 will be put together by General Dynamics and American Rheinmetall, who have been awarded firm-fixed-price contracts worth a combined $1.6 billion back in June of this year.
As it stands, the Bradley family of vehicles comprises over ten distinct variants, ranging from the aforementioned M2 to more specialized iterations the likes of the Black Knight prototype.
The vehicles are powered by Cummins engines that give them a power output of around 600 hp. They are generally armed with Bushmaster chain guns, anti-tank missiles, and machine guns, and can travel to distances as far as 250 miles (400 km) from where they started. Only three other nations other than the U.S. are currently using the Bradleys, Namely Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and more recently Ukraine.
The Bradley is technically no longer in production (the lines stopped rolling for it in 1995), so none of the new ones are actually new, but they are coming to light in our day and age as upgrades of existing machines.
More to the point, the Bradley A4 features "the latest digitized electronics for optimum situational awareness, network connectivity, and communication," but is also more survivable thanks to upgrades of a more physical nature.
What that means is that the armored vehicle now has an improved underbelly protection against improvised explosive devices (IED). For urban combat, so-called Bradley Urban Survivability Kits (BUSK) are available, consisting of blast-proof fuel cells and driver seats, a turret protection system, and emergency ramp release.
About a year ago, America's military tasked BAE Systems with upgrading Bradleys of the M2A2 Operation Desert Storm – Situational Awareness (ODS-SA) variant to A4, and now we get a more solid take on what that means.
The defense contractor said this week it has received a contract modification worth $190 million "for continued production of the Bradley A4." The deal covers the conversion of 70 M2A4 Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and an unspecified number of M7A4 Fire Support Team Vehicles.
The A4 Bradley is not the only version of the fighting vehicle targeted by changes. One of the most famous offshoots of the family, the M2 Bradley, is on the verge of being completely replaced by something called the XM30 Infantry Combat Vehicle
Announced initially as the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV), the XM30 will be put together by General Dynamics and American Rheinmetall, who have been awarded firm-fixed-price contracts worth a combined $1.6 billion back in June of this year.
As it stands, the Bradley family of vehicles comprises over ten distinct variants, ranging from the aforementioned M2 to more specialized iterations the likes of the Black Knight prototype.
The vehicles are powered by Cummins engines that give them a power output of around 600 hp. They are generally armed with Bushmaster chain guns, anti-tank missiles, and machine guns, and can travel to distances as far as 250 miles (400 km) from where they started. Only three other nations other than the U.S. are currently using the Bradleys, Namely Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and more recently Ukraine.
The Bradley is technically no longer in production (the lines stopped rolling for it in 1995), so none of the new ones are actually new, but they are coming to light in our day and age as upgrades of existing machines.
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