Military Vehicle Spotlight: Bradley IFV

U.S. Army Soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion 77th Armored Regiment, maneuver their Bradleys into position during Decisive Action Rotation 14-10 at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., Sept. 23, 2014. The decisive action training environment rotations were developed to create a common training scenario for use throughout the Army. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Charles Probst)

M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Weight: 64,000 lbs.
Engine: Cummins VTA 903T
Displacement: 903 cu. in.
Fuel: Diesel
Horsepower: 600 @ 2,600 rpm
Maximum Speed: 38 mph
Maximum Range: 250 miles

The M2 Bradley, or Bradley IFV, a member of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family and manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments (formerly United Defense). It was developed in response to the amphibious Soviet BMP family of infantry fighting vehicles. It was designed and to serve as both an armored personnel carrier (APC) and a tank-killer. One or specific design requirement was that it should be as fast as the new M1 Abrams main battle tank so that they could maintain formations while moving, something the older M113 APC could not do.

The M2 can transport a squad of infantry and a crew of three. It is equipped with the M242 25mm chain gun as its main weapon. It is also armed with a M240C machine gun mounted coaxially to the M242. For engaging heavier targets, the Bradley has a TOW missile system on board.

Since entering service with the U.S. Army in 1981, 4,641 M2s have been produced. The total cost of the program is $5,664,100,000, and the average unit costs $3,166,000.