How many bradleys are there

For example, curious taxpayers seeking to learn what their billions got for the failed Future Combat Systems will click on what used to be the Army webpage singing its praises and end up on a dead page.

And official military photographs of the vehicles are elusive, too, for an obvious reason. Armor, like many of us, has always had a love-hate relationship with weight. More weight means more protection for soldiers, something that has become sacred in recent wars. But maybe only by looking back at how the Army has repeatedly screwed up can we look forward and try to avoid the same mistakes the fourth time around. The ton M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle arrived in , in the early heady days of the Reagan defense buildup.

It was designed to replace the venerable M armored personnel carrier. Less than half the weight of its war-fighting partner, the M-1 tank, it was outfitted with a 25 mm cannon that has led many to mistake it for a tank. But its original aluminum armor proved insufficient, to put it gently. It led to the storied conflict between the Army and Jim Burton, an Air Force officer serving as a Pentagon weapons tester. The contretemps led to wholesale changes in the Bradley and in weapons testing. It also spawned that rarest of Hollywood offerings, the Pentagon procurement farce.

There was a cascade of problems common to armored ground vehicles: The quicker it needed to be sent into the fight, the lighter it had to be. But the lighter it was, the more vulnerable its cargo of young Americans would be to enemy attack. Armor generally floats, not flies, to combat. Simply put, the Future Combat Systems program was a pipe dream from the start. The Bradley is able to close with and destroy enemy forces in support of mounted and dismounted Infantry and Cavalry combat operations.

Just as with its predecessor, the M family, the Bradley will eventually be the platform for a wide range of support vehicles. Infantry can fight from inside the vehicle by using modified M rifles mounted in firing ports or may dismount from the M2 version to fight on foot.

The vehicle is armed with a 25mm cannon, effective against most armored targets, and with the TOW missile, effective against lightly armored targets out to its maximum range of 3, meters 2.

The Bradley A2 ODS is equipped with the Bushmaster 25mm cannon and TOW missile system, which delivers increased lethality and accuracy, especially under the toughest battlefield conditions. The U. The demonstration, which took place in The helicopter entered service….

Si Black Hawk helicopter is the latest in the family of Black Hawk multi-mission aircraft. The helicopter is built by…. Get important industry news and analysis sent to your inbox — sign up to our e-Newsletter here. News Analysis Features Comment Projects.

Guidelines Shortlists Join Our Newsletter - Get important industry news and analysis sent to your inbox — sign up to our e-Newsletter here. Designed for deployment in all-terrain conditions, the vehicle… 25 Oct The helicopter entered service… 25 Oct The helicopter is built by… 21 Oct Join Our Newsletter Get important industry news and analysis sent to your inbox — sign up to our e-Newsletter here.

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