U.S. Army begins testing new version of Bradley fighting vehicle

FORT HOOD, TEXAS – First Team Infantrymen test two new versions of the Bradly Fighting Vehicle (BFV), Fort Hood, Texas, Oct. 24, 2020.

Troopers of 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment (1-12 CAV), 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team (3ABCT), 1st Cavalry Division, spent several nights in the field getting to know the new the M2A4 and M7A4 Bradley versions.

Linking up with test officers of the U.S. Army Operational Test Command (OTC) during a series of maneuvers and simulated force-on-force engagements, few Soldiers have had the chance to see the new machines in person, let alone get behind the wheel and test them.

Capt. Ian Schultz, Chosen Company Commander, 1-12 CAV, led his Troopers through the testing.

“Training and testing on the M2A4 and M7A4 placed our Troopers on the leading edge of technological innovation for maneuver warfare,” said Schultz.

“Our Troopers got to experience first-hand the next iteration of the infantry fighting vehicles under tough and realistic conditions that not only stressed and improved our systems and training, but stressed the capabilities of the M2A4 and M7A4.”

During the testing, OTC data collectors were on the ground with the Soldiers every step of the way gathering information that will later be used to analyze the overall capabilities of the vehicle in a report to senior Army leaders

“The information generated through the operational test provided the Program Manager valuable information that will influence the production platform,” said Schultz.

“The data generated through the test will shape the U.S. Army’s recommendation and requirements for final production standards on the M2A4 and M7A4.”

Testing is a collaboration between multiple Army organizations and took years of planning and preparation prior to execution.

“Although these organizations have different specific missions related to the evaluation, all of us worked together to ensure we maintained Trooper safety, gathered relevant test data, and accomplished unit mission essential training to build lethal platoons and a killer company,” said Schultz.

Shultz also added his Troopers emerged every day better than they were the day before.

The new BFV variants offer a number of upgrades and overhauls.

The idea behind the vehicle is to provide a faster, more durable, and survivable platform with increased oversight; according to Kummer, giving more power to the Troopers at the platoon and squad level to ensure success during large-scale ground combat operations.

“It is the hardware upgrade for the Bradly,” Kummer said. “The engine and transmission were upgraded, the mission command suite was upgraded, and the driver’s vision was upgraded with a new thermal device.”

These primary features are the highlights of the new infantry fighting vehicle and current reason for an operational test.

Once the data is collected, OTC will compile and analyze what went right and what did not.

Kummer stated, the review of tactics, doctrine, and applicability in accordance with Army development and all the data is reportable to congress.

He ended by stating OTC will use information provided by the Soldiers and data collectors during the test to decide what needs to be changed and what should stay the same.

The A4 series modification involves the installation of a new 8-cylinder Cummins VTA903E-T675 diesel engine with a capacity of 675 horsepower, a new HMPT-800-3ECB hydraulic transmission, which will allow the M2A4 Bradley to install the Iron Fist Light Decoupled (IFLD) active protection system for armored vehicles developed by the Israeli Elbit Systems company.

As noted by the company, the new version of Bradley is the finest combat vehicle system in the world.

The Bradley M2A4 features the latest digitized electronics for optimum situational awareness, network connectivity and communication within the Armored Brigade Combat Team. It is equipped with a wide-angle Driver’s Vision Enhancer, improved Force XXI Battle Command Bridge, and Below (FBCB2) software integration improve friendly and enemy vehicle identification, enhancing situational awareness. The addition of a High-Speed Slip Ring, greater network connectivity and Smart Displays that simultaneously display classified and unclassified information also improve situational awareness.

The upgraded vehicle also received lightweight tracks, new shock absorbers and suspension, and stiffer torsion bars. This increased the ground clearance from 380 to 510 millimeters, which increased not only the mobility, but also the protection of the vehicle from anti-tank mines.

Leveraging the lethality functionality from its predecessor, the Bradley M2A4 consists of full ballistic fire control hosted on a new central processing unit, aided dual-target tracking, automatic gun target adjustment, automatic bore sighting and hunter-killer capabilities. The Bushmaster 25mm cannon fires both explosive and armor piercing rounds, while TOW missiles defeat enemy armor. The 7.62mm coaxial machine gun provides high volume fires at close ranges.