M2 / M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle The M2 Bradley is an Infantry Fighting Vehicle used by the United States of America . It ' s counterpart is the M3 Bradley Cavalry Scout vehicle . It was designed by United Defence and is now manufactured by BAE Land and Armaments . Just like all Infantry Fighting Vehicles , the M2 Bradley was designed to carry infantry into battle under fire and then support them in the field working with Humvee ' s and the M1 Abrams , destroying enemy tanks , infantry , emplacements and other vehicles . The Bradley can carry up to six fully equipped solders and has a crew of three : a commander , driver and gunner . Description . The mission of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle is to provide mobile protected transport of an infantry squad to critical points on the battlefield and to perform cavalry scout missions . The Bradley will also provide overwatching fires to support dismounted infantry and to suppress or defeat enemy tanks and other fighting vehicles . The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is a fully armored , fully tracked vehicle designed to carry Mechanized Infantry into close contact with the enemy . It possesses sufficient cross - country mobility to keep up with the Abrams Main Battle Tank , medium and long - range firepower capable of defeating any vehicle on the battlefield , and is adequately armored to protect the crew from artillery and small arms threats . During World War II , the vehicle ' s namesake , General Omar Bradley , was known as the " GI General " . The Bradley is able to close with and destroy enemy forces in support of mounted and dismounted Infantry and Cavalry combat operations . The Bradley Fighting Vehicle family currently consists of two vehicles : the M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle . Just as with its predecessor , the M113 family , the Bradley will eventually be the platform for a wide range of support vehicles . Unlike the M113 family of vehicles the Bradley replaces , this is not simply a " battle taxi " . The Bradley is a sophisticated weapons platform capable of providing tremendous firepower in direct support of the Infantry it carries . The role of the Bradley is to The Bradley ’ s main armament is the M242 25mm " Bushmaster " Chain Gun , manufactured by McDonnell Douglas . The M242 has a single barrel with an integrated dual - feed mechanism and remote ammunition selection . Either armor piercing ( AP ) or high explosive ( HE ) ammunition may be selected with the flick of a switch . The Gunner may select from single or multiple shot modes . The standard rate of fire is 200 rounds per minute , and has a range of 2 , 000 meters ( depending on the ammunition used ) . A wide range of ammunition has been developed for this weapon , making it capable of defeating the majority of armored vehicles it is likely to encounter , up to and including some main battle tanks . The M240C machine gun , mounted to right of the Bushmaster , fires 7 . 62mm rounds . When facing heavier enemy armor the Bradley relies on the TOW Anti - Tank Missile , manufactured by the Hughes Aircraft . Launched from a smooth tube launcher , the missile ’ s wings and tail fins are folded inside its body until launch . Two of these missiles are carried ready to fire in a collapsible , armored launch rack on the left of the turret . The Bradley must stop in order to fire these missiles , which are them reloaded by the Infantrymen in the back of the vehicle , using a special hatch which provides armor protection during the reload operation . The missile is equipped with a massive shaped charge , high explosive warhead and is propelled by a two - stage solid propellant motor . The range of the TOW missile is nearly 4 kilometers and the missile will reach a speed of almost Mach 1 on its way to the target . This weapon is capable of destroying any armored vehicle in existence today and is deadly accurate . The wide tracks and 600 horsepower turbo - diesel power plant give the vehicle the mobility it needs to keep up with the Abrams , and keep the soldiers it carries out of harms way . In order to fulfil the requirement for rapid worldwide deployability , the Bradley can be transported by truck , rail , ship and transporter aircraft . In addition , all Bradleys are amphibious . Early models were equipped with a water barrier , which is erected by the crew before entering the water – a procedure that takes about 30 minutes . Later models have an inflatable pontoon , which fits on the front and sides of the vehicle . This pontoon is inflated in about 15 minutes , and is continuously pressurized during operation . The pontoon is compartmentalized to provide protection against sinking in the event of rupture of the pontoon . Water propulsion is provided by tracks which propel the vehicle at about 4 MPH . The vehicle ' s reliability , survivability and lethality has surpassed initial expectations . Of the 2 , 200 Bradleys involved in Operation Desert Storm , only three were disabled . In fact , more enemy armored vehicles were destroyed by Bradleys than by the Abrams Main Battle Tanks ! The M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle [ IFV ] is a fully tracked , lightly armored vehicle that offers significant improvements over the M113 series of armored personnel carriers . The M2 posses greater power , greater acceleration , and an advanced suspension for a significant increase in cross - country speed . Like the M113 , the primary purpose of the M2 is to carry infantryman on the battlefield , and transport and support them with fire if necessary . The M2 Bradley carries a crew of three ( Commander , Gunner & Driver ) and a six - man Infantry section into combat . The M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle [ CFV ] is exactly the same chassis as the M2 IFV with some minor internal differences . The M3 is a cavalry / scout vehicle , instead of carrying 6 dismounts in the payload compartment , the M3 carries a pair of scouts , additional radios , ammunition , and TOW and Dragon or Javelin missile rounds . In fact , the only noticeable differences between the M2 and the M3 are that the external firing ports for the squad M16s are absent on the M3 . By the end of 1994 the Army had produced a total of 6 , 724 Bradleys , 4 , 641 in the M2 Infantry configuration and 2 , 083 in the M3 Cavalry configuration . Three versions of the M2 / M3 have been procured : 2 , 300 " basic , " or A0 Bradleys ; 1 , 371 A1 Bradleys which incorporates the TOW 2 missile subsystem ; and 3 , 053 A2 " high survivability " vehicles . Currently , the Army is conducting depot conversion of A0 and A1 Bradleys to the A2 configuration , modifying 1 , 423 A2s to the A2 ODS configuration , and preparing to upgrade 1 , 602 A2s to the A3 configuration . M2 / 3A0s and A1s will continue to be upgraded to the A2 configuration in FY96 . Selected M2 / 3A2s will be modified with the ODS upgrade pachage through FY02 . The First Unit Equipped ( FUE ) for the A2 ODS variant was FY96 . The M2 / 3A3 vehicle configuration is in EMD with FUE scheduled for FY00 . The M2A3 and M3A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle Systems ( BFVS ) are improved versions of the M2A2 and M3A2 BFVS . The BFVS - A3 includes enhancements intended to improve lethality , mobility , survivability , and sustainability . Additionally , these enhancements are intended to provide increased situational awareness and digital command and control capabilities necessary to provide information superiority " to the dominant maneuver " force . The Bradley Fighting vehicle and the Abrams Tank are the two central components of the dominant maneuver digital force . The M2A3 / M3A3 model of the Bradley will facilitate enhanced command and control , greater lethality , and provide mobile protected transport of an Infantry squad , and Cavalry crewmen to critical points on the battlefield . M2A3 / M3A3 will facilitate mechanized Infantry , cavalry scout , and other claimant ( Bradley equipped Fire Support and Stinger Teams ) missions in the 21st Century . Upgrades include advanced technology in the areas of command and control , lethality , survivability , mobility , and sustainability required to defeat current and future threat forces while remaining operationally compatible with the Abrams main battle tank . The M2A3 / M3A3 will provide overwatching fires to support the dismounted infantry and suppress / defeat enemy tanks , reconnaissance vehicles , IFVs , armored personnel carriers , bunkers , and attack helicopters . In the Cavalry role , it will be used to conduct reconnaissance operations , economy of force , and screening missions . It will be employed in Combined Arms units alongside the M1A1 D and M1A2 SEP tank . The A3 upgrade to the Army ’ s Bradley fighting vehicle system is a major component of the Army digitization initiative , designed both to complement the capabilities provided by the M1A2 SEP and to incorporate needed enhancements identified during the Gulf War . The M2A3 / M3A3 will be equipped with a digital electronic architecture incorporating on - board subsystem monitoring , diagnostics / prognostics , and an Army Technical Architecture ( ATA ) compliant Command and Control software suite that is fully interoperable with M1A2 SEP and M1A1 D tanks , and other Force XXI digitized platforms . When equipped with upgraded Bradleys , mechanized infantry units will be able to share battlefield data with M1A2 SEP - equipped armor units . The digitization upgrades will improve both situational awareness and sustainability through automated fault reporting and diagnostics . The A3 upgrade will also increase the lethality of the Bradley by adding an improved fire control system and a commander ’ s independent thermal viewer . BFVS - A3 enhancements include Approximately 1 , 602 Bradley A2s will be remanufactured into A3s , including fire support and air defense derivatives . Engineering and manufacturing development of the A3 upgrade will continue through FY 1999 . In March 1994 , the Army awarded a contract to United Defense , Limited Partnership , to begin the engineering and manufacturing development phase . In June 1997 , the Army approved the first LRIP for 35 systems with an FY98 option for an additional 18 systems , and low - rate production began in July 1997 . A subsequent LRIP decision is scheduled for FY99 for 78 systems . The IOT & E for the BFVS - A3 is scheduled for 3 / 4QFY99 . This IOT & E will be conducted in conjunction with the FOT & E 3 for the M1A2 Abrams System Enhancement Program . The LFT & E is scheduled for 3QFY98 through 1QFY99 . The full rate production milestone decision is scheduled for 1QFY00 . The hull of the Bradley is constructed of welded aluminum and supplemented at critical locations by spaced laminate armor . The latest version of the Bradley , the M2A2 , has additional applique steel armor to help defeat ballistic ammunition , with provision for explosive reactive armor for increased protection against shaped charge weapons . The Applique armor tile system is designed to increase the survivability of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle System ( BFVS ) against shaped - charge threats using reactive armor technology . Information regarding the specific mechanism of operation and threat level is classified SECRET . A Bradley vehicle set of armor tiles consists of 105 tiles in the following quantities : 26 M3A1 , 9 M4A1 , 55 M5A , 1 7 M6A1 , and 8 M7A1 . The armor tiles were subjected to comprehensive technical testing and evaluation during Phase II ( screening tests ) and Phase III ( performance specification qualification tests ) . The coordinated test plan for this evaluation was formulated by AMSAA , TECOM , CSTA , PM - Bradley , and ARDEC . The testing has demonstrated the tiles are safe and meet the performance requirements .