Key Points and Summary – The M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, a Cold War workhorse, has proven surprisingly lethal in Ukraine, where its 25mm cannon has famously destroyed even advanced Russian T-90M tanks.
-Despite this success, and its critical role in the 1991 Gulf War where it destroyed more Iraqi tanks than the M1 Abrams, the Bradley is showing its age.
-The U.S. Army is now upgrading the fleet with the M2A4E1 variant, which features the “Iron Fist” active protection system to counter modern anti-tank threats.
-This modernization will keep the venerable but still valuable IFV in service for years to come.
M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle: Just Too Old or Can It Keep Going?
The Total Military Insight website defines infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) as “armored vehicles designed to transport infantry while providing direct fire support during combat operations.
Unlike armored personnel carriers (APCs), IFVs are crafted specifically for engaging enemy forces and facilitating troop mobility in contested environments.”
One of the most time-honored and battle-tested IFVs on the planet is the U.S.-made Bradley. However, the Bradley is an old system, and its continued viability has come under question.
Bradley IFV Initial History
Intended as a replacement for the U.S. Army’s 1960s-vintage M113 APC, the Bradley went through a rather lengthy and laborious design phase from 1963 to 1981, before it finally entered official service with the Army in that last year. It was designed by the FMC Corporation but built by United Defense Industries (UDI) from 1981 to 1995. In that year, UDI was acquired by BAE Systems Platforms & Services Inc., which has manufactured the vehicle ever since.
At least 6,724 Bradleys have been built to date.
Technical Specifications and Vital Stats
Mass: 30.4 tons
Length: 21.5 feet (6.55 meters)
Height: 9.8 feet (2.98 meters)
Width: 12 feet (3.6 m)
Powerplant: Cummins VTA-903T diesel generating 600 horsepower (450 kilowatts)
Maximum Speed: 35 mph (56 km/h)
Operational Range: 250 miles (400 kilometers)
Crew Complement: 3 (commander, a gunner, driver) plus variable number of pax depending upon variant (e.g., six fully-kitted soldiers in M2 version)
Armament:
Primary:
1 x 25×137 mm Northrop Grumman M242 Bushmaster chain gun
2× BGM-71 TOW (Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided) anti-tank missile
Secondary:
1 × 7.62 mm M240C machine gun.
Operational History in Brief for Bradley Fighting Vehicle
The Bradley was first blooded in combat during the 1991 Persian Gulf War – Operation Desert Storm – during which the M2 variant of this IFV ended up destroying more of then-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s tanks than the vaunted M1 Abrams main battle tank.
Most of these kills were attained using TOW missiles, but as noted in an official report published by the General Accounting Office in January 1992, there were a few isolated incidents in which Bradley crews used their vehicles’ 25mm gun to kill Iraqi tanks. In exchange, 20 Bradley IFVs were lost; a mere three to enemy fire, with the remaining 17 lost even more tragically to friendly-fire incidents.
However, fast-forward a decade to the follow-up war in Iraq that finally overthrew Hussein, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the Bradley started showing its vulnerabilities to improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. By the time Operation Iraqi Freedom officially ended, roughly 150 Bradleys were destroyed. Fifty-five of these Bradleys died in 2006 alone, and an additional 700 of the IFVs were damaged that year.
That said, the Bradley continues to prove its worth – not just in American hands, but in the service of U.S. allies around the globe, particularly Ukraine. Kyiv received 190 Bradleys for its seemingly interminable fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces. There is at least one recorded instance of a Ukrainian Bradley crew destroying one of Russia’s ultramodern T-90M MBTs.
The Future of the Bradley In 4 Words: It Can Still Fight
Is the Bradley Fighting Vehicle still viable on the battlefield? In a word, yes.
As old as the basic design of the Bradley is, the platform has not remained frozen in time. (The same can be said of the M1 Abrams, which was originally designed between 1972 and 1976 and made its operational debut in 1980.) In May 2024, the U.S. Army unveiled the latest edition of the venerable IFV, the M2A4E1, which the service touted as “ the “most modern and survivable version.” Among the upgrades and improvements are the Iron Fist active protection system, which detects and intercepts incoming missiles and rockets using radar, infrared trackers, and explosive projectiles. It also features an improved high-definition forward-looking infrared gunner’s sight, as well as an Environmental Control Unit to prevent heat stress.
To complicate matters further, attempts to find an adequate replacement for the Bradley have run afoul of the bureaucratic inertia that so comprehensively afflicts the military acquisition process. The Army has been working on its Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) program since 2010. The results so far are cynically summed up in the pun-laden title of a damning March 2020 report by Mark Thompson of The Project On Government Oversight: “The Army’s Lousy Tracked Record.”
A less cynical summation is provided by John Peterson in a 22 May 2025 article for Survival World titled Why the U.S. Army Still Relies on the M2 Bradley to Face Today’s Threats:
“[T]he truth is the Bradley is still very much needed. Its proven track record, existing infrastructure, and constant modernization make it too valuable to retire overnight. While NGCV prototypes continue to develop, Bradleys remain the backbone of many armored brigades, filling a vital role that can’t be easily or quickly replaced.”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU).
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