US Army awards $190 million contract for additional Bradley Fighting Vehicles

News, US August 29, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. Army awarded a $190 million contract to BAE Systems to produce 70 units of Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The latest contract is an extension of a previous $32 million award from last year.

Under the latest contract, the U.S. Army would receive 70 M2A4 Infantry Fighting Vehicles and M7A4 Fire Support Vehicles. M2A4 is an upgraded version of the M2A2 Operation Desert Storm vehicle that is also known as the situational awareness variant of the Bradley fighting vehicles.

The U.S. donated dozens of Bradley vehicles to Ukraine for its fight against Russia. Most of these vehicles came from the inventory of the U.S. Army. The latest contract aims to replenish the U.S. Army’s inventory of infantry support vehicles.

BAE Systems announced the latest contract this week. According to the director of ground vehicle production at BAE Systems Dan Fruber, “The Bradley is a crucial vehicle for the Armored Brigade Combat Teams today because it allows the Army to transport troops to the fight while providing cover fire to suppress enemy vehicles and troops.”

He added, “It’s imperative the Bradley Fighting Vehicle is upgraded to keep our Soldiers unmatched on the battlefield for years to come.”

Bradley M2A4 Vehicles

Badley M2 is an infantry fighting vehicle designed to carry soldiers or conduct reconnaissance operations. The U.S. Army relies on the M2 Bradley vehicles for warzone logistics and personnel movement.

The reliable Bradley vehicles have been in use since the 1980s. M2A2 variant of Bradley vehicles have seen action in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Persian Gulf, and most recently in Ukraine as the U.S. and other Western allies provided the vehicles to the Ukrainian forces.

The upgraded M2A4 variant features advanced mobility, survivability, and firepower capabilities along with a more powerful engine. The A4 variant is equipped with upgraded fire suppression and IED jammer components reducing its detectability.

U.S. Army M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle — ^{Army Specialist Kenneth Black, assigned to Chaos Company, First Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, Third Armored Brigade Combat Team, Fourth Infantry Division, directs an M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle into position to recover a squad as they conclude a squad live-fire exercise at Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, July 13, 2022. (Image Credit: U.S. Army National Guard/Sergeant Tara Fajardo Arteaga)}

Additionally, the upgraded computing system enhances situational awareness for soldiers. Improvements to onboard diagnostics systems also provide increased fault detection and isolation capabilities that help keep the Bradley Fighting Vehicle in the fight.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Army awarded a $322 million contract to Raytheon Technologies to produce Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wire-guided (TOW) 2B missile systems. The TOW weapons are typically used for anti-armor, anti-bunker, anti-fortification, and anti-amphibious landing missions.

The U.S. Army plans to integrate the TOW missiles with its fleet of Bradley Fighting Vehicles to increase the efficacy and accuracy of the attacking vehicles. The missiles are expected to be delivered by September 2026.

The missile was created to replace the U.S. Army’s SS.10 and ENTAC missile systems, which are widely used with the A2 variants of Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The TOW missile would offer twice the range and an effective target detection capability due to the advanced equipment and the infrared camera for nighttime target detection.