According to pictures published on the Twitter account of "Ronkainen" on August 8, 2022, the 1st Battalion 9th Field Artillery Regiment of the U.S. Army took delivery of the new M7A4 BFIST (Bradley Fire Support Team) vehicles.
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The new Bradley M7A4 BFIST artillery fire support vehicle. (Picture source Twitter account Ronkainen)
The M7 BFIST is an artillery fire support vehicle based on a modified M2A2 ODS (Operation Desert Storm) Bradley fighting vehicle that has been equipped with a specialized fire support mission equipment package (MEP). It provides company fire support teams and battalion/brigade fire support officers with a vehicle platform where they can locate, plan, coordinate, execute and direct timely, accurate, indirect field artillery and mortar fires.
The M7 BFIST provides company fire support teams and battalion/brigade fire support officers with a vehicle platform where they can locate, plan, coordinate, execute and direct timely, accurate, indirect field artillery and mortar fires.
In addition to providing the critical fire support teams with the same mobility, survivability, and battlefield signature as the A2 series Bradley, the M7 provides fire support teams with a 25 mm cannon for self-defense. Most importantly, the M7 design provides, for the first time, the ability to “target on the move.”
The new M7A4 BFIST is based on the latest generation of Bradley tracked armored IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) in service with the U.S. army which is the Bradley M4. This version of the Bradley IFV is upgraded with enhanced mobility and power generation capabilities.
The new M7A4 BFIST 3 provides designation under armor and Target Location Error 90 (TLE90) level target grid coordinates to support precision munitions Calls For Fire. An estimated Target Location Error (TLE) is automatically generated and populated in the Call For Fire (CFF) eliminating the need for manual target grid refinement.
The A4 BFIST maintains the battlefield signature, mobility, and survivability of the M2A4 Bradley IFV. The 25mm cannon and the 7.62mm coaxial machine gun provide the defensive capability.
