Retrofit of Bradleys remains main concern for US DoD


The Bradley Fighting Vehicle production line remains active for the modernization and retrofit of existing Bradley vehicles.


Retrofit of Bradleys remains major focus for US DoD
The U.S. Army maintains that the M2/M7A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle will be a critical component of the Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) formation until FY50. (Picture source: DVIDS)


The stated focus of the U.S. Army's current Bradley program is on upgrading existing Bradley M2A2 ODS - Situational Awareness (ODS-SA)/M7A3 vehicles to the Bradley M2A4/M7A4 configuration.

The U.S. Army maintains that the M2/M7A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle will be a critical component of the Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) formation until FY50. However, according to U.S. Department of Defense budget request documentation, the Army has only requested M2A4 upgrade funding for 138 vehicles, through FY19.

With the demise of the Ground Combat Vehicle (AMPV) program, the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle has become the U.S. Army's most significant new armored fighting vehicle program. The AMPV is a non-developmental family of vehicles that will begin replacing the Army's geriatric M113 armored personnel carrier fleet.

On December 23, 2014, the U.S. Army awarded BAE Systems a 52-month engineering and manufacturing development contract for its Bradley-based AMPV proposal. The initial EMD contract was worth $383 million. The contract also includes an option to commence low-rate initial production immediately following conclusion of the EMD phase, thus raising the total value of the contract to $1.2 billion.

Under Army plans, the AMPV will ultimately account for approximately 30 percent of the ABCT's tracked fleet. The Army currently holds a procurement objective of 2,897 AMPVs in five variants.