BAE Systems to upgrade more US Army Bradley Fighting Vehicles to A4 standard
Peter Felstead
BAE Systems has received a USD 78 M (EUR 71.44 M) order to upgrade additional Bradley Fighting Vehicles to the latest M2A4 configuration for the US Army, the company announced on 2 January 2024.
This brings the total delivery order value for Bradley upgrades to more than USD 750 M.
“The Bradley continues to prove its firepower, mobility, lethality, and survivability while transporting infantry troops safely to the fight,” Dan Furber, director of ground vehicle production for BAE Systems, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “The significant upgrades with the Bradley A4’s advanced technology and superior capabilities provide soldiers unparalleled advantages when it matters most.”
The A4 variant features the latest digitised electronics for optimum situational awareness, network connectivity, and communication within the Armored Brigade Combat Team. Over the life of the Bradley programme there have been several survivability upgrades, including installation of underbelly protection and Bradley Urban Survivability Kits (BUSK), further enhancing the vehicle’s survivability.
Work on the programme will take place at Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, Texas, and BAE Systems’ facilities in Aiken, South Carolina; Anniston, Alabama; Minneapolis, Minnesota; San Jose, California; Sterling Heights, Michigan; and York, Pennsylvania.
The US Army operates around 3,700 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and holds an additional 2,800 in storage. The army plans to acquire more than 700 M2A4s through to 2029 before its Bradley fleet is replaced by the winner of the XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (formerly Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle) programme, for which American Rheinmetall Vehicles and General Dynamics Land Systems are currently competing.
The first Bradley M2A4s were delivered to the US Army from February 2022, although the first unit to be officially equipped with and trained on the IFV was the 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, in April 2022.
