[3] The Bradley IFV was developed largely in response to the amphibious Soviet BMP family of infantry fighting vehicles, and to serve as both an armored personnel carrier (APC), and a tank-killer.

However, Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA) officials stated that, on the basis of their assessment of combat vehicles in the Persian Gulf war, for the 25 mm automatic gun to incapacitate a tank it would have to be hit at close range in its more vulnerable areas.

The bottom of the hull front has an additional 0.375 inch (9.5 mm) thick steel applique plate, primarily intended to protect against mines.

[9] The use of aluminum armor and the storage of large quantities of ammunition in the vehicle initially raised questions about its combat survivability.

Spaced laminate belts and high hardness steel skirts were added to later versions to improve armor protection, increasing overall weight to 33 tons.

[citation needed] In friendly fire incidents in Desert Storm many crew members survived hits that totally destroyed lighter USMC LAV-25 vehicles.

Testing in 2022 of a reconfigured version called the Iron Fist Light Decoupled were more successful, and the Army intends to field a brigade set in 2025.

With three squads fully occupying three GCVs, the fourth GCV will have room for the platoon leader, forward observers, radio-telephone operator, and medic.

[14] The M2, which was named after World War II General Omar Bradley, carries a crew of three and a six-man dismountable infantry squad.

Even after the troubled development history of the Bradley,[15] additional problems occurred after production started, as later detailed by Air Force Colonel James G. Burton, who took part in the design and fielding process.

[16] Burton advocated the use of comprehensive live fire tests against fully loaded military vehicles to check for survivability.

[18] Burton insisted on a series of "overmatch" tests in which weapon systems would be fired at the Bradley that were known to be able to easily penetrate its armor.

[24] To remedy some problems that were identified as contributing factors in the friendly fire incidents, infrared identification panels and other marking/identification measures were added to the Bradleys.

[citation needed] In the Iraq War from 2003, the Bradley proved somewhat vulnerable to improvised explosive device (IED) and rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attacks, but casualties were light; the doctrine was to allow the crew to escape at the expense of the vehicle.

The M2A3 variant began to replace the M3A3 cavalry fighting vehicles in US Army armored reconnaissance units in 2014, as the increased ammunition loads carried by the M3A3s reduced the number of scouts that could be transported.

[39] Ukrainian soldiers lauded the survivability of the Bradley, saying it protected them from hits that would have been lethal if sustained by a Soviet APC, and that many of the vehicles that became disabled from combat damage could be recovered and repaired.

[40] Ukraine's deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram that one M2 Bradley assigned to the 47th Mechanized Brigade had been able to destroy two Russian T-72 tanks in a single engagement.

Footage of the captured Bradley was broadcast on Russia’s Channel 1, in a segment showing several masked members of the Russian recovery crews examining the vehicle.

[45][46] On 12 January 2024, footage emerged of a pair of Ukrainian M2A2 Bradleys from the 47th Mechanized Brigade engaging and disabling a Russian T-90M Proryv tank at close range in Stepove, Ukraine.

[48][49] As of January 2025, 126 Ukrainian Bradleys had been confirmed to have been lost by photos or videos; 63 of them destroyed and the rest damaged, captured, or abandoned on the battlefield.

The Army studied creating several vehicle variants under a common heavy chassis to replace main battle tanks and Bradleys.

[56] The M2 can be identified by its standard TOW missile system, steel laminate armor, and 500 horsepower (370 kW) Cummins VT903 engine with HMPT-500 hydromechanical transmission.

The infantry squad was again increased to seven men, six of whom sat facing each other on two 3-man benches in the passenger compartment, with the seventh back in the position behind the turret.

[59] The A3 Bradley uses a position-navigation subsystem that incorporates a global positioning system (GPS), an inertial navigation unit (INU), and a vehicle motion sensor (MVS),[58] which, in addition to allowing accurate own-vehicle navigation, allows accurate position reporting and the ability to hand-off designated targets to other units via FBCB2.

[60] The Squad Leader's Display (SLD) in the infantry compartment improves the situational awareness of the passengers by allowing them to view navigational information from the FBCB2 and imagery from the IBAS, CIV, or Driver's Vision Enhancer (DVE) to familiarize themselves with their surroundings prior to dismounting.

[61] After the Iraq War, the Army began to research engineering change proposals (ECPs) for the M2 Bradley to restore space, weight, power, and cooling capacity reduced by the addition of armor and electronics hastily added during combat.

[62][63] The effort will install lighter tracks, shock absorbers, a new suspension support system, and heavy weight torsion bars.

It is equipped with a remote turret for the main 25 mm chain gun, 360-degree situational awareness cameras and enhanced crew stations with touchscreens.

Its chassis is the basis for the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, the M4 C2V battlefield command post, and the M6 Bradley Linebacker air defense vehicle.

Armed with a quad Stinger surface-to-air missile launcher in place of the TOW anti-tank missiles, but maintaining the 25 mm autocannon, the M6 Bradley Linebacker Air Defense Vehicle (no longer in service) possessed a unique role in the U.S. Army, providing highly mobile air defense at the front line.