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The Military Spends $190m On Upgraded Bradley Fighting Vehicles
Last week, the US Army finalized a contract of $190 million with defense contractor BAE Systems. The decision was motivated by the need to add upgraded Bradley Fighting Vehicles to its Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCT).
The deal was mainly done to continue the production of the upgraded Bradley A4 vehicle, which consists of 70+ M2A4 Infantry Fighting Vehicles and M7A4 Fire Support Team Vehicles. However, these vehicles are coming as modern vehicles as upgrades of existing ones. This is because Bradley vehicles are no longer in production (stopped in 1995).
Dan Furber, the director of the BAE Systems? ground vehicle production, commented –
?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 […] the Bradley Fighting Vehicle is upgraded to keep our Soldiers unmatched on the battlefield for years to come.?
These investments are in line with the Army?s endeavors to modernize all its combat vehicles. The BAE system is also considering upgrading the M2A2 Operation Desert Storm – Situational Awareness (ODS-SA) variant.
The new Bradley A4 will consist of the latest digitized electronics for better situational awareness, communication, and network connectivity. This means that the vehicle will now consist of improved underbelly protection against IEDs.
Furthermore, there is also an introduction to Bradley Urban Survival Kits (BUSKs) for urban combats. These kits come with blast-proof fuel cells and driver sets, an emergency ramp release, and a turret protection system.
As per the contract of the agreement between the Military and BAE Systems, the project will commence at various locations. Some of these locations include Texas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and more.
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