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M2 A2 Bradley
It was designed in response
to the higher cruising speed of the Abrams.
The older M113 APC could not keep up. The
25 mm cannon fires up to 200 rounds per minute,
and is accurate up to 2.5 km. The twin TOW
missile launchers are capable of destroying
any tank at a maximum range of 3750 m. The
Bradley also carries an M240C coaxial 7.62
mm machine gun, located to the right of the
25 mm chain gun. Its cross-country capability
is superb, as during its design phase, a main
objective was to keep it up to speed with
the M1 Abrams main battle tank. The vehicle
is of aluminum construction, one of the points
used by critics to deride the vehicle. Aluminum
armor tends to vaporize in the face of HEAT
warheads; this and the prodigious storage
of ammunition in the vehicle initially raised
questions about its combat survivability.
The Bradley series has
been widely modified. Its chassis is the basis
for the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System,
a battlefield command post, and an air defense
vehicle. Armed with the Stinger SAM, the M6
"Linebacker" Bradley Air Defense
Vehicle possesses a unique role in the U.S.
Army, providing highly mobile air defense
at the front line.
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