British defense firm BAE Systems has received a $32-million contract to supply the US Army with M2A4 and M7A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
The agreement comes as the service continues seeking a replacement for its more than 40-year-old Bradleys.
The US Department of Defense did not specify how many M2A4 and M7A4s are included in the contract.
Work for the multimillion-dollar deal will be carried out in Pennsylvania and is expected to be completed by August 2023.
The Bradley Vehicle
The M2A4 Bradley Fighting Vehicle is a medium armored vehicle offering improved mobility, firepower, and protection for mechanized infantry.
It has three seats for crew and seven for squad members.
The vehicle is armed with a 25-mm automatic cannon, a 7.62 coaxial machine gun, and a dual-tube anti-tank missile launcher.
The M7A4 variant enables timely and accurate indirect artillery and mortar fire to support dismounted soldiers.
It also provides enhanced surveillance, target acquisition, identification, tracking, and position location.
Replacement Project
The US Army has launched the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program, which aims to replace all Bradley vehicles in its inventory.
The new fighting vehicle can either be manned or remotely operated, provided it allows dismounted soldiers to strike targets from a safe range.
A total of five defense firms are now competing to design the future troop carrier, and all have submitted bids for the next phase.
The participating companies will soon turn their digital designs into working vehicles, as the service plans to pick three teams by mid-2023 to proceed to the prototyping phase.
