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Albany Rifles · 04-02-2008, 12:46 PM

Having commanded a Bradley company I would have to heartily disagree with many of the comments I have read so far.

1. Armor guys may have thought of Bradley as light tanks but I assure you we Infantrymen never thought of them as such and resisited any and all attempts by armor task force S3s to use us as such.

2. While the M2 may be heavier than some people think it needs to be remember that the current model is based on the lessons learned from the Gulf War...this resulted in increased armor, etc. It is an excellent support vehicle and, unlike earlier doctrinal thought ,there is little or no attempt for the dismounts to fight from the vehicle (got rid of the damend firing port weapons). They get out on the ground and are supported by the fire power of the vehicle. And the vehicle has proven it can take a hit and keep going. Read Thunder Run if you want to read how M2s & M3s took hits by RPGs and kept in the fight.

3. The Stryker is better in COIN role but it does not do as well in the main battle role. This has a lot to do with its arms as much as anything. Still a nice combat vehicle.

4. As with a lot of questions, comments...CV-90 looks good and has the advantage of being a later design. But how much combat experience does it have? And once again, American weapons have to be able to fight in many different parts of the globe. I honestly do not know how a CV-90 would fair in Iraq.

For its age, etc., I believe the Bradley delivers quite a good bang for the buck.

04-02-2008, 12:46 PM	#14 (permalink)
Albany Rifles *Defense Professional* *Military Professional* Join Date: 04-27-07 Location: Prince George, VA Posts: 1,019 Country:	Having commanded a Bradley company I would have to heartily disagree with many of the comments I have read so far. 1. Armor guys may have thought of Bradley as light tanks but I assure you we Infantrymen never thought of them as such and resisited any and all attempts by armor task force S3s to use us as such. 2. While the M2 may be heavier than some people think it needs to be remember that the current model is based on the lessons learned from the Gulf War...this resulted in increased armor, etc. It is an excellent support vehicle and, unlike earlier doctrinal thought ,there is little or no attempt for the dismounts to fight from the vehicle (got rid of the damend firing port weapons). They get out on the ground and are supported by the fire power of the vehicle. And the vehicle has proven it can take a hit and keep going. Read Thunder Run if you want to read how M2s & M3s took hits by RPGs and kept in the fight. 3. The Stryker is better in COIN role but it does not do as well in the main battle role. This has a lot to do with its arms as much as anything. Still a nice combat vehicle. 4. As with a lot of questions, comments...CV-90 looks good and has the advantage of being a later design. But how much combat experience does it have? And once again, American weapons have to be able to fight in many different parts of the globe. I honestly do not know how a CV-90 would fair in Iraq. For its age, etc., I believe the Bradley delivers quite a good bang for the buck. __________________ "Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves." TSGT Oddball, Tank Commander Last edited by Albany Rifles : 04-02-2008 at 12:48 PM.