JA Boomer

Hi,

I'm just wondering what the differences between the M2A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the M3A3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle are (I picked the A3 version because it is the most modern). I know the M2 has a primary mission of transporting and protecting infantry in the battlefield, traveling alongside the M1 Abrams. The M3 is fielded in the "scout" and recon role. I have read that the M3 usually is deployed with two scouts in the rear of the vehicle along with its crew of three.

My question is: Are there any internal, external, or engineering differences between the two vehicles. Or is the designation simply put there to differentiate between the roles the vehicles performs, and the two scouts in the M3 have the same amount of room as the infantry squad in a M2?

Thanks! Boomer

Triple C

M3 carries more ammo by design. M2 does not b/c the internal volume is reserved to transport a squad of mechanized infantry.

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JA Boomer

After some more digging, it appears that the M2 and M2 are largely the same, although they do have some minor differences. The M3 does not have the firing ports for the infantry soldiers that are in the back of the M2. The six seats for infantry on the M2 are reduced to two for a pair of scouts in the M3. The M3 also carries additional radios, ammunition, and space for TOW, Dragon, and Javelin missile rounds. So it appears the two vehicles are largely the same.

Does anyone know how these vehicles are deployed differently? I have heard the M3 is deployed on the edges of a formation, and used to "scout" ahead of the formation. Is this true? Are the vehicles always deployed differently, or are they sort of interchangeable while in operations?

Stan187

I don't think they'd be interchangeble. They have different jobs. If you need to keep in contact with your formation about intelligence and call arty down, you need all that communications equipment in the M3. If you need to carry a squad, you need the room of an M2. I don't see how you could interchange them at all in such a case.

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Triple C

What I mean exactly. The internal compartment walls would be different between M2 and M3, and that's not interchangible.

zraver

You can convert one to the other with a simple tool kit. Both carry dismounts, the only difference is the M2 carries more of them instead of the M3's more numerous TOW missile racks.

JA Boomer

Interesting, although I'm guessing the lack of firing ports in the M3 is not something that can be easily added or removed.

Something I've always been confused about, maybe someone can tune me in. The M3 is said to be a "scout" platform, and as such I see it moving around the edges of a formation, and forward of the main group. Searching, scouting, etc. using the two scouts in the rear of each vehicle, kind of staying hidden and doing some light recon. However, the M3 is also classified as "Cavalry Fighting Vehicle", this to me means that its main focus would be to engage APC's, infantry fighting vehicles, and other armored vehicles. These two designations seem to indicate very different missions. Does the M3 Bradley focus on one or the other, or does it perform these missions at all? Or can they perform these two missions interchangeably?

Thanks, Boomer

zraver

M2 hasn't had useable ports since the early 90's. The carbines were to hard to disengage from the vehicle, you had to twist around funny pulling muscles in the wrong direction, and couldn't see so got motion sickness. Plus all you did was burn ammo

The M3 does both depending on mission. I tis a creature of the coldwar and was designed first and foremost to fight the recon battle vs the security screens of Soviet regiments. On the offense the m3 is just part of an integrated system so pure scout work was secondary. Humvee scouts are far better at actual scouting that a big loud Bradley.

JA Boomer

Ha, that's what I thought. I just couldn't picture the big M3 rolling around all inconspicuous trying to do scout work. Hard to sneak around with the squeak-squeak of those tracks, plus that engine noise.

braindead

Zraver , sorry to bother you during honeymoon , but just wanted to ask about this paper - http://www.ausa.org/pdfdocs/LWP_53.pdf . It is exactly about Humvee vs. Bradley argument .

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entropy

How useful would the Wiesel be as a light scout/artillery designator?

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If memory serves...

zraver

I will download it and read it at school where I have high speed access.


The Germans like it, being tracked it has cross county mobility no 4x4 can match not even the hummer. Other than that both are light quick vehicles.

Tarek Morgen

I once saw a presentation of a Wiesel from the Bundeswehr. That thing could accellerate like nothing and did basiclly stop in the second the brakes were hit (and was right on full speed again within a moments).

There are already scout versions (for Wiesel 1 and 2 each different ones: "Wiesel 1 Aufklärung" , reconnaissance and the Wiesel 2 ARGUS. Argus stands fur..uh "Independent operating general scouting surviallence system..or something like that. Then there is also the Wiesel 2 PRIMUS, reconnaissance and fire control).

Further you can also get with 120mm mortas, or TOWs or 20/25mm Cannon. They come as troop carriers (2+4), Command units, as Ambulance unit, as Anti-Air unit, or as supply carrier and some other versions I surely forgot.

As far as I know, the wiesel (the APC and 20mm Cannon version) are the favourite escort units for Convoys in Afghanistan or Kosovo.

It seems to be one of the few cases where they wanted to have a vehicle that can do everything, and it acutally worked out. And what me suprised most, that it comes in the same weightclass as an humvee while offering more protection, and far more variants/options. (as far as I with my amateur opinion can tell)

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