No more M2 Bradleys

[ChalkLine]

The iconic M2 Bradley IFV appears to have come to the end of its life with the base chassis no longer capable of doing the job. This is sad because to me nothing said 'T2K' more than the M2.
It is to be replaced with an 'optionally manned' vehicle hauling nine men and mounting active defences, a 50mm gun and probably a waffle maker.

[Olefin]

I always thought the Bradley was the perfect vehicle for the game - had a decent cannon, could carry enough TOW's to deal with either the few tanks you might run into or a bunker (since at the start you get a fully armed vehicle), could carry almost the entire group in it and was pretty fuel efficient compared to heavier vehicles

only had one GM that actually gave it the full ammo loadout that usually came with them - as in TOW reloads and the ammo to support the troops that it carried

[ChalkLine]

I was always suspect about the autocannon, they struck me as more a theoretical weapon where you'd probably want a big HE shell for the job. I note most vehicles have moved away from them. Papacat said to me that in Iraq they'd just punch holes in reinforced concrete that were perfect firing positions for the enemy after they got their heads together.

Anyway, the M2 makes me think of this.

[micromachine]

I have never liked this vehicle, as it gives you the capabilty to kill a tank and it is not armoured to stay in the fight, which in less experienced hands leads to massive losses. I have always thought it looked like a Matilda tank crossed with an M901 ITV. Sad to see it leave, I guess it will be a boon to the FMS market.

[ChalkLine]

I don't think armour does much good these days. Especially in T2k high-intensity infantry warfare. Barrage-fired RPGs seem to defeat anything and also overwhelm active countermeasures.

It feels like the pendulum has swung again and the infantry have the best idea: dig a hole

[copeab]

The Bradley is an over-sized light tank carrying an under strength rifle squad. While the BMP could carry more men, it had it's own long list of flaws. In an all-out war, IFVs would have been deathtraps.

[Raellus]

I'm not a Bradley apologist but it's record in Desert Storm and the conventional phase of Iraqi Freedom was quite good, with AFV kill ratios heavily favoring the Bradley. In Desert Storm, Bradley crews racked up quite a few Iraqi MBT kills, both with TOWs and with 25mm APFDS rounds.

IIRC, in one of the worst blue-on-blue cases of Desert Storm, a Bradley was hit by an A-10 Warthog, resulting in the death/maiming of most of the crew.

I concur with Copeab's witty assessment:

"The Bradley is an over-sized light tank carrying an under strength rifle squad."