5 ms·

It's kind of an interesting story how the military didn't really want the Bradley in the first place but it was forced upon them by congress and they had to fin

It's kind of an interesting story how the military didn't really want the Bradley in the first place but it was forced upon them by congress and they had to find a use for it. I have a relative who was in the mechanized infantry back in the early 1990s. From what he was able to share with me, the Bradley was an interesting vehicle with a lot of cool stuff but if my life was on the line, I'd prefer to be in an M1 Abrams.

greggyb 11y ago
There is a pretty good movie "Pentagon Wars" about the development of the Bradley.[0] It's not entirely accurate, but even as complete fiction would be an enjoyable satire. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon_Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon_Wars
- hydrogen18 11y ago
  The movie is good, but the book is excellent.
Tloewald 11y ago
If my life were on the line I'd prefer not to be in combat, but if you're infantry, riding around in an Abrams isn't an option. It's like saying you'd prefer to be in a frigate.
- RogtamBar 11y ago
  Some militaries use infantry transport vehicles developed from tanks. For example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namer
  - gherkin0 11y ago
    Though, IIRC, the tank that's based off of was already designed to carry some passengers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkava#Specifications_of_models https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkava#Specifications_of_mode...
  - xixi77 11y ago
    It's a pretty cool vehicle, but with the $3MM price tag I'm not sure how suitable it is for an infantry carrier... But I agree, this type of vehicles are surely going to get more common.
    - douche 11y ago
      According to Wikipedia[1], the Bradley is more expensive, at $3.16 million [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_Bradley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_Bradley
    - jasonwatkinspdx 11y ago
      The Isrealis have had mixed results from the Namer and Merkava (though the Merkava is an icon of pride, so this comment might draw some cheerleading). I think the basic idea of having extra passenger room in a MBT for flexibility in evolving situations is pretty sound, but these particular vehicles have proven pretty vulnerable in close in urban combat vs smart patient infantry.

greggyb 11y ago

There is a pretty good movie "Pentagon Wars" about the development of the Bradley.[0] It's not entirely accurate, but even as complete fiction would be an enjoyable satire. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon_Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon_Wars

hydrogen18 11y ago
The movie is good, but the book is excellent.

Tloewald 11y ago

If my life were on the line I'd prefer not to be in combat, but if you're infantry, riding around in an Abrams isn't an option. It's like saying you'd prefer to be in a frigate.

RogtamBar 11y ago
Some militaries use infantry transport vehicles developed from tanks. For example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namer
- gherkin0 11y ago
  Though, IIRC, the tank that's based off of was already designed to carry some passengers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkava#Specifications_of_models https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkava#Specifications_of_mode...
- xixi77 11y ago
  It's a pretty cool vehicle, but with the $3MM price tag I'm not sure how suitable it is for an infantry carrier... But I agree, this type of vehicles are surely going to get more common.
  - douche 11y ago
    According to Wikipedia[1], the Bradley is more expensive, at $3.16 million [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_Bradley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_Bradley
  - jasonwatkinspdx 11y ago
    The Isrealis have had mixed results from the Namer and Merkava (though the Merkava is an icon of pride, so this comment might draw some cheerleading). I think the basic idea of having extra passenger room in a MBT for flexibility in evolving situations is pretty sound, but these particular vehicles have proven pretty vulnerable in close in urban combat vs smart patient infantry.