U.S. M2A7 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle:


In the Twenty-Thirties, the invention of new armor materials and ammunition types made virtually all previous combat vehicles unable to survive in the new battlefield. There was a scrambled to built new tank and armored personnel carrier designs. The Russian solution seemed to basically just slap new armor onto the outside of their tanks and armored personnel carriers. This meant that the structure of the vehicles were no stronger than armored vehicles built before the super strong material revolution. While the United States wasn't happy with the Russian solution, House and Congress conservatives wanted a more economical interim measure rather than wait for the promised radical new designs that prior experience with high-end weapons systems had taught them would be fraught with delays and cost overruns. The advocates of the newer design approaches were forced to compromise with the modification of older designs, rationalizing that the new upgrades would prove the new technologies to the conservatives, tide the nation over until the new hardware could be deployed to the ranks, and help develop the companies and infrastructure necessary to make the newer designs successful. The M2A7 Bradley fighting vehicle was designed in this manner. Like the M1A5 Abrams tank, the improved Bradley was more of a transitional design than anything else and the Bradley was soon replaced by the Maverick Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Still, many of the Bradleys served in secondary roles for several more years and many of the M2A7s were transferred to National Guard Units. Some of these remained in storage with the National Guard until the coming of the Rifts. Most of these were destroyed in the huge magical storms that resulted but some survived and some mercenary companies still operate these vehicles. The army decided to not make two versions of the Bradley fighting vehicle and there was no M3A7 model although there is an upgraded M270 based on the improved Bradley. Iron Armory makes an improved version of the Bradley although it seems to have been created from the M2A3 model. Golden Age Weaponsmiths have also found so old M2A3 models and has upgraded these with additional armor. It is unlikely that any companies will copy the M2A7 Bradley.


Unlike with the Abrams, not many other Nations purchased the Bradley and there was little interest outside the United States. A few ere purchased for testing but none were purchased in large numbers. One specific area interested in the original Bradley, the Middle East, had much reduced economies due to the introduction of fuel cell systems and the reduced dependancy on petroleum. They could simply not afford the new Bradley. Saudi Arabia refitted armor to a few of their old Bradleys but could barely afford this and was forced to scrap most of their American Armored Personnel Carriers. In competition with the American design was several Russian and Chinese designs which were less expensive. Even when there became many surplus Bradleys, the brand new Chinese designs were cheaper. As a result, most of Bradley not transferred to reserve units were scrapped and the vehicle is not found outside the old borders of United States after the coming of the Rifts.


Throughout the service of the Bradley, there have been many proposals to mount larger gun in the place of a 25 mm cannon carried on the original model. These included a 45 mm gun and this was considered but the 30 mm cannon carried on the AAAV was selected because the weapon was already in production and new ammunition had already been developed. Later the 30 mm cannon on the slightly newer Wolverine was replaced by twin heavy rail guns but the Maverick was already under development and it was decided that the Bradley would not be rearmed with the new rail guns. The turret was improved so it could be used against aircraft as well as against ground targets. Originally, the Bradley carried a TOW missile launcher with some special versions carrying Stinger missiles instead for use against aircraft. Both of these roles were combined in the missile launchers carried by the improved Bradley and the armored vehicle carries a four cell short range missile launchers on each side of the turret. The original coaxial secondary weapon was retained on the first production models of the Bradley but was soon found to be not effective. Even though the same special ammunition which was developed for the Abrams guns was used, the weapon was not found to be able to penetrate the advanced body armor of troops. This weapon was replaced by a liquid propellant weapon like the Abrams. This weapon solved many of the problems but on most vehicles in the Reserves and National Guard, this weapon was later replaced by the same rail gun which is carried on the SAMAS. Repair parts for the Liquid Propellant weapons were in short supply and replacing the weapon allowed for reduced logistics. Like the Abrams, it was decided that the original engine would be replaced by a fuel cell system. This greatly reduced operating cost and the Bradley M2A7 has an increased range over the original Bradley. Armor, due to the vehicle being constructed completely from them, is far better than it is in most Russian troop transports operated at the same time. Sensor systems are improved from the original Bradley and the vehicle has full life support. The improved Bradley has the ability to carry six troops and has a crew of three The main complaints from the troops are that the improved Bradley does not have any firing ports and, later, that the vehicle has no equipment for recharging energy clips.


Model Type: M2A7
Vehicle Type: Armored Personnel Carrier
Crew: Three (Driver, Gunner, and Commander).
Troop Carrying Capacity: Six soldiers in full gear


M. D. C. by Location:

30 mm Bushmaster Chain Gun (Turret):80
[1] 7.62 Machine Gun (1, Coaxial - Early Model):10
[1] 8 mm Liquid Propellant Gatling Gun (Replaces Machine-gun):45
[1] USA-M31 Rail Gun (Carried on National Guard Versions):50
Short Range Missile Launchers (2, Side of Turret):40 each
Weapon Turret:140
[1] Smoke / Gas Dispensers (4):15 each
[1] Headlights (2):10 each
Rear Hatch:100
Reinforced Crew Compartment:100
Reinforced Personnel Bay:100
[2] Main Body:270
[3] Tractor Treads (2):60 each


Notes:
[1] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a “called shot,” but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.
[2] If all the M.D.C. of the main body is depleted, the vehicle is completely shut down and unsalvageable, but crew and troops may survive in their reinforced compartments.
[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of a tread will immobilize the tank until it is replaced. Replacing a tread will take 1D6x10 minutes by a trained crew (2 replacements are carried on board) or three times as long by the inexperienced. Changing the tread is only advisable when the vehicle is not under attack.


Speed:
Ground: Cruising speed on land is 70 mph (112.6 kph) on roads and 60 mph ( 96.6 kph) off road maximum. The vehicle is designed to traverse virtually all terrain and can climb at up to a 60% grade although at a much slower speed (About 10% of maximum road speed). It can also climb barriers and ford trenches. The vehicle can also handle side slopes of up to 30%.
Water Capabilities: The Bradley fighting vehicle is designed to be amphibious and can cross small bodies of water. It is not designed for deep water use. The Bradley can travel in this manner at 10 mph (16.1 kph/8.7 knots).
Maximum Range: 700 miles (1126.5 km)


Statistical Data:
Height: 9.9 feet (3.0 meters)
Width: 10.7 feet (3.3 meters)
Length: 21.9 feet (6.7 meters)
Weight: 4,3211 lbs (19,600 kg) unloaded and 50,266 lbs (22,800 kg) fully loaded
Power Source: Fuel Cell System
Cargo Capacity: Without troops, can carry up to 1.8 tons in troop compartment.
Black Market Cost: 1.6 million for a new or fully operational M1A5 Abrams Main Battle Tank. Reduce cost by 200,000 if an early model and increase by 300,000 if equipped with rail guns or grenade launchers instead of liquid propellant weapons.


Weapon Systems:

  1. Bushmaster II 30 mm Chain Gun: Replace the 25 mm cannon in earlier Bradley models and uses many of the same parts as the earlier 25-mm model. Weapon fires a combination of armor piercing and explosive rounds to inflict heavy damage on targets. Since the cannon is built into a turret, it can rotate 360-degrees and can aim upwards 60 degrees - allowing it to engage low-flying aircraft and creatures. The cannon is controlled by a gunner inside the turret compartment. The vehicle has a special fire control computer that helps to aim the cannon. Gives +2 to strike with the cannon and vehicle does not have minuses to fire when it moving. Both the gunner and the vehicle commander are housed within the turret.
    Maximum Effective Range: 6,000 feet (1,830 meters).
    Mega-Damage: A burst is 20 rounds and inflicts 2D6x10. A single round does 3D6 M.D.
    Rate of Fire: Equal to the gunner's hand to hand attacks; each burst counts as one melee action.
    Payload: 200 round magazine (10 bursts) each mount. The vehicle has an additional 400 rounds stowed internally. Reloading is done inside the vehicle and takes two melee rounds (30 seconds) for two crewmen or passengers and six melees (90 seconds) if only one person is involved or the people aren't trained in the reload procedure.
  2. Coaxial Secondary Mount (1): Mount s coaxial (beside the main cannon) which moves with the main barrel. The original 7.62 weapon was considered badly underpowered and was replaced by Liquid Propellant Weapons soon after the tank entered service. Weapons are mostly used for anti-personnel purposes. The driver controlled weapon mount is designed to be able to be controlled from within the tank itself.
    1. 7.62 mm M240 Medium Machine-gun: Carried on the original M1A7 Bradley but was quickly replaced on most tanks by liquid propellant weapons. Engineers developed Ramjet rounds for the 7.62 machine-gun but they were found to be ineffective.
      Maximum Effective Range: 2,000 feet (609.6 m)
      Mega Damage: One round does 1 M.D.C. to M.D.C. targets or 3D6x10 S.D.C. to soft targets. Twenty round bursts do 2D4 M.D.C.
      Rate of Fire: Equal to combined hand to hand attacks of gunner
      Payload: Carries 800 rounds (40 bursts) in mount and an additional 1600 rounds of 7.62 in the main section of the Bradley.
    2. USA-LPG-8-B Liquid Propellant Gatling Gun: Replaced the 7.62 mm machine-gun on virtually all tanks. On most Bradleys that were in National Guard Armories, the liquid propellant weapons were replaced by rail guns. This weapon is similar to the sub-machine-gun carried on the USA-GPA-01-D. This weapon's primary purpose is use against infantry and other lightly armored targets. The weapon can fire all types of burst available to machine guns except extended bursts. The weapon uses a special liquid propellant which delivers about four times the force of nitro-cellulose propellant and the weapon fires an 8 mm round.
      Maximum Effective Range: 3,000 feet (914 meters)
      Mega-Damage:
        Single Shot (Costs 1 attack): 1D6
        Ten Round Burst on One Target (Costs 1 attack): 5D6
        Ten Round Burst on 1D4 Target (Costs 1 attack): 1D6
        Thirty Round Burst on One Target (Costs 1 attack): 1D6x10
        Thirty Round Burst on 1D8 Target (Costs 1 attack): 2D6
      Rate of Fire: Equal to combined hand to hand attacks of gunner.
      Payload: 1,200 rounds (40 bursts) in mount and an additional 2,400 rounds of ammunition in the main section of the Bradley.
    3. USA-M31 Rail gun: Replaced Liquid Propellant Weapons on most National Guard Armory models of the Bradley. It is simpler as far as ammunition and operation than the liquid propellant weapon. From the original Pre-Rifts SAMAS design. The rail gun has fewer bursts and is heavier but the rail gun inflicts more damage than the post Rifts C-40R.
      Maximum Effective Range: 4,000 feet (1,200 meters).
      Mega-Damage: A burst of 40 rounds does 1D6x10.
      Rate of Fire: Equal to combined hand to hand attacks of gunner.
      Payload: 1,600 round magazine (40 bursts) in mount and an additional 3,200 rounds of ammunition in the main section of the Bradley.
  3. Light Missile Launcher (2): These weapons are mounted on each side of the turret. This weapon has a limited payload but is useful again other armored vehicles, reinforced bunkers, and as a defensive weapon against incoming missiles and slow moving aircraft. Short Range Missiles are usually a mixture of 50% Armor Piercing and 50% Plasma. Launchers can lock onto multiple targets at the same.
    Maximum Effective Range: As per short range missile type (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
    Mega Damage: As per short range missile type (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
    Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2) or four (4) missiles and can be used up to twice per melee.
    Payload: 4 short range missiles each for a total of 8 short range missiles
  4. Smoke Dispenser (4): Mounted on either side of the tank and launches smoke grenades. Some testing has been done using prismatic aerosol grenades to reduce the effect of lasers against the tank. As well, tear gas grenades can be used for special purposes.
    Effect: Creates a cloud of smoke 40 ft (12 m) in diameter (see other grenades for their effects)
    Maximum Effective Range: 1,200 feet (365 m)
    Rate of Fire: Two per melee
    Payload: Carries 6 smoke grenades per launcher (24 grenades total).


Sensory Equipment:
Sensory equipment is mounted on a retractable mount that can be extended 6.6 feet (2 meters) to extend sensors when hull down. The tank carries all standard equipment of a robot vehicle plus this special equipment:



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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).


Copyright © 2002, Kitsune. All rights reserved.


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