Summary and Key Points: The Bradley Fighting Vehicle, developed in the 1980s alongside other notable American weapon systems like the AH-64 Apache and B-2 Spirit, has had a tumultuous history.
-Despite initial controversies and reliability issues, it has proven itself in combat and remains in service.
-Named after Gen. Omar Bradley, it was intended to replace the M113 armored personnel carrier but faced significant developmental challenges.
-The Bradley saw significant action in Operation Desert Storm, where it outperformed expectations but also suffered from friendly fire incidents.
-In Operation Iraqi Freedom, it showed vulnerabilities to IEDs and RPGs. Efforts to replace the Bradley with a new Ground Combat Vehicle have faced numerous challenges, prompting calls for more effective and efficient development.
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is one of those American-made weapons systems — along with the AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship and B-2 Spirit "Stealth Bomber" — that were developed in the 1980s, battle-proven in the 1990s, and remain in service to this day.
But also, in common with the Apache and the Stealth Bomber, the Bradley was one of those weapons systems that went through some major growing pains — either due to cost overruns and/or reliability issues — that generated public controversy and cast doubt on whether the things would ever become viable in the first place. (Hey, hindsight is always 20/20, right?)
With that in mind, let's take a look at how the Bradley made it this far and what the future holds for this venerable vehicle.
As students of WWII and Cold War history will recognize, the Bradley vehicle — currently manufactured by BAE Systems — was named for Gen. Omar Nelson Bradley (1893 - 1981), the WWII U.S. Army officer who rose to the rank of General of the Army, earned a 5th star, and became the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving in that latter........