Hi,

Can anyone help with a small query. Looking at reference pics of the M2A2 and M2A3 Bradley, there is a small strip which starts at the front of the add on side skirt armour. Unfortunately the pics don't show how far back it goes. Searches on Prime Portal don't help either. Can anyone help with a better picture.



Cheers

Toby

Toby,

These pictures from the same set on Prime Portal appears to show the metal strip in question. My guess is it's about 1" wide and 5/8" to 3/4" thick.

Right Front:


Left Front:


Rightside Top (appears to stop just infront of the exhaust or at least has a gap around the exhaust section):


Leftside Top (I couldn't find a picture showing how far back it goes, but your original picture shows it going at least to the side of the turret):



My guess is the strips were added to act as stiffeners to the side armor plate...

Jeff,

I've got just those pictures saved, and printed out but they don't show how far back the strips go. I was hoping someone here might have the answer. If not then I'll have to go with what I've got.

Cheers

Toby

Toby,

I think I can give you a decent educated guess, but I have to work on marking up a few images and adding them to my Photo Bucket account to help explain it. I should have you something this evening...

Toby,

First off, I am by no means an expert on the Bradley IFV. This image shows what I think is the end of the above mentioned bracket on the Right Side Armor:


This image (original from Prime Portal) shows that the bracket is not present in the vicinity of the exhaust and the cooling (?) screen:


I believe the hex nuts are for either clearance of the screen assembly or for mounting this bracket - angled piece below the exhaust (image from Prime Portal):


I've noticed that from the outside of the plates, there are smaller hex bolts that seem to correspond to the brackets, and larger hex bolts correspond to the hex nuts (original image from Prime Portal), Note that the above bracket is not present in this image:




This image shows the bracket I believe is held in place with the hex nuts:


The left side appears to have a continuous line of smaller hex bolts on the outside of the armor plates (original image from Prime Portal):




Does all this make sense and hopefully give you an answer? If someone actually knows the answers, please correct me...

Jeff,

Thats fantastic. Just looked at the side skirts and it's really quite obvious when you look at it.

Thanks again

Toby

Hello guys!
I am glad that my photos on PRIME PORTAL useful to you.
I will not have responded better to this analysis! Excellent answer!
For my part I am very interested in photos of the interrieur.
if some of you could help me I would be very happy!

you wear well and good editing!

pierric boudehen

pierric,

Thank you for providing the pictures to Prime Portal!

I found this Picasa Web Album from searching the web, Andy's Bradley Inside and Out, that has a number of images of the inside of Bradleys.

I hope this helps...

It's been awhile since I was a Bradley crewman, but I believe those strips were originally used on the base model M2A2s to hold the swim barrier in place. The swim barriers were removed with the ODS upgrades.

Joe,

I take it that the strips remained though, even with the most modern M2A3?

Cheers

Toby

Hi Toby,
IIRC most M2A3's are rebuilt/upgraded M2A2's.

For those who are interested with bradley's deztails.

From my Bradley files:

The ODS upgrades are a bit of a misnomer...the Bradleys I worked on in 1995-1997 (I was a hull mechanic) had the new style exhaust and doghouse (gunners site) on them already and there was no official "ODS upgrade" I was aware of till after I got out in 1997.

With that being said, the swim barrier where removed Army-wide in 1997 or so...they where pulling them off the Bradleys as I was getting out late summer of 1997 in Germany.

Thankfully they missed a few. I will enjoy doing about five of these in a row of derelict vehicles.