BAE Systems’ Next Generation debuted an upgraded, next-generation evolution of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle with enhanced power generation and troop protection.
The concept next-generation Bradley Fighting Vehicle demonstrator is on display for the first time at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. It features an upgraded chassis that allows for increased underbelly protection, improved force protection for mounted troops, compartmentalization of fuel and ordnance, and more space and electrical power for future technology growth.
“In the current budget environment, the Army often has to choose between maintaining an existing fleet and developing new capabilities,” Deepak Bazaz, director of artillery and Bradley Programs at BAE, said. “We’re investing in research and development to demonstrate cost-effective options for the Army to address current gaps. We’re focused on integrating current, emerging, and future technologies to significantly improve the Bradley’s mobility, force protection, and lethality.”
The next-gen Bradley includes suspension upgrades to enhance mobility to maneuver within existing Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCT). It incorporates an upgraded turret from the current Bradley and enhancements achieved during ongoing engineering change proposal modernization efforts, such as suspension improvements, targeting sensors, and network connectivity.
BAE is the original equipment manufacturer of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and continues to provide full life-cycle support to the Army and allied partners. Like most vehicles on display at AUSA, the next-gen Bradley offers enhanced performance and capability through novel combinations of existing or non-developmental equipment
BAE will use this vehicle to mature these technologies and provide a platform for development and user experimentation and evaluation. Many of the technologies used to enhance the baseline Bradley design were developed for the Army’s Armored Multipurpose Vehicle (AMPV) which is in engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) or pulled from other existing BAE.
The Army is purchasing AMPV to replace the M113 family of armored personnel carriers. BAE’s winning design was based on the tracked Bradley chassis and will come in several variants including a command-and-control vehicle, ambulance and mortar carrier. It is intended to serve in a rear-guard mobility role rather than as a fighting vehicle.
The next-gen Bradley prototype features armor, fuel tanks, and the driver’s hatch from AMPV, and the 600 volt electronics and final drives from the M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzer integrated with current and future Bradley systems.
BAE said using technology from other in-house vehicle designs saves significant development time and cost. It also increases the commonality of parts among vehicles and shaves cost over the life cycle of the vehicle while reducing logistics trail.
“By leveraging new and emerging technology, with an eye towards commonality within the formation, we can continue to provide superior capabilities for our troops,” Bazaz said. “Key to our approach is providing built-in growth capacity that will ensure the system can support future inbound technologies, allowing our soldiers to successfully execute their mission in the coming decades.”