M3 Bradley

M3 Bradley

M551

M3A3 Bradley

M3 Bradley

M551

M3A3 Bradley

USA

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.3	8.3	8.3

Class:

Light tank

Research:160 000

Purchase:450 000

Show in game

This page is about the light tank M3 Bradley. For other uses, see M3 (Disambiguation).

Description

The Fighting Vehicle, Cavalry, M3, or M3 Bradley, is a Rank VI USA light tank with a battle rating of 8.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour protection of the Bradley CFV (Cavalry Fighting Vehicle) is relatively weak, it does offer protection from machine guns and some lower penetrating autocannon fire from the front, but most autocannons will easily penetrate the sides of the vehicle damaging components, crew and often detonating ammo stored in the rear of the vehicle. As aside, the engine mounted in front of the vehicle will offer some protection from main guns on tanks by absorbing spalling, saving crew members and preventing ammo detonations. From a hull-down position, the vehicle is very survivable due to crew positions mostly being in the hull of the vehicle and the abundance of crew. Getting your gunner shot out is common, however, the breech of the autocannon is very small and therefore does not generally get knocked out. The vehicle does not often hull break.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	74	16	22.3	786	967	35.25	43.36
Realistic	66	14		448	507	20.09	22.74

The M3 Bradley has a maximum speed forward of 66 km/h or 49 km/h in battlefield conditions as well as -12 km/h in reverse. The transmission features 6 forward gears, 2 reverse as well as neutral steering. The vehicle is quite nimble and really only struggles to neutral steer in thick mud. Its lightweight allows it to traverse steep inclines with ease. It should be noted that the vehicles TOW missile launcher will automatically retract when the vehicle reaches speeds in excess of 10km/h.

Armaments

Main armament

25 mm M242
Capacity (Belt capacity each)		Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
900 (300)		201	-9°/+59°	±180°	Two-plane
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	57.1	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	35.7	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
0.3	__.__	__.__	__.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
M791	APDS	81	80	76	70	66	61
M792	HEI-T*	2	2	2	1	1	1

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
M791	APDS	1,345	0.46	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	75°	78°	80°
M792	HEI-T*	1,100	0.50	0.4	0.1	32	+0°	79°	80°	81°

Additional armament

Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.

Machine guns

7.62 mm M240
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
4,400 (200)				750	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excels at urban combat, as the gun can be effective when engaging MBTs from the side
• Low repair and ammo costs
• Massive radiator makes tank hull semi-invulnerable to APHE from the right side, can even survive 3 direct hits from the Maus if lucky enough
• Outclasses stock 35 mm autocannon tanks which use API or APHE as long as long-range (about 1.1 km) and moderate front armour angle are kept, can even sustain low calibre APDS and HVAP hits from spaded light tanks, if it has the high ground
• Can fire missiles at "combat" cruise control, albeit only at about 9 km/h (can be considered as a downgrade after M551, but it's still better than most light tanks)

Cons:

• Additional side armour plates and turret frontal slope protect against 12.7 machine guns, but will always set off APHE, so caution is required
• M242 cannon has a low rate of fire compared to the M242 used on the ADATS
• Not entirety of the sides of the hull are protected from machine guns and autocannons, the missile ammo rack in the back and ventilation are vulnerable, turret ring can be exploited by high fire rate autocannons
• Relatively slow
• A rather tall and large target
• Engine, transmission and driver at front of the vehicle are very prone to damage, although it is better to lose them, than the entire tank

History

Development of the Bradley began in the late 1950s, when the U.S. Army began seeking a replacement for the aging M113 APC. However, despite beginning development relatively early, the successor to the M113 wouldn’t enter service with the Army in the following two decades.

The reason behind this was the constantly changing specifications, requirements and doctrines around which the new vehicle would be designed. The constantly changing requirements on the other hand, were driven by various technical and political problems arising during development.

Eventually, in 1979, the final design was presented to the Army and production was approved shortly afterwards in 1980. The Bradley, named after WW2 Army General Omar Bradley, was split into two versions, both closely resembling each other, but featuring minor differences and intended for different roles.

While the M2 Bradley was intended as an IFV, capable of transporting and supporting infantry units in combat, the M3 Bradley CFV (Cavalry Fighting Vehicle) is intended to perform scouting and reconnaissance work, ditching its infantry-carrying ability in favor of improved communications systems and increased ammunition capacity.

The Bradley entered service with the U.S. Army in 1981 and saw extensive combat use during the Gulf War as well as subsequent conflicts. Despite several (unsuccessful) efforts being made to replace the Bradley with a newer design, the vehicle still remains in active service with U.S. armed forces today, with over 6,500 units produced.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins and camouflages for the M3 Bradley from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #126 - Pages of History section at 05:52 discusses the M3 Bradley.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] M3 Bradley: The Modern Workhorse