M3A3 Bradley

M3A3 Bradley

M3 Bradley

HSTV-L

M3A3 Bradley

M3 Bradley

HSTV-L

USA

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
10.0	10.0	10.0

Class:

Light tank

Research:260 000

Purchase:710 000

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Description

The Fighting Vehicle, Cavalry, M3A3 is a rank VII American light tank with a battle rating of 10.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Ixwa Strike". The M3A3 variant differs mainly from the M3 Bradley by its laser rangefinder, its APFSDS belt for the 25 mm cannon and more powerful TOW missiles.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull38 / 44 / 44

Turret25 / 25 / 25

Crew3 people

Visibility117 %

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	___ mm	___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom	___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Turret	___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Cupola	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB68 / 16 km/h

RB and SB62 / 14 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

2 back

Weight29.9 t

Engine power

AB1 145 hp

RB and SB600 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB38.3 hp/t

RB and SB20.1 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	68	16	29.9	942	1,145	31.51	38.29
Realistic	62	14		538	600	17.99	20.07

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 254 → 5 821

RB3 116 → 5 574

SB4 152 → 7 427

Total cost of modifications217 400

354 000

Talisman cost2 800

Crew training200 000

Experts710 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces1 080 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

140 / 170 / 220 %

232 / 232 / 232 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 300 Suspension Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 340 Brake System Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 340 Filters Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440 Transmission Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440 Engine Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440	Improved Parts Research: 2 300 Cost: 12 000 300 Improved FPE Research: 2 600 Cost: 13 000 340 Crew Replenishment Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440 ESS Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440	Horizontal Drive Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 300 Laser rangefinder Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 300 25mm_M242_APDS_ammo_pack Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 300 152mm_us_tow_2a_ammo_pack Research: 7 600 Cost: 12 000 300 Adjustment of Fire Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 340 Airstrike Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 340 NVD Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 340 Elevation Mechanism Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440 Smoke grenade Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440 Scout UAV Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440 Artillery Support Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440 Improved optics Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440 25mm_M242_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440 152mm_us_tow_2_ammo_pack Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 440

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

25 mm M242 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition1 500 rounds

Belt capacity300 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

0.3 → 0.2 s

Fire rate201 shots/min

Vertical guidance-9° / 59°

25 mm M242						Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	1,500 (300)	201	-9°/+59°	±180°	Two-plane	57.1	79.1	96.0	106.2	112.9	0.26	0.23	0.21	0.20
Realistic						35.7	42.0	51.0	56.4	60.0

Ammunition

• Default: APDS · HEI-T*
• M791: APDS · APDS · APDS · HEI-T*
• M919: APFSDS

Penetration statistics
Belt	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Default	81	80	76	70	66	61
M791	81	80	76	70	66	61
M919	101	100	97	93	89	85

Belt details
Belt	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M919	APFSDS	1,385	0.1	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
5	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Additional armament

BGM-71 TOW ATGM

Ammunition12 rounds

Belt capacity2 rounds

Fire rate120 shots/min

Vertical guidance-19° / 29°

Fire on the moveup to 6 km/h

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 about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.

BGM-71 TOW missile				Reloading rate (seconds)
Capacity (Belt)	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
12 (2)	-19°/+29°	N/A	N/A	_.__	_.__	_.__	_.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
TOW-2	ATGM	800	800	800	800	800	800
TOW-2B	ATGM	430	430	430	430	430	430

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
TOW-2	ATGM	329	21.4	0	0.01	3,130	80°	82°	90°
TOW-2B	ATGM	309	22.6	0	0.01	4,100	80°	82°	90°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
6	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Machine guns

7.62 mm M240 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition4 400 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate941 shots/min

7.62 mm M240
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,400 (200)	941	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 instead 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:

• Access to a full belt of 25 mm APFSDS shells - higher consistent performance against (the sides of) enemy vehicles than the M3 Bradley's mixed APDS/HEI-T belts
• Access to the fast travelling TOW-2B top-attack missile - capable of penetrating the weak top armour of enemy tanks, and targeting vehicles that are hiding behind cover
• Access to excellent 2nd generation gunner's thermals and CITV
• Respectable reverse of -13 km/h
• Scouting ability
• Can use the engine smoke system mechanic - deployment of a smoke screen by using the engine and its fuel
• Good mobility
• Can engage enemy aerial vehicles with the main gun due to +59 degrees of gun elevation
• -9 gun depression and a small turret mean you can effectively use hull down tactics
• Laser rangefinder for the main gun
• Great zoom of 4.0x - 12.0x and a good sight FOV of 18-6
• The TOW-2B missiles, scouting mechanic and excellent thermals make the M3A3 very effective even at top tier
• More armour than the M3 Bradley, can absorb up to 30 mm APDS (as fired by, for example, the BMP-2) in some places at range
• Quick turret traverse
• Decent reactive mobility
• Shreds light vehicles and lightly armoured MBTs with the APFSDS belt

Cons:

• Slightly less mobile and less willing to accelerate than the preceding M3 Bradley, due to the increase in weight
• Continuously firing the main gun increases dispersion, thereby reducing accuracy
• Low rate of fire for the main gun
• Cannot fire missiles while moving at a speed greater than 4 km/h
• Missile launchers take some time to deploy
• Cannot reliably engage enemy MBTs from the front with 25 mm APFSDS
• Infrared countermeasures (as found on the French AMX-30B2 BRENUS and Russian T-90A) will knock the missiles off course
• Despite the increase in armour over the regular M3, the armour is still thin and only 3 crewmembers - low survivability
• Missiles can be detonated when hit by enemy fire, even while still in the launcher

History

Devblog

Following the Gulf War of the early 1990's, US engineers developed a new modification of the widely used M3 Bradley in order to incorporate improvements derived from the operational experience gained during the conflict. As such, the Bradley received numerous upgrades to its electronic systems, including a new fire control system, a laser rangefinder and thermal imaging for the commander along with other improvements to the vehicle's protection and firepower.

The M3A3 modification of the Bradley started being shipped to the first U.S. Army units in 1998 with the first vehicles officially entering service in 2000. By late 2010, well over 3,300 Bradleys were converted to the A3 standard and the vehicle continues serving as one of the cornerstones of the U.S. armored units today.

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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

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.