No more M2 Bradleys

[Raellus]

Everything Old is New Again

So it looks like the U.S. Army's taking another look at the German Puma IFV as potential Bradley replacement.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/27013/u-s-army-recently-sought-demo-of-german-puma-armored-vehicle-it-had-rejected-years-ago

[pmulcahy11b]

The Soviets developed canon-launched ATGMs to out-range NATO tank guns.

The Soviets developed cannon-launched ATGM because, due to poor aiming mechanisms, optics, computers, and stabilization, their long-range gun accuracy sucks.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

The Soviets developed cannon-launched ATGM because, due to poor aiming mechanisms, optics, computers, and stabilization, their long-range gun accuracy sucks.

All that plus their ammunition simply did not have the range of comparable Western gun/ammo. I've mentioned elsewhere that their metallurgy wasn't as capable as in the West and one aspect of that was that their tank guns could not reach the same chamber pressures as Western tank guns. The consequence of that was lesser range compared to similar Western tank rounds.

[Panther Al]

For what it is worth, when it comes to Bradley replacements I wouldn't hold my breath. The way the procurement process is set up these days, they will never be able to get a program all the way through before becoming an over budget disaster.

That said, over the last few years, more than a few CV90's have been seen running around various testing grounds here in the US.

[swaghauler]

Considering how long we kept the M113 in "mothballs," I won't moan the "loss" of the Bradley just yet.