Asked about the difference between an M2 Bradley fighting vehicle (BFV) and a main battle tank (MBT) at a January press briefing, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder described the Bradley as a "tank killer."

Since it entered service in 1981, the US Army-designed and US-manufactured M2 Bradley family of tracked armored fighting vehicles has regularly destroyed tanks on the battlefield.

"In swirling mechanized battles in the open deserts of Iraq in the 1990–91 Gulf War, the Bradley reputedly destroyed even more armored vehicles" than the M1 Abrams MBT did, The National Interest reported August 27, 2021.

Often mistaken for a tank, the Bradley is an armored vehicle built to transport infantry troops on the battlefield while maintaining an active role in the fighting.

It falls somewhere between a traditional tank and an armored personnel carrier, according to the New York Times (NYT), and is used to provide fire support on the battlefield and to conduct reconnaissance missions.

"These vehicles, which are quick and highly maneuverable, are operated by a three-person crew consisting of a driver, the commander, and a gunner and can carry up to half a dozen fully equipped soldiers," Business Insider reports.

There are five base models in operational inventory at present: M2, M2A1, M2A2, M2A2 (Operation Desert Storm) and M2A3, with the newer models able to carry seven troops in addition to the crew.

The M3 Bradley Cavalry FV (CFV) -- an armored reconnaissance and scout vehicle -- is similar in design to the M2 series but seats two scouts instead of the M2's six infantry soldiers, along with additional ammunition and radios.

More than 6,500 Bradleys have been built, with future models likely to expand the BFV's troop-carrying capacity, according to military sources.

"In terms of what the Bradleys bring, it is obviously an armored capability that can transport mechanized infantry into battle in support of both offensive and defensive operations," Ryder said in the January 5 briefing.

They provide "a level of firepower and armor that will bring advantages on the battlefield," he said at the briefing, held several weeks before the United States announced it was sending an initial shipment of 60 BFVs to Ukraine.

Fast, mobile, all-terrain

The M2 Bradley is faster and more mobile than MBTs like the Abrams, with maximum speeds of between 40 and 56 miles per hour (mph), or between 64 and 90 km/hr, depending on the model.

It can carry more troops than the Abrams can, and crews can get in and out more easily from it than from a tank, via a back ramp.

The Bradley is designed to keep pace with the Abrams so it can stay in formation during battle, with both vehicles capable of similar operational reach. The Bradley has an operational range of about 400km.

"Like the Abrams, the Bradley rides on treads instead of wheels, which allows traversals through rough terrain impassable for trucks," the NYT reported.

"And the hulls on both vehicles are wrapped in sophisticated armor blocks meant to offer a degree of protection from direct strikes from enemy gunfire and missiles."

As a tracked vehicle, the Bradley is designed "to cross any terrain, even water, and can transition to amphibious mode in five minutes," according to the HowStuffWorks website.

"The newest Bradley models, the M2A3 and M3A3, have an inflatable pontoon that is fitted to the front and sides of the vehicle," it said, with the tracks propelling it through the water at a top speed of about 4 mph (6.4 km/hr).

'A tank killer'

In addition to transporting infantry troops into the heart of a battle, the Bradley is equipped with armaments that are capable of protecting those troops from enemy fire when they exit the vehicle via the rear ramp.

Overwatch protection is provided by a Bushmaster chain gun -- a 25mm single barrel, chain-driven fully automatic gun used extensively by the US military to attack vehicles and defensive positions.

The Bushmaster's dual-feed feature enables the simultaneous loading of armor piercing discarding sabot with tracer (APDS-T) and armor-piercing, fin-stabilized discarding sabot with tracer (APFSDS-T) munitions.

These munitions can penetrate lightly armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery and aerial targets such as helicopters at a maximum range of 3,000 meters.

The chain gun also fires high explosive incendiary with tracer (HEI-T) munitions, which can destroy unarmored vehicles and helicopters and suppress anti-tank missile positions and enemy squads at a range of 2,200 meters.

Along with a smaller gun that is used for close encounters, the Bradley also is equipped with tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missiles, which are capable of taking out tanks.

TOW missiles have a maximum effective range of 3,750 meters.

First produced in 1970, the TOW system is the most widely used anti-tank guided missile in the world, among US allies and partners.