My son is now a gunner on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle

[scotto]

He is NG and has already done one tour in Iraq as a Humvee diver and MP. Can any one tell me about his new job… He has already told me some stuff about it but I would like to hear from you other Army guys…



Thank you......

[WildBoar3]

What would you like to know? The stats on the Bradley are fairly well known by now. I was on the first version of the Bradley, but the changes aren't that stark.

He has at his finger tips a 25mm Bushmaster cannon firing 200 rounds per minute of either High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer or Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot-Tracer. Max effective range is tracer burnout for each of the rounds (2,450 meters and 2,750 meters respectively). (The real range is more).

He has a co-axial mounted 7.62 machine gun with 800 rounds of ammo at the ready. He also has a twin Heavy Anti-Tank Missile Launcher.

He will have some very nice optics (I can only assume this has greatly improved in the last 20 years) It was very nice when I was using the thermal sights in 1987, I'm sure it's outstanding now.

His main attributes to be a successful gunner have to be vision and his ability to quickly discern targets. Hand eye coordination to quickly and accurately lay on the target and fire bursts at high rate. And, his ability to focus and leave his immediate surroundings outside himself. A gunner has to be completely focused on what is happening in his sight not what is happening around his person. In armored vehicles this often means your body takes a pounding. WEAR YOUR BODY ARMOR!!

What else do you want to know?

[john mclaughlin]

Anyone that sees a bradley coming to get them would be wise to run like hell!They can flat out take some targets down fast!He should be pretty safe in one.

[WildBoar3]

Originally Posted by john mclaughlin

Anyone that sees a bradley coming to get them would be wise to run like hell!They can flat out take some targets down fast!He should be pretty safe in one.

Yup. I don't know what the gunnery standards are now, but ours were 7 seconds from target ID to kill for a single target and 15 seconds for two targets. A kill was 3 - 25mm rounds in the target.

My last day phase gunnery I shot 496 out of 500. Why was I docked 4 points? On one target I had the third round come in one second late. And, that was with a newbie Major as a BC. I basically had to tell him his job as he was doing it....lol.

[scotto]

Originally Posted by WildBoar3

What would you like to know? The stats on the Bradley are fairly well known by now. I was on the first version of the Bradley, but the changes aren't that stark.

He has at his finger tips a 25mm Bushmaster cannon firing 200 rounds per minute of either High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer or Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot-Tracer. Max effective range is tracer burnout for each of the rounds (2,450 meters and 2,750 meters respectively). (The real range is more).

He has a co-axial mounted 7.62 machine gun with 800 rounds of ammo at the ready. He also has a twin Heavy Anti-Tank Missile Launcher.

He will have some very nice optics (I can only assume this has greatly improved in the last 20 years) It was very nice when I was using the thermal sights in 1987, I'm sure it's outstanding now.

His main attributes to be a successful gunner have to be vision and his ability to quickly discern targets. Hand eye coordination to quickly and accurately lay on the target and fire bursts at high rate. And, his ability to focus and leave his immediate surroundings outside himself. A gunner has to be completely focused on what is happening in his sight not what is happening around his person. In armored vehicles this often means your body takes a pounding. WEAR YOUR BODY ARMOR!!

What else do you want to know?

Great reply,,,,, thank you WildBoar

[Bluehawk]

Originally Posted by scotto

He is NG and has already done one tour in Iraq as a Humvee diver and MP...

May he return home safe... and his aim be straight.