M3 Bradley, US Cavalry Fighting Vehicle

Plastic model kit for an M3 Bradley cavalry fighting vehicle

• Scale 1:72
• Length 92 mm
• 148 parts
• 4 marking options
  • 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, Fort Knox, Kentucky (U.S. Army Training Center, Armor), January 1983
  • 3rd Infantry Division, West Germany, mid-1980s
  • 1st Cavalry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Polk, Louisiana, April 1990
  • 197th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), Operation Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia, 1991
• Unbuilt/unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

While developing a combat vehicle for mechanized infantry units under the MICV (Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle) program, the United States simultaneously developed an armored reconnaissance vehicle under the ARSV (Armored Reconnaissance Scout Vehicle) program. In the spring of 1977, both programs were merged into FVS (Fighting Vehicle Systems), forming the unified platform of the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. The concept included two variants: the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M3 Bradley mounted infantry fighting vehicle, each with a crew of three soldiers and two reconnaissance personnel. The M3 Bradley retained the same main armament as the infantry fighting vehicle*, but carried more ammunition: 1,500 rounds for the main gun, 4,300 rounds for the machine gun, and 10 TOW anti-tank guided missiles for heavily armored targets. Equipment included a portable ground-based radar, specialized radios, night-vision devices, and space for a motorcycle in the modified crew compartment. The M3 Bradley was later modernized to improve protection and increase firepower.