Category: You have to be kidding, right!?!
Hard-kill active protection systems offer valuable additional defense against missiles and rockets, and could be used to swat down drones.
The U.S. Army recently unveiled a new upgraded variant of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The M2A4E1 version most notably features the Israeli Iron Fist Light, a hard-kill active protection system designed primarily to physically destroy or at least disrupt incoming anti-tank guided missiles and other infantry anti-armor weapons like rocket-propelled grenades. This system could potentially also help defend against the growing threat posed by drones, as The War Zone has previously explored in detail.
The Army rolled out the M2A4E1 last week, according to recent social media posts from the service’s Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems (PEO GCS). Army Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, head of PEO GCS, had confirmed the service was starting to buy at least a limited number of Iron Fist systems from integration on Bradleys in an interview with Breaking Defense in March.
An M2A4E1 Bradley with the Iron Fist active protection system and other upgrades seen at a recent rollout ceremony. US Army
“The M2A4E1 is the most modern and survivable version of the Bradley as a result of integrating an Iron Fist Active Protection System,” according to a post on PEO GCS’s official Facebook page. The new variant also has and “improved High Definition Forward Looking Infrared Gunner’s Sight and an Environmental Control Unit to prevent heat stress for dismounts.”
As installed on the M2A4E1, Iron Fist Light consists of two countermeasures launchers and four sensor arrays positioned around the vehicle’s turret. The sensors, which are small form factor active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radars paired with infrared cameras, are used to detect and cue the launchers, which are turreted themselves. A small interceptor with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead is then fired at the incoming missile or rocket. Israel’s Elbit Systems is the manufacturer of Iron Fist and U.S.-based General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has been serving as the lead integrator of the system onto the Bradley.
The Army has been interested in adding an active protection system to the Bradley for years and has been looking closely at Iron Fist, specifically, for some time. A major hurdle in the past was the lack of necessary electrical power on earlier A3 variants to support the system. The M2A4 version, which the Army began fielding in 2022, features a new auxiliary power unit (APU) that has helped make the Iron Fist integration a reality.
An M2A4 Bradley. US Army
The Iron Fist configuration on the M2A4E1 is also reportedly significantly different from previous iterations the Army has tested, but the specifics are unclear. A picture the Army previously released of a Bradley equipped with an Iron Fist did show a version of the system with a different type of radar.
A rendering of a Bradley with an Iron Fist installation also showing a different kind of radar from what is seen now on the M2A4E1. DOD
PEO GCS has also said that funding to help replace dozens of older Bradleys transferred to Ukraine is aiding in the acquisition of M2A4E1 variants. It is unclear how many M2A4E1s the Army currently plans to acquire and how many of them will be converted from existing models.
The Army has been looking to add hard-kill active protection systems to other armored vehicles in inventory, as well. The service has been adding Trophy systems to its M1 Abrams tanks in recent years.
An M1 Abrams tank equipped with the Trophy active protection system. US Army via Leonardo
Trophy is another Israeli-made system from Rafael, which has been combat-proven in service with the Israel Defense Forces and that you can read more about in detail here. Companies in Israel have been and continue to be pioneers in the development of active protection systems.
The development and fielding of increasingly more capable anti-tank guided missiles and other infantry anti-armor weapons, including by near-peer competitors like China and Russia, has long been a driver for the adoption of active protection systems on armored vehicles by armed forces around the world. Those same kinds of anti-armor capabilities have also been increasingly proliferating among smaller countries and even non-state actors. The war in Ukraine, where U.S.-supplied Javelin anti-tank missiles and similar weapons have been a major factor in the fighting on both sides, has helped drive these concerns home.
Hard-kill active protection system may now offer a readily available way to give tanks and other armored vehicles extra protection against drones, something you can read about more in-depth in this past War Zone feature. The threats posed by uncrewed aerial systems, including highly maneuverable first-person view kamikaze types and other weaponized commercial designs, is not new. However, the conflict in Ukraine has again helped drive it into the mainstream consciousness.
https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1691084759101734913/vid/640×360/LleyZT3GmJ5NT8vt.mp4?tag=14
The still-growing dangers that drones and anti-tank missiles, among other things, present to armored vehicles, in particular, have prompted experts working for the Army to question whether designs like the Abrams and the Bradley will still be dominant factors on high-end battlefields by 2040. The service is already looking at a future that features new lighter-weight crewed tanks and other armored vehicles, as well as multiple tiers of uncrewed ground combat vehicles.
In the meantime, adding active protection systems to platforms like the Bradley will be one of the ways to help ensure heavy armored vehicles remain relevant on future battlefields, at least under certain circumstances.
============================================ Now a long time ago I was in an ACR. So while looking at this “new” idea for the Bradley. Here are some questions about it.
Like what happens when a very tired crew hits a good size tree branch ? Can the stuff outside the turret take a really good smack & still work?
Or how about a couple of good men with a heavy machine gun shooting AP ammo ? Will it take a beating & keep on ticking?
This also comes to mind. What if the kids drive into a house or a building to hide from the bad guys? Still good to go?
The last thing that comes to mind is this. What if the bad guys start sending out some really nasty airbursts. Will this stuff still be mission ready?
As inquiring minds would like to know, General?
Categories
Uh-oh
So nice we aren’t… We can use hollow points, and we do not have to attend their wounded or keep them alive. Everything is off the books. No Rules! Just remember, we don’t get protection under the Convention, so act accordingly.
Long, long ago, in a galaxy far away… (Seems like that, anyway.)
I was training a bunch of high-speed, low-drag operators of the Grand Exalted Ninja variety, and wow, were they impressive! Agile as combat monkeys, faster than tactical cheetahs, they poured out full-auto firepower like the USS Iowa. But there were a few piddly little problems.
First, given their gargantuan consumption of munitions, each trigger-puller would require the services of two pack mules to haul their ammo. Second, if they had to make controlled shots, they couldn’t shoot Minute-Of-Manhole-Cover (MOMC). Command staff noticed this aberration amongst their anointed, and lacking any intelligent ideas, they called me.
Fit, But…
These troops were physical prodigies and highly intelligent. Their equipment was first-rate, and their initial training excellent. But once they had reached operational level, they were essentially cut loose and set adrift. “Hollywood Effect” kicked in. They shot more and faster in increasingly sophisticated training environments, but they were on their own, with no eyeballs-on critical oversight coaching. Any top shooter can tell you that today’s un-critiqued champion is tomorrow’s last-place loser.
Over time, the result was predictable: Unconsciously developed bad habits became pronounced and then ingrained. As their accurate hit ratio fell, they increased the speed and volume of fire. While other tactical techniques sharpened, their fundamentals foundered. I tried a technique discovered by some smart Brits.
Their regiment included a ceremonial unit of archers to uphold tradition and entertain civilians at public events. When several vacancies went unfilled by volunteers, a bunch of notably poor shooters were assigned. The archery coaches were perfectionists and ferocious disciplinarians. Qualifying with firearms was one thing, but the publicly-witnessed performance of their archers was, as they would say, bristling, with clenched teeth, “Quite another matter entirely, old man! The regiment’s honour, you know.” When those involuntary archers picked up their rifles again, they amazed their NCOs — and themselves.
It worked for them, for me, and it can work for you. Three Keys: Fundamentals, Fundamentals, and FUNDAMENTALS!
Just as it is with long guns and handguns, archery demands hand-eye-head coordination, creating a stable platform even under difficult and fluid conditions, consistently repeated positions and points of contact, breathing control, a crisp, clean release, and understanding that “follow-through” is a moment, not a movement. In practice and for correcting lapses in performance, the advantage archery holds over live firearms training is the lack of distraction by noise, muzzle blast, recoil and mechanical action movement, which can both induce and conceal faulty technique. Archery is unforgiving, and errors are magnified and clearly apparent.
Shortly after that experience, I ran into a guy who was doing the same kind of thing in West Africa using blowguns, another discipline demanding many of the same honed skills. “And,” he added, “In poor weather, it can be practiced inside a big mud-wattle hut or under a tin railway-stop roof. And, the local rat population — filthy beasts — was decimated.” Shooting skills skyrocketed.
I learned some good stuff. Then, of course, I forgot it — almost. I was talking with Simon Lee, a honcho with Mad Bull AirSoft, makers of premium airsoft handguns and rifles. Due to legal restrictions on and extreme costs of firearms, airsoft is huge in Japan, where many top IPSC competitors train with airsoft, then kick competitive butt with firearms. And lots of Japanese shooters are also avid archers. Hmm …
A few days later, I met Nathan Masters, a dedicated shooter, owner and chief designer of FlippinOut Slingshots. I quickly learned how he polished his essential pistol skills — hand-eye-head coordination, breathing and release — with slingshots and more: He had not only independently discovered the firearms-training benefits of archery and blowguns but was about to launch a new enterprise and website covering all three disciplines at simple-shot.com. Yeah, I’m getting back into them now — and maybe you should consider them too.
Practical, Fun Alternatives
For many good reasons, airsoft is a low-cost, highly effective alternative shooting sport, and all manner of guns are available. Even very high-end models, licensed by major makers like Daniel Defense, Barrett and Noveske are surprisingly affordable. To minimize ongoing expense, I recommend spring-air powered and rechargeable-battery powered AEG (Automatic Electric Gun) models rather than CO2 types.
If you’re considering archery, I recommend you find an archery center with an indoor range, rental gear, and low-cost basic instruction. Tell them you want to try both conventional bows and compound bows. There are lots of good books and videos available on the subject, but nothing beats live instruction and coaching. Typically, archers delight in introducing people to their sport, and those in the business tend to be very patient and supportive.
When my son and I took up archery, after familiarization with recurve bows, we bought low-end Browning compound bows from Gander Mountain. After putting in lots of time and practice, we considered more sophisticated and far more expensive bows, but in the end, realizing our “cheap-os”—not cheap, but inexpensive—gave us all the capability we needed for both recreational shooting and hunting, we decided to put our money into more and better arrows. You don’t have to go overboard to be a well-equipped archer. Browning doesn’t offer bows anymore, but PSE Archery has made Browning’s bows for years, and they’re excellent.
You don’t need Herculean lungs or wads of money to take up blowguns. The variety of blowguns and darts available is astounding, and you can practice indoors or out. Much of blowgunning is intuitive, but the hand-eye-head coordination and breath control involved is terrific training, and as with archery, improvement is rapid and obvious. Generally, I recommend you start with an inexpensive 36″ or 48″ .40-caliber blowgun, and if that whets your interest, upgrade from there. Their range and power might amaze you.
If you haven’t flipped a slingshot since BFH — Before Facial Hair — you’ll be blown away by today’s slingshot smorgasbord. Having looked around, I don’t think anybody offers better slingshots than Nathan Masters at simple-shot.com. His models range from $20 to $175, yet all of them pack great accuracy and small-game hunting capability. The biggest modern advances in slingshots are in the bands and the structural quality and consistency of the frames, making a huge difference. These ain’t your granddaddy’s flippers — and they can definitely make you a better firearm shooter!
So give it a shot: sharpen your skills — and have fun!
Connor OUT
In the largest cheating scandal in the Coast Guard Academy’s history, 20% of the class of 2025 were caught sharing homework answers with one another and were also aided by an older student from the prior year.
“And in another instance a cadet who had taken the homework assignments and done poorly on them and gone and talked to the instructor and gotten the right answer, distributed those answers,” said Commander Aaron Casavant, the Assistant Commandant of Cadets. “There were networks of cheating.”
It comes at a time when the Coast Guard service is already under scrutiny for a report that former Coast Guard leadership withheld from Congress and the publicsexual abuse and misconduct at the Academy over several years.
Whether the cadets understand how their actions affect the current image of the Coast Guard, Casavant said he’d like to think so, but he’s not sure. Twenty-five cadets have asked to appeal their sanctions Casavant said, knowing it could affect the start of their careers.
Casavant said they found out about the cheating incidents when the class instructors reviewed the computer program used to administer the homework assignments. They found two issues.
“What we found was that the homework assignments were being completed in the order of seconds and minutes, rather than the amount of time that the instructors expected a homework of that complication and difficulty to take,” he said.