Dragon DRR60287 US M2A2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle with ERA - 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Tikrit, Iraq, 2004 (1:72 Scale)
"We will carry out a campaign characterized by shock, by surprise, by flexibility ... and by the application of overwhelming force."
- CENTCOM commander General Tommy Franks commenting on the conduct of Operation: Iraqi Freedom, March 21st, 2003
The M2 Bradley is the US Army's first mechanized infantry combat vehicle. The first production models appeared in 1981 (at the height of the Cold War), and they were soon being produced at the rate of 600 per year. The hull of the M2 is made of aluminum, with a layer of space laminated armor applied for added protection. The Bradley is equipped with a 25mm Bushmaster cannon and stabilizer to allow for firing on the move. Its troop compartment, located in the rear, is fitted with firing ports and periscopes to allow troops to fire from within the vehicle. Night vision capability and a nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) defense system are standard on all of the different variants. The Bradley plays a key role in the US Army's combined arms concept, but critics say it is too big, too expensive, and too difficult to maintain and is insufficiently armored to operate with main battle tanks on the battlefield.
This particular 1:72 scale M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is fitted with explosive reactive armor (ERA) and was attached to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, then deployed to Tikrit, Iraq in 2004.
Sold Out!
Dimensions:
Length: 4-1/2-inches
Width: 2-inches
Release Date: March 2007
Historical Account: "The Big Red One" - The 1st (Devil) Brigade, 1st Infantry Division deployed from Fort Riley, Kansas in September 2003 to provide support to the 82nd Airborne Division in the city of Ramadi, Iraq. In February 2004, the Division deployed to Iraq, where it conducted a relief in place of the 4th Infantry Division, primarily in Salah ad-Din and Diyala provinces, with the Division headquarters being located on Forward Operating Base Danger, near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. Task Force Danger, as the Division was called during OIF2, also had a light infantry brigade from the 25th Infantry Division, another brigade the 30th Armored Brigade (Enhanced) (Separate) "Old Hickory" of the North Carolina National Guard, and the 264th Engineer Group of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. In September 2004, the 1st Brigade was replaced by elements from the 2nd Infantry Division in Ramadi and redeployed to Ft. Riley. In February 2005, the division was replaced by the 42d Infantry Division, New York National Guard, and elements of the 3rd Infantry Division and returned to its home in Germany.