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.

The U.S. Army's M2/M3 Bradley family is one of the world's most famous infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), and it has successfully participated in such operations as Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Perhaps not quite so well known is the M6 Linebacker variant of the Bradley. The M6 is an air-defense vehicle found in heavy armored divisions, and it mounts four FIM-92A Stinger missiles in the launcher unit on the left of the turret instead of the two TOW missiles in a regular Bradley. The Linebacker system employs a FAAD (Forward Area Air Defense) C3I suite that allows firing while stationary or on the move. Ten spare Stinger missiles are carried inside the vehicle. The 29.9-ton M6 still retains the standard turret armament of an M242 25mm Bushmaster cannon and 7.62mm M240C coaxial machine gun, but the easiest recognition feature remains the turret-mounted missile launcher unit.

Dragon Armor has previously issued highly detailed Bradley before, and now the new M6A2 Linebacker has joined the range. It is fitted with the distinctive launcher unit for the Stinger missiles and it is finished in a sand-colored camouflage scheme to represent a vehicle serving in Iraq. All the relevant details of the new M6A2 is portrayed. Additionally the vehicle has been carefully weathered to replicate the effects of Iraq's sandy and dusty environment. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-1/2-inches
Width: 2-inches

Release Date: February 2008

Historical Account: "Amidst the Tumult" - In March 1995, the Boeing Company was awarded a contract by the US Army Missile Command for the integration of the Stinger missile launch system on the US Army Bradley Fighting Vehicle. This vehicle is called the Bradley-Linebacker and is designed to provide short range air defence (SHORAD), day/night and in all weather conditions whilst on the move.

It is capable of engaging all threat targets including fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) within the range of the Stinger missile.

The system uses US Army Avenger Air Defense system hardware and software from inside the vehicle. The Avenger system fires Stinger missiles from an HMMWV vehicle chassis.

Nine Linebacker units were delivered by November 1997, including one prototype and eight initial production units. These units were fielded with the 1-44 Air Defense Artillery, Fort Hood Texas and participated in the US Army Task Force XXI Advanced Warfare Experiment (AWE) in March 1997. This consisted of maneuvers to develop new tactics, techniques and procedures for the Army of the 21st Century. The US Army ordered a total of 99 Linebacker units, which were fielded with the Third Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia.