Loc Performance to provide underbelly armor solutions for Bradley A4 IFVs of US Army


According to a contract published by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on September 23, 2021, Loc Performance, Plymouth, Michigan, was awarded a $17,141,289 firm-fixed-price contract for the Under Belly Interim-Solution for the Bradley A4 vehicle.
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U.S. soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, take the newest version of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to the field for operational testing, Fort Hood, Texas, Oct. 24, 2020. (Picture source U.S. DoD)


An underbelly for an armored vehicle is provided, configured for providing ballistic protection against a detonation of an explosive device detonated substantially therebelow. The underbelly comprises a central portion having a lowermost area, sidewalls extending upwardly therefrom, the central portion and sidewalls constituting a main armor of the underbelly, and an auxiliary armor panel disposed so as to project downwardly from the lowermost area of the central portion. Upper portions of the sidewalls are free of any auxiliary armor panel.

The Bradley M2A4 is a modernized version of the Bradley M2 tracked armored IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) which is the backbone of the infantry units of the U.S. Army. It maintains the armament of the previous versions of the Bradley IFV family that includes an ATK Gun Systems Company M242 25 mm Bushmaster Chain Gun with a 7.62 mm M240C machine gun mounted coaxially to the right of the main armament. The left side of the turret is also fitted with two launchers for TOW anti-tank guided missiles.

The Bradley A4 is improved with Fire Suppression and IED jammer components further enhance survivability by reducing the likelihood of system detectability and target acquisition by external systems and defeats external threats.

In terms of mobility, the Bradley M4 is capable of maximizing its acceleration capabilities due to the increased engine horsepower in order to provide rapid movement of the System in reaction to combat or other adverse situations. Enhanced mobility function provides drivers with improved situational awareness and mobility functionality status.

Leveraging the lethality functionality from its predecessor, the Bradley A4 consists of full ballistic fire control hosted on a new central processing unit, aided dual-target tracking, automatic gun target adjustment, automatic bore sighting, and hunter-killer capabilities. The Bushmaster 25mm cannon fires both explosive and armor-piercing rounds, while TOW missiles defeat enemy armor. The 7.62mm coaxial machine gun provides high-volume fires at close ranges.