Need to know the name of M3 Bradley Glass Armor!!

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

This is the new project I’m working on as on an old idea that I have am dropping, my build of the M6 Linebacker and try the M7 Bradley FIST-V but if I can’t find any info supporting it be-ing used in Iraq to day or in 2008. I must build the plane M3A2 CFV with the armored glass box windows around the turret hach. [That turret hach protection] Do any of you know what it’s called? here are some images of the bradley with it in place, all are of the M2A2s and the M3 versions.

Here’s real good view of it.

If any one know, is the M7 FiST still be-ing used in Iraq (2008 to day)and has that same turret protection.

2

To answer one of your questions, I don’t think that armored glass box windows around the turret hatch have an official name. It seems to be something that the soliders developed/improvised, because it’s used on a number of vehicles including Hummers.

Sgt. Mabon Briola (left), 36, of Yigo, Guam, a soldier with Apache Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, from Fort Bliss, Texas, created a bulletproof face shield to protect Humvee turret gunners. Spc. Gabriel Hernandez, 22, of San Antonio, Texas, mans a .50-caliber machine gun behind the bullet-proof glass shield.

humvee-turret-shield.jpg - 37.29kb

Spc. Gabriel Hernandez, 22, of San Antonio displays a bulletproof face shield that took a direct hit recently from a 7.62mm round fired by insurgents.

The shield saved the gunner from being hit in the face.

3

It’s just ballistic glass or glass armor… Lotta different brand-names… Been around since before WW2…

4

It is called the transparent armor gun shield per the book “M2/M3 at War” by Micheal Greene and James D. Brown

5

Thanks guys and about that book I’m going to order it as I think it to will help me out a lot. An thanks for the name and info guys.[tup]

Once I get it fully built I will post my work ad you all can tell me what you think. Oh one last thing it’s in 1/35 scale not 1/72 and you see a lot of 1/72 kits of that bradley out there. There are no kits of it in 1/35 as of yet. That’s till I build my M3

6

R34,

NP, anytime.

Another Book that might help you is called " Iraq Insurgency" and has descriptions of several US Vehecles like Bradley, M113, M1117 Guardian, Roadrunner, Cat D-9 Dozers and more. There you will find also more pics of the glass screen and the Commander independent Viewer of the M2A3 as shown in the second picture above.

7

The shields are part of the BUSK (Bradley Urban Survival Kit) set. This includes the shields and added armor plate around the driver and TC positions along w/a few other upgrades.

The M7 BFIST is being used in Iraq and has been since the beginning, depending on the unit. Some Germany-based units and a few others still have M981A2 FIST-Vs, which they brought. There are pics of one on Prime Portal, an M7A2 w/ERA. Unless you look at the bumper #s or notice the 2 extra antennas on top of the rear light guards, they look identicle to a standard M2A2, which is the idea. The only other external difference is the rear of the TOW box has a flat plate as opposed to the circles for the missiles. It is now full of electronics and called the BAB (Bradley Armored Box). You can check out my M7A2 BFIST at my photobucket acct.

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I found some of photo independent of Prime Portal but I’m at the site right now. I’m on the main page under the heading of The Battlefield. I’m entering Armor section first. There’s an M7 Light Tank, M7 Priest. I don’t see a link for the M7 BFIST, M7A2 BFIST or just BFIST. So like you have stated to go to Photobucket, sorry no album on there for the M7 BFIST:

http://photobucket.com/images/M7A2%20BFiST/

So I will do what I always do, “Google it” and here’s what I found.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=94231

Most of the info in this link is just stuff to read and that’s cool but if I’m to build this version as a OIF version with ERA Armor. I must have the photos to back up my build. An we all know how some of you are on here if the build comes out with any errors. “Pounce pounce”[soapbox]

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS268&q=M7+BFIST

So at this pioint I jumped from this search and went to Image search and this is were I get all my photos but no images of the Bradlley-BFIST with ERA armor as of yet.

I Googled your words [M7A2 BFIST]: http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS268&q=M7A2+BFIST

Then [M7 BFIST]: http://images.google.com/images?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS268&q=M7%20BFIST&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

So as it stands I’m going to build my M3A2 first and hold off on the building of the BFIST unit till I find photos of the Real thing with the armor I like so much.

These photos are the same ones some of you that can view them will see in my link. Look close at the images as you can see the tracks in these 2 photos are of the old tracks, muct like the tracks that come in the kit and not the AFV type tracks used in Iraq that you (HeavyArty)have pointed out on my last build. The Big Box or unit on the side looks like a fat version of the regular TOW launcher box. So that will be easy to modify.

So if any of you need photos of the M3A2s interior, I have some good photos. Oh an I also have the turret interior as well. these will halp me once I start using my PE set. The images come with some good shots of all or most of the labes you see in the Bradley. As I have asked inthe past now one would point me in the right diretion on getting this labels, so I found these photos so if any of you needs them I have a some.

Oh and one last thing before I get back to work on my M3 or M7. I also look under this [M7 BFIST with ERA armor] ,[M7 in Iraq] and got these: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS268&q=M7%20BFIST%20with%20ERA%20armor&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS268&q=M7+in+Iraq

9

I said go to my Photobucket link (at the bottom of my posts) and look at the M7 B-FIST I built. Here.

The M7A2 B-FIST w/ERA on Prime Portal, as with most other places, is mislabeled as an M2. It has bumper #s for 1-82 FA and the additional antennas on the rear light mounts though, making it a B-FIST; Arty BNs don’t have standard Bradleys either. You probably won’t find many pics labeled as a B-FIST. Most people think they are regular old Bradleys, which is the idea with how they look.

Here it is.

The pics you have posted of the B-FIST are of the original concept vehicle, not what was fielded. That is why it has the older, triangle tracks and the big box in place of the TOW box. They were trying to place an optical targeting laser (G/VLLD) in the box. It didn’t work out and was abandoned in favor of a new sytem that used the Bradley’s existing laser range finder and GPS. The production vehicles kept the original TOW box (with a flat rear plate), which is now filled with electronics for the targeting system using the laser range finder/GPS option.

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Well I see now that the BFIST is truly an operating system with in the Bradley and not some thing to change the external look of the Vehicle. So If I build the M3 I don’t have to build the Big box like in the concepts. All I need to do is build my new bradley buch like my first try, But right this time.

An with all the info[Texted] and Photos from that othere site I think I can do and even better job this time. Hay you all I’ll be posting my new work soon.