2. M-2 Bradley
The shortcomings of armored personnel carriers as battlefield vehicles - thin armor and limited firepower — led to the concept of the infantry-fighting vehicle in the late 1960s. Rather than simply carry an infantry squad to the battlefield, where they would dismount to fight, the IFV would enable infantrymen to fire their weapons from within the vehicle and engage targets while still protected behind armor.
Derived from Soviet and German designs, the Bradley IFV went into production in 1981. With laminate spaced armor on top of an aluminum hull, the M-2 provides greater protection for its passengers than the M-113. The Bradley also has greater firepower available in the form of a 25-mm chain gun that can fire depleted uranium rounds. This powerful weapon knocked out more Iraqi armor during Operation Desert Storm than the 120-mm guns of the Abrams tank and is on the U.S. Army's books for the foreseeable future.
PUZZLES: Put together these Top Ten Fighting Vehicles.
