Bill Good
In mid-June, the Bradley A3 Fighting Vehicles assigned to units stationed in the Republic of Korea became the latest in the fleet to receive the Bradley Urban Survivability Kit III (BUSK III) upgrades.
The BUSK III Modification Work Order (MWO) application began for the 1st Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (ID) and U.S. Army Materiel Command prepositioned stocks in January and concluded on June 4, a month ahead of schedule.
“The team involved did an amazing job, when you consider the statistics,” said LTC Glenn Dean, Product Manager for Bradley within Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems (PEO GCS). “Our BUSK III installation team applied approximately 2,400 total MWOs and repairs on 236 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, finishing a month earlier than projected and 20 percent under budget. That constitutes roughly $700,000 in savings.”
The BUSKs allow the Army’s infantry fighting vehicle to better adapt to the rigors of urban combat. BUSK III incorporates four modifications, including a blast-proof fuel cell, a blast-resistant driver seat, a turret survivability system, and an emergency ramp release.
The team was able to save time and money by bundling other pending MWOs while installing BUSK III on the vehicles. Modifications applied in addition to the four BUSK III MWOs were electrical ground improvements, a fire suppression guard improvement, an automatic fire suppression system control panel switch guard, and a hotbox protection system enhancement. The installation team also conducted check and repair activities to address the control panel retrofit, track adjuster, driver’s hatch bearings, and generator re-torque.
“Events like this demonstrate the best of both worlds. Operationally, our teams installed critical force protection enhancements to the Bradley A3, which will allow our forces to maintain battlefield dominance well into the future. Simultaneously, we did it ahead of schedule and well below cost. The BUSK III team did a marvelous job,” said COL William Sheehy, PEO GCS’ Project Manager Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT).
After finishing work in Korea, the BUSK III installation team’s next stop was Fort Carson, CO, to begin servicing the 4th ID’s Bradleys.
COL Ross Davidson, Commander, 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 2nd Infantry Division, with BAE Systems’ BUSK III Modification Team. The team was able to complete the mission of enhancing the Bradley Fighting Vehicles of the 1st BCT and the U.S. Army Materiel Command prepositioned stock a month ahead of time and 20 percent under budget. (U.S. Army photo)
- BILL GOOD is a Public Affairs Specialist for PEO GCS. He holds a B.S. in broadcasting from Siena Heights University and an M.A in public relations and organizational communication from Wayne State University.
