M7A3 BFIST BRADLEY Fire Support Team Vehicle

Plastic model kit to build an M7A3 BFIST Bradley fire support vehicle

• 1:35 scale
• unbuilt, unpainted
• paint and glue not included

The M7 BFIST (Bradley Fire Support Team) is the replacement for the US Army's FiST armored vehicle (FiST-V) platform, the M981 FISTV. The biggest difference from the M2/3 is that the two TOW anti-tank guided missile launchers mounted on the standard Bradley IFV have been replaced by target acquisition optics mounted on the left side of the turret. The M3A3 BFIST is based on the M3A3 Bradley, with the inertial navigation unit moved to the interior of the turret.

Standard equipment on the Bradley Fire Support Team (BFIST) includes a fire detection and suppression system, an NBC system, and day/night vision devices for the commander, gunner, and driver. This is almost equivalent to the current Bradley vehicles as part of the Operation Desert Storm (ODS) enhancement package. The BFIST's major subsystems include an inertial navigation system (INS), an eye-safe laser rangefinder (ELRF), four radios for a Single Channel Ground and Airborne Receiver System (SINCGARS), a precise, lightweight GPS receiver (PLGR), a Battlefield Combat Identification System (BCIS), a mission processor unit (MPU), a handheld terminal unit (HTU), a lightweight computer unit (LCU), a Modular Active Protection System (MAPS), and two tactical communications interface modules (TCIM).

The M3A3 BFIST can detect and request precise fire strikes on targets within 20 kilometers using its advanced observation equipment and laser rangefinder. By coordinating various vehicle equipment, the target location can be marked directly on the digital map without requiring personnel to get out of the vehicle to operate it. The M3A3 has proven to be better than the M7 in combat operations.