The first Bradley Fighting Vehicles equipped with an active protection system designed to shoot down incoming missiles, rockets and drones are now reaching troops in the field. The U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division has started fielding the M2A4E1, a new Bradley variant built around Elbit Systems' Iron Fist system, following a $228 million contract awarded in January.
The 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas, is the first unit to receive the upgraded vehicles, though the Army has not said how many Bradleys are involved or when the initial rollout will be complete. The quiet pace of disclosure reflects how closely militaries now guard details about defensive technology, much as individuals increasingly turn to tools such as a service with ad and tracker blocking to limit what outside parties can learn about their own digital movements. In both cases, the underlying logic is the same: reduce the information available to an adversary before they can act on it.
How Iron Fist Works
Iron Fist relies on radar and infrared sensors mounted around the Bradley's turret to detect an incoming threat, then fires an explosive interceptor that detonates near the target before it reaches the vehicle's armor. The interceptor casing is designed to burn rather than fragment, a feature meant to limit harm to nearby infantry, though Elbit and the Army acknowledge it does not remove that risk entirely. The system is one of a small number of hard-kill active protection technologies now entering service with Western militaries, following earlier adoption by Israel on its own armored platforms.
A Response to Battlefield Lessons
The push to harden armored vehicles against precision-guided threats has gained urgency from the war in Ukraine, where anti-tank missiles and small attack drones have destroyed large numbers of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles on both sides. That experience has pushed militaries, including the U.S. Army, to treat active protection systems as a necessary complement to traditional armor rather than an optional upgrade. Elbit's relationship with the Pentagon on this technology predates the current deal: the company received a $37 million order for Iron Fist in 2024 before the larger $228 million contract followed in January 2026.
What Comes Next
Elbit is supplying the protection system itself rather than acting as prime integrator for the broader Bradley modernization effort, which is led by General Dynamics. Revenue from the contract will be recognized as systems are delivered and installed, though neither company has released a detailed timeline. Alongside Iron Fist, the M2A4E1 includes an upgraded high-definition thermal gunner's sight and a new environmental control unit, incremental improvements that, combined with the new defensive system, mark one of the more substantial updates to the Bradley platform in years. How quickly the Army extends Iron Fist across its wider Bradley fleet remains an open question, one likely to depend on funding, production capacity and further lessons drawn from conflicts where armored vehicles remain under constant threat from above and from a distance.