Photo By Spc. Brandi Frizzell | A M2A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle with 1-16 Infantry, 1st Armored Brigade...... read more read more
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NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria – Bright, incendiary trails erupted through the night, as the tracer rounds fired from M2A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles advanced toward their targets. Soldiers from the 1-16th Infantry, 1st Army Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division performed live fire exercises, featuring Bradleys, in Bulgaria, Sept. 23-26, 2025, while focusing on developing individual crews, target engagement and maneuverability.
Soldiers from the 1-16th conducted the gunnery tables to train on the combat capabilities of their crew members and equipment. The training consisted of around 40 vehicles, which executed six tables, through both day and night iterations. During this training, they engaged targets while firing the vehicle's M242 Bushmaster 25mm chain gun.
Gunnery training builds cohesion between crew members which ensures mission readiness for future combat operations.
Sgt. 1st Class Tyler Beard, a master gunner for the 1-16th Infantry, discussed the importance of having qualified Bradley crews.
“It is good to have qualified crews,” said Beard. “It's also a demonstration of force and lethality, knowing that we’re ready to fight tonight if needed.”
Beard also expressed the importance of crew members building trust and confidence in the systems they are qualifying with.
“A lot of the crew experiences, this might be their first time actually conducting a qualification together, but once they go out there, they’re able to build trust in their systems and build that lethality using their optics and building that confidence,” stated Beard.
Sgt. Michael Mitchell, a Bradley gunner with the 1-16th Infantry, detailed the value of being proficient in their tasks.
“We need to constantly be proficient in our tasks and standards, and get the mission done as fast and as safe as possible,” stated Mitchell.
Mitchell went on to express the family atmosphere the crew members create while going through the qualification.
“What I like about being the gunner is being with your crew, it’s a very tight knit crew,” said Mitchell. “You hold each other accountable and it’s more of a family task.”
Now that the Bradley crews are qualified, they are eligible to move onto qualification for squad, section and platoon live fire and then the Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFX).
“With crew gunnery being complete, it’s a good morale booster for those troops because it shows that they’re able to qualify on these challenging tables while doing it in a foreign country as well,” expressed Beard.
Live fire exercises increase the lethality of crews on collective tables while generating warfighting readiness and combat credible forces along NATO’s Eastern Flank.
| Date Taken: | 09.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 10.01.2025 04:49 |
| Story ID: | 549801 |
| Location: | NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, BG |
| Web Views: | 53 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1-16th Infantry Completes Bradley Live Fire Qualification in Bulgaria, by SPC Brandi Frizzell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
1st Infantry Division Conducts Bradley Gunnery in
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