The M2 Bradley was the United States's infantry fighting vehicle. Its two-man turret was offset to the right to maximize the room in the passenger compartment, which held six dismounts. Two infantrymen sat to the left of the turret, one facing forward and the other to the rear. The infantry squad gained access to the vehicle through a large rear ramp which had an emergency door in the left side. Vision for the troops was through three periscopes placed between the rear ramp and the cargo hatch just behind the turret as well as two periscopes on each side of the hull above the side firing ports. The infantry were provided with firing ports through which they could fire the 5.56mm M231 fully-automatic firing port weapon. The five stowage racks for the TOW missile reloads could also hold Dragon anti-tank missiles. In order to float, it was necessary to erect the trim vane and a large water barrier around the vehicle. The hull vertical sides and rear armor consisted of two .25" (.64cm) steel plates one inch (2.5cm) apart and 3.5" (8.9cm) away from the aluminum armor. The hull top, bottom, and front consisted of 5083 aluminum armor, and .375" (.953cm) steel armor was added to the front third of the hull bottom to increase mine protection. Two four-tube smoke grenade launchers are mounted on either side of the turret front. The 25mm chain gun could fire single shots, or at rates of 100 or 200 rounds per minute, and it was equipped with a dual feed mechanism that allowed the gunner to switch between high-explosive and armor-piercing ammunition automatically.

In May 1986 a gas particulate NBC filtration system was introduced to the Bradley in which the commander, gunner, and driver wore masks connected to a central filter in the vehicle. The infantry squad made do with masks and filters built into their own MOPP suits. M2A1 also fired the new TOW 2 missiles, however the orignal TOW missiles could still be used with the M2A1's launchers. The seventh infantryman was added just behind the center of the turret. When the Bradley was upgraded with both the TOW 2 system and the gas particulate filtration system, it was known as M2A1. The M2A1 upgrades were retrofitted to many Bradleys produced previously.

The various versions of the TOW missile are as follows: BGM-71A was the basic version with a 5" (13cm) diameter warhead. BGM-71C ITOW (Improved TOW) used an improved 5" (13cm) warhead and a standoff probe which allowed the shaped charge penetrator to assume a more efficient shape before it struck the target. ITOW also had an extended range of 3750m (2.33mi) compared to TOW's 3000m (1.86mi) range. BGM-71D TOW 2 has a 6" (15cm) diameter warhead, and retained a standoff probe. BGM-71E TOW 2A introduced a precursor charge in the standoff probe to defeat explosive reactive armor. BGM-71F TOW 2B is a top-attack weapon that defeats its targets with two explosively-formed projectiles that penetrate the roof of armored vehicles. TOW 2B lacks a standoff probe.