Round 3 of Military Times Battle Bracket is underway, with voting to wrap up Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern. Click here to cast your ballot and join the thousands of others who’ve had their say as we’ve whittle down the field.
A brief breakdown of the remaining four entrants in each region:
AirF-22 Raptor vs. AH-64 Apache: The Apache continued its streak of dominating wins, downing the UH-60 Black Hawk to become the only rotary aircraft left in the hunt. The Raptor had a tougher time with the F/A-18 Hornet series, but still emerged as the sole surviving fighter jet.
A-10 Thunderbolt II (“Warthog”) vs. B-52 Stratofortress: The Warthog has put up some of the biggest margins of victory so far, but the B-52 literally will be its biggest test yet, boasting a maximum takeoff weight of nearly a half-million pounds.
Marine “knife hand” vs. “Woobie” for the right to reach Battle Bracket’s quarterfinal round.
Photo Credit: Defense Department images
PersonalMarine “knife hand” vs. Poncho liner (“Woobie”): Perhaps not the most lethal of competitors — though Marines may argue the point by using knife hands, oddly enough — both entrants have built strong bases of support in the early going. Among the carnage in their paths to the third round: The AT4 rocket launcher and the M2 machine gun. The knife hand even knocked off the PT belt, much to the dismay of meme-generators everywhere.
M4 carbine vs. Mk 19 grenade machine gun: The standard-issue rifle shot past the M1911 pistol to reach the third round. Its opponent comes off a victory over the Ka-Bar knife, a sentimental favorite to join the knife hand in an all-blade quarterfinal showdown.
Sea
Nimitz-class carrier vs. Ohio-class submarine: The aircraft carrier cruised to a win over the America-class amphibious assault ship in the second round — crushing news to receive so soon after returning to sea. The sub already has a few legends under its belt, having bested the Burke-class destroyer in the first round before downing the USS Constitution to reach Round 3.
Tomahawk missile vs. Close-In Weapons System: Do you prefer to deal destruction a few thousand rounds at a time, or with one big bang? This shipboard style clash could be one of the closest matchups of the round.
LandAbrams tank vs. M777 howitzer: The howitzer has a steep hill to climb — alongside the Warthog, the Abrams has been a top performer in the early rounds, easily obliterating the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System to reach Round 2.
Stryker vs. Cougar MRAP: Winner gets bragging rights among the no-tread set. The Cougar took out close relatives (Buffalo MRAP and Humvee) to reach the third round, while the Stryker bounced the M120 mortar system in a lopsided Round 2 showdown.
Click here to vote. Already made your choice? Hit the campaign trail on social media with the hashtag #BattleBracket .
