Ukraine’s military is going to finally get its hands on Western armor, something it has long wanted as its forces fight to repel Russia’s invasion.
The White House announced Thursday that it intends to send Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine, joining other NATO countries that have also pledged to send armored vehicles.
Washington’s decision to send Bradleys to Ukraine came as German leadership revealed plans to transfer Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Kyiv and after French President Emmanuel Macron told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy he would provide Ukraine with AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles.
These three systems are expected to boost Ukraine’s mobile firepower and ground combat capabilities and help the country conduct offensive operations. Take a look at the M2A2 Bradley — 50 of which will be headed Kyiv’s way.
The Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is an armored vehicle that is capable of transporting troops on the battlefield and providing fire support, as well as reconnaissance missions.
These vehicles, which are quick and highly maneuverable, are operated by a three-person crew consisting of a driver, the commander, and a gunner and can carry up to half a dozen fully equipped soldiers.
The Bradley has at times been misidentified as a tank, even as military experts and government officials try to set the record straight.
When asked to describe how the weapon is different from a tank, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a briefing on Thursday that it’s “not a tank, but it’s a tank killer.”
“A Bradley is an armored vehicle that has a firepower capability that can deliver troops into combat,” he further explained.
Ryder’s comments reflect those made by Mark Hertling, a retired US Army general who described the vehicle’s capabilities on social media Wednesday and said these armored vehicles could be a “tank killer” and “troop carrier.”
The Bradley was designed and manufactured by BAE Systems and has been in service since the early 1980s. It was initially developed in response to a family of Soviet infantry fighting vehicles. The M2A2 was introduced in 1988.
Like a tank, the Bradley is tracked rather than wheeled, and it has an operational range of around 300 miles and can travel at just over 40 miles per hour, according to Military.com.
These vehicles saw action during the Gulf War of the early 1990s and in the following decade during the Iraq War.
A 1992 Government Accountability Office report on Bradley performance during the Gulf War said that “the Bradley proved to be lethal, as crews reported that its 25-mm automatic gun was effective against a variety of targets and that its Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missile system was able to destroy tanks.”
Hertling, the retired general who identified himself as a former Bradley commander, said on social media that the Bradley doesn’t have a lot of complicated issues with its engine or turret and is low maintenance.
The Bradley is armed with a 25 mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun and a 7.62 mm M240C machine gun, according to Military.com. It can also carry multiple TOW anti-tank missiles — a more powerful armament that can hit targets a few miles away.
In announcing a new security package for Ukraine, the Pentagon said on Friday that the US will send 500 TOW missiles and 250,000 rounds of the 25 mm ammunition.
Jeffrey Edmonds, a Russia expert at the Center for Naval Analyses and former CIA military analyst, told Insider that the firepower provided by the Bradley is substantially more than that provided by individual or crew-served weapons.
“It depends on how you use them, but especially against lighter armored vehicles, a Bradley is deadly,” Edmonds said.
As a defense against various munitions, such as certain armor-piercing rounds and rocket-propelled grenades, the Bradley is protected by explosive reactive aluminum armor and steel skirts, and it carries smoke grenade launchers able to create defensive screens.
In Ukraine, Edmonds told Insider that the Bradleys will bring a handful of capabilities — along the lines of firepower, mobility, and shock — to the table.
When covering lots of terrain, the Bradley’s small size and quick speed can help Ukrainian forces take advantage of counteroffensive breakthroughs and exploit successes along Russian lines, Edmonds said.
“They’re fast and quite mobile,” he added. “And then there’s shock effect, which can be significant, especially in a war where morale is precarious.”
Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Thursday the Bradleys will “provide a significant boost to Ukraine’s already impressive armor capabilities, adding that “we’re confident that it will aid them on the battlefield.”
Source : Jake Epstein
