The White House announced on Thursday that the Pentagon will Supply of Bradley fighting vehicles to Kievprovide Ukrainian soldiers with more protection and firepower than any truck or armored personnel carrier the West has sent to date.
Although President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has long requested American-made tanks, the White House has refused to send them, citing the time it takes to train soldiers to use them in combat as well as to protect them. maintain and repair them.
Here’s a closer look at the Bradley, which provides a middle ground between the capabilities of main battle tanks, such as the M1 Abrams that Kiev has requested, and those of vehicles such as armored vehicles. M113 troop carrier steel during the Vietnam War that the Pentagon provided Ukraine.
It is not a tank.
The Bradley falls somewhere between a traditional tank and an armored personnel carrier, but it is not a main battle tank.
The main task of battle tanks is to destroy other tanks. The standard American tank is the M1 Abrams, which usually weighs about 70 tons and carries a 120mm gun that can fire a variety of armor-piercing rounds.
Abrams rides on the road and can reach speeds of about 42 mph on flat surfaces and 30 off-road. Notably, unlike previous generations of American tanks, Abrams is equipped with a gas turbine engine, similar to the engine used on jet aircraft. Taking care of those engines and keeping them fueled is a tough task on the battlefield.
By comparison, diesel-powered vehicles, like the Bradley, are much easier to maintain and operate.
What does Bradley have?
The Bradley has a 25 mm gun mounted on a rotating turret above the hull, so it is often mistaken for a tank. (Bradleys have been substituted for the tanks Donald J. Trump requested as president for the 4th of July celebration in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 2019.)
A 7.62 mm machine gun is usually mounted on the turret, along with launchers for the BGM-71 TOW missile. The United States has provided Ukraine with 1,500 TOW anti-tank missiles, announced this delivery as part of a $775 million aid package on August 19.
Like the Abrams, the Bradley runs on wheels instead of wheels, allowing it to navigate rough terrain that trucks can’t. And the fuselage of both vehicles is encased in sophisticated armor blocks to provide a degree of protection from direct attacks from enemy fire and missiles.
According to the military’s history of the vehicle, the Bradley was designed to keep up with the M1 Abrams tank, allowing commanders to move troops next to the tank to support each other.
And while both vehicles are operated by small teams – four soldiers for Abrams and three for Bradley – the Bradley has a combined door and ramp cluster that opens to the rear so infantrymen can quickly quick in and out.
The Bradley can carry half as many troops as a traditional armored personnel carrier – such as the M113 that the Pentagon sent to Ukraine – but has much better armor protection and carries much more firepower.
Has Ukraine had anything like them?
Incorrect. The Ukrainian military has a number of Soviet-era tanks as well as armored personnel carriers before the Russian invasion, and some troop carriers are equipped with machine guns. Many people were destroyed during the war.
The Bradley provides a much higher level of protection for the soldiers inside, and its 25mm gun and TOW missiles will provide those soldiers with a greater degree of fire support, while also giving commanders battlefield ability to form small squads of Bradleys to destroy Russian troops. tanks and other vehicles.
Are there different types of Bradleys?
Correct. The US Army built two different versions. One, called the M2, was built to carry a team of perhaps half a dozen soldiers into battle. The other, known as the M3, is designed for reconnaissance units performing reconnaissance missions and can carry two additional troops.
What version does the US give Kiev?
We don’t know yet.
How long has Bradley been around?
The Bradley was a product created during the Cold War, built to carry US troops into war with the Russians. According to Army documents, it was introduced in 1981.
Bradleys were used during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and throughout the wars after 9/11.
Its long development — which took more than 15 years — was mocked in a 1998 HBO film, “Pentagon War.”
