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​Pentagon Reveals Which Version of Bradley IFV Ukraine is About to Get

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M2 Bradley IFV / Open source illustrative photo
M2 Bradley IFV / Open source illustrative photo

The U.S. Department of Defense shared some details regarding the new provision of military supplies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Full list of military aid supplies provided in the new record-breaking $3.8 billion package for Ukraine was revealed yesterday, on January 6th. And traditionally, Pentagon's speakers had a media briefing to share the details.

Since this package introduces the transfer of Bradley infantry fighting vehicles for the first time, it caught the interest of the journalists. When asked about the version of Bradley which is sent to Ukraine, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura K. Cooper said: "I think I just heard with a version of the Bradley it's the M2A2 Bradley," she said, adding that spare parts for maintenance of the vehicles are provided, too.

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American Bradley are expected to arrive in Ukraine by March
American Bradleys are expected to arrive in Ukraine by March / Illustrative photo credit: DVIDS

First things first, we must admit it was the most realistic version Ukraine could get, although the fully digital M2A3 with a commander's panorama and fire control systems like in M1 Abrams would be more preferable to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

M2A3 Bradley has an independent commander's sight and the fire control system, almost identical to Abrams
M2A3 Bradley has an independent commander's sight and the fire control system, almost identical to Abrams / Screenshot credit: Sofilein on YouTube

Anyway, let's take a look at the M2A2 version. The start of development of this modification was in 1986, it entered production in 1988. The main changes concerned the combat vehicle's armor: the new version could withstand a hit by a 30mm round and by an anti-tank grenade (looking back at the Soviet RPGs).

The modernized Bradley also got a better 600 hp engine and its combat weight was increased to 30-33 tons.

Then, in 1990-1992, the gun received a new M919 APFSDS-T projectile which has a chance to prove effective against the russian BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle.

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