Several dozen Bradley infantry fighting vehicles left for Ukraine from the USA
The US command showed the process of sending more than 60 Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
The shipment of the military equipment comes as part of a $2.85 billion U.S. military aid deal announced earlier this year.
The published video shows the loading of a batch of American infantry fighting vehicles onto a ship at the port of Charleston in North Carolina.
#ICYMI, U.S. Transportation Command is delivering more than 60 Bradleys to #Ukraine as part of the United States’ $2.85 billion military aid agreement announced earlier this year. #Watch @USArmy Soldiers and contractors load the @ARCships Integrity at the Port of Charleston, NC. pic.twitter.com/AwN9oeJexa
— USTRANSCOM (@US_TRANSCOM) February 6, 2023
Currently, several weeks of training are organized for the Ukrainian military to master these American BMPs in Germany. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are likely to receive a more advanced version of the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle than expected. Ukraine will not receive the M2A2 ODS, as previously expected, but a more advanced and newer version of the BMP – the M2A2 ODS-SA.
The M2 Bradley is the main infantry fighting vehicle of the US Army. Produced since 1981 by divisions of the BAE Systems company. The Bradley is armed with a 25mm M242 Bushmaster automatic cannon. Equipped ammunition consists of 300 shells, portable – 600. In the arsenal of BMP – armor-piercing sub-caliber and high-explosive fragmentation ammunition. Bradley also has a TOW ATGM launcher. Additional armament is a M240C machine gun paired with a cannon.
BMP M2A2 ODS-SA, photo by BAE Systems
The weight of the BMP in the M2A2 ODS-SA version is 34,250 kg. The machine is driven by a 600-horsepower engine. It can develop a speed of up to 61 km/h. The BMP is able to pass trenches up to 2.5 m wide and overcome obstacles up to 0.9 m high.
We will remind, in general, Ukraine should receive 109 M2 Bradley BMPs. The deliveries were announced as part of two military aid packages in 2023.
