Russia captures advanced Bradley IFV, raising NATO concerns
Not only are observers of the war in Ukraine reporting on social media, but Ukrainian media are also reporting the loss of another M2A2 Bradley. This time, the loss is particularly painful, as the exceptionally valuable American vehicle was not destroyed but captured by the Russians.
According to the Ukrainian portal Defence Express, which specialises in military topics, "the capture of this vehicle raises questions about its potential use in reverse engineering or intelligence gathering." It is noted that the Russians do not intend to destroy this captured equipment. It has already been handed over to engineers, who will have the task of uncovering as much information as possible about the NATO vehicle.
M2A2 Bradley in the hands of the Russians
This is not the first such case. Both sides of the ongoing conflict systematically conduct such activities. The Russians even transport the most valuable of the captured NATO equipment to their armaments factories. Such was the fate of the German Leopard 2A6 tank, which ended up in the Uralvagonzavod factories. The list of Russian spoils also includes, among others, the Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicle, which falls into the same category as the M2A2 Bradley.
According to Defence Express, "the situation raises questions about its potential use in reverse engineering or intelligence gathering." Analysts and military experts often point out, however, that reproducing NATO equipment is largely impossible for the Russians. However, they can obtain a lot of valuable information and use it in future clashes when, for example, they manage to identify the weak points of the given equipment.
Valuable IFV in the Ukrainian army
The M2A2 Bradley is regarded as one of the most durable infantry fighting vehicles in the world. It has armour made of steel, aluminium, and composite materials, as well as a fragmentation liner and an efficient firefighting system. Additionally, it can be reinforced with BRAT (Bradley Reactive Armor Tiles) packages, which increase the level of protection against, among other things, grenades from RPG-7 launchers. Ukrainian soldiers have repeatedly emphasised that the M2A2 Bradley vehicles are life-saving.
Despite its strong armour, large size, and remarkable armament, which translates to a mass of over 23 metric tonnes, the M2A2 Bradley maintains suitable mobility and, using tracked traction, is capable of reaching speeds up to approximately 60 km/h. The designers equipped this IFV with an automatic M242 Bushmaster 25 mm cannon with a firing rate of up to 200 rounds/min, a 7.62 mm machine gun, and a TOW anti-tank missile launcher.
