Caught in the crossfire: Russia captures US M2A2 Bradley
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 incident is particularly significant because the highly valuable American vehicle was not destroyed, but captured by the Russians.
According to the Ukrainian portal Defence Express, which specialises in military topics, "enemy forces gain access to a state-of-the-art armoured vehicle with advanced targeting systems." It is noted that the Russians are not planning to destroy this captured equipment. It has been handed over to engineers tasked with uncovering as much information as possible about the NATO vehicle.
M2A2 Bradley in Russian hands
This is not the first such occurrence. Both sides of the ongoing conflict systematically engage in these activities. The Russians even transport the most valuable captured NATO equipment to their armament factories. This was the fate of the German Leopard 2A6 tank, which ended up in the Uralvagonzavod factories. The list of Russian spoils also includes the Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicle, which is in the same category as the M2A2 Bradley.
According to Defence Express, ""the capture of this vehicle raises questions about its potential use in reverse engineering or intelligence gathering". Analysts and military experts frequently point out that reproducing NATO equipment is unlikely for the Russians. However, they can obtain a wealth of valuable information and use it in future clashes when, for example, they manage to identify the weak points of the equipment in question.
Valuable IFV in the Ukrainian army
The M2A2 Bradley is regarded as one of the most durable infantry fighting vehicles in the world. It features armour made of steel, aluminium, and composite materials, along with 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 threats such as 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 formidable armament, which results in a weight of over 25 tonnes, the M2A2 Bradley maintains suitable mobility and, using tracked traction, is capable of reaching speeds up to approximately 37 mph. 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.
