Bradley IFV trumps Russian BMPs, gains a fearsome reputation
One of the Russian military bloggers posted a detailed analysis on VKontakte about infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) from the BMP family compared to the American M2A2 Bradley. Here's his perspective:
10:19 AM EDT, October 29, 2024
The blogger harshly criticizes the BMP family IFVs, especially those retrieved from storage, describing them as disposable taxis made of useless scrap.
In contrast, he praises the American M2A2 Bradley ODS, which he believes functions effectively as an infantry fighting vehicle in theory and practice. According to him, the American IFV features a far more accurate cannon than the 2A42 on the BMP-2 and offers significantly better protection for the crew and transported troops. Because of this, the M2A2 Bradley can be expected to actively support its troops, for example actively, by suppressing enemy positions with fire from its main weapon.
M2A2 Bradley — a US vehicle feared by Russians
The M2A2 Bradley ODS, a veteran of the Gulf War, initially did not receive high regard from commentators compared to, for instance, the better-armored CV90. However, the actions of the 47th Mechanized Brigade significantly shifted this perception. The American IFV exceeded expectations by providing effectiveness and a high degree of protection despite its relatively low weight of about 30 short tons. In contrast, other modern IFVs like the CV90 and KF41 Lynx weigh 44 short tons or more.
The M2A2 Bradley's basic armor provides protection against fire from heavy machine guns like KPVT, which has a caliber of 14.5×114 mm. Its frontal armor can withstand 30 mm shells fired from 2A42 automatic cannons. Reactive armor bricks (BRAT) can also be attached to enhance capabilities.
This extra layer offers protection against older-generation guided anti-tank missiles, PG-7VL grenades, and anti-tank bomblets widely used on FPV drones. Online footage even shows the Bradley surviving several hits.
Moreover, the M2A2 Bradley provides good protection for the crew against mines. Thanks to this, the three-person crew and seven-person troop contingent often remain unharmed in challenging situations.
Its armament mainly consists of a 25 mm Bushmaster automatic cannon, a 7.62x51 mm NATO machine gun, and a dual launcher for BGM-71F (TOW 2B) guided anti-tank missiles. The main cannon has a range of 2 miles and can fire either armor-piercing or high-explosive incendiary M792 HEI-T rounds, which are highly effective for clearing enemy soldiers from densely vegetated areas.
However, the vehicle is not very effective against tanks, relying instead on TOW-2B missiles, which have a range of up to 2.3 miles. These older systems require guiding until impact but target the tank's weakest upper armor. Unlike Javelins, these missiles do not use a diving flight pattern; they travel in a straight line and detonate directly above the tank.
