Russian blogger critiques BMP, lauds American Bradley's prowess
A Russian military blogger posted a detailed analysis on VKontakte comparing infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) from the BMP family with the American M2A2 Bradley. Here's his perspective.
The Russian criticises the BMP family IFVs rather harshly, especially older models retrieved from storage, describing them as useless scrap, merely serving as disposable taxis.
Meanwhile, he praises the American M2A2 Bradley ODS, which he believes effectively serves as an infantry fighting vehicle in practice, not just in theory. According to him, the American IFV boasts a much more accurate cannon compared to the 2A42 on the BMP-2 and offers a significantly higher level of protection for both the crew and the troops it transports. This means the M2A2 Bradley can actively support its troops, for example, 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 much admiration from commentators compared to, for instance, the better-armoured CV90. However, the actions of the 47th Mechanized Brigade changed this perception dramatically, and the American IFV exceeded expectations by providing efficiency and a high level of protection despite its relatively low weight of about 27 metric tonnes. By contrast, vehicles like the CV90 and other modern IFVs, such as the KF41 Lynx, weigh 40 metric tonnes or more.
The M2A2 Bradley's basic armour provides protection against heavy machine gun fire KPVT with a calibre of 14.5×114 mm, and its frontal armour can withstand 30 mm shells fired from 2A42 automatic cannons. However, this is not the limit of its capabilities, as reactive armour bricks, known as BRAT, can be added.
These provide protection against older-generation guided anti-tank missiles and PG-7VL grenades or anti-tank bomblets, which are widely used on FPV drones. Online, you can find footage depicting Bradley surviving multiple hits.
Furthermore, the M2A2 Bradley offers considerable protection for the crew against mines. Because of this, the three-person crew and seven-person troop contingent often emerge unscathed from hazardous situations.
Armament mainly includes 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 3.2 km and can fire both armour-piercing and high-explosive incendiary M792 HEI-T rounds, which are very effective for clearing enemy soldiers from areas with dense vegetation.
Nonetheless, it is not highly effective against tanks, and here, the primary anti-tank weapon is the TOW-2B missiles, which have a range of up to 3.7 km. This older system requires the missile to be guided until impact, but they target the tank's weakest upper armour. Unlike the Javelins, which employ a diving flight path, the missile flies directly towards the tank and detonates above it.
