Ukrainian brigade unleashes US‑supplied M2A2 Bradleys in Donetsk

The famous Ukrainian 47th Independent Mechanized Brigade continuously raids Russian positions in the Donetsk region. The American M2A2 Bradley ODS infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) is a crucial vehicle enabling relatively safe conduct of such raids.

The 47th Independent Mechanized Brigade has been continuously fighting in the Donetsk region, and it is one of the most effective Ukrainian units. Now, footage of an M2A2 Bradley ODS IFV raid on Russian positions in a treeline, somewhere towards Pokrovsk, which became a target for the invaders after the capture of Avdiivka, has surfaced online.

In the footage below, you can see an M2A2 Bradley ODS firing at Russian positions with its main 25 mm gun from approximately 100-200 metres. When these rounds hit their target, they have a destructive power comparable to a grenade.

The Ukrainians received several hundred M2A2 Bradley ODS IFVs, a 1990s variant resulting from the "Desert Storm" operation. Compared to the A2 variant from the 1980s, this vehicle received a new laser rangefinder and new-generation thermal imaging optoelectronics.

The M2A2 Bradley is an IFV weighing around 27,216 kilograms. Three soldiers man it and can transport a six-person assault team. The M2A2 Bradley effectively protects and supports the crew due to its robust armour and significant firepower. The vehicle's armour protects against high-calibre machine gun fire from a KPV 14.5×114 mm and 2A42 30 mm automatic cannons (from the front). Upon adding BRAT reactive armour blocks, it can also withstand hits from handheld anti-tank weapons.

These tightly cover critical areas of the IFV and the crew compartment, so even being hit by FPV drones (which most often carry PG-7VL grenades and can penetrate 50 millimetres of steel armour) does not cause catastrophic effects. There have been cases of Bradleys being hit by multiple drones without any damage or immobilisation, where the crew survived and were evacuated by another IFV. The same cannot be said for Soviet-era BMPs, where a hit with a similar weapon usually means the death of all inside.

Meanwhile, the M2A2 Bradley IFV's armament allows it to combat various targets, from infantry soldiers to tanks. The primary armament is the M242 Bushmaster 25 mm automatic cannon, which has a rate of fire of 200 rounds per minute and an effective range of approximately 2 kilometres. It can fire either armour-piercing or M792 HEI-T high-explosive incendiary rounds.

The M792 HEI-T ammunition contains a projectile weighing about 184 grams, of which approximately 30 grams is the robust explosive material RDX. The rest includes a steel body that provides shrapnel and incendiary material. The projectile's blast radius is a few metres, and the tracer, a material burning at the back of the projectile, provides the shooter with feedback to make it easier to correct their aim.

Additionally, the M2A2 Bradley is equipped with a dual launcher for BGM-71F (TOW 2B) anti-tank guided missiles, capable of destroying tanks at distances up to 3.68 kilometres. However, this older generation system requires guiding the missile until impact and can only be used while stationary.