US Provided Bradley Infantry Carriers Save Ukrainian Soldiers From Russian Attack

By: Logan M Williams, Warrior Editorial Fellow

On January 17, 2024, Business Insider reported that the United States’ Bradley Fighting Vehicles, given to Ukraine, as part of a military aid package in early 2023, were instrumental in saving Ukrainian defensive positions from being overrun by Russian forces.

Unfortunately, political strife in the United States has threatened the supply of these essential defensive weapons for the Ukrainian freedom fighters.

What makes the Bradley so special?

Put simply, the Bradley is a highly-mobile, light armored vehicle with “tank busting” power, without all of the requisite logistical problems that come with owning, transporting, and fielding tanks.

The Bradley fighting vehicle is equipped with a 25mm M242 Bushmaster Chain Gun, which is a variation of the same weapon that is presently fielded on many of the United States’ naval vessels, such as the powerful Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. When chambered with specialized tungsten armor-piercing ammunition, this Bushmaster is more than capable of destroying any of the common Russian tanks active in Ukraine —the T-90, the T-72, the T-64, and the ancient, Soviet-era T-54.

The Bradley fighting vehicle is equipped with a coaxial 7.62 M240C machine gun, for decimating infantry troops, against which the main gun’s ammunition would be ineffective and inefficient.

But, the real show stopper is the Bradley’s BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile. This missile is a wire-guided, semi-automatic command line of sight (SACLOS) missile, which is capable of being equipped with infrared cameras for use at night. The missile has a top range of just under 2.5 miles and a flight speed of 600-700 miles per hour.