Bradley Fighting Vehicle: Difference between revisions

===Combat history===

[[File:Bradley on fire.jpg|thumb|right|An M2 Bradley burns after being hit by Iraqi fire three times<ref>[http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/declassimages/army/19980729/980715_sep96_sagwi1_0120.html#prof Declass Image] gulflink.osd.mil {{dead link|date=February 2024}}</ref> during the [[Battle of 73 Easting]]]]

During the [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]], M2 Bradleys destroyed more Iraqi armored vehicles than the [[M1 Abrams]].{{cn|date=January 2024}} A few kills against Iraqi [[T-72]] tanks at close range are reported.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rodgers |first=Walter |date=6 April 2003 |title=10 minutes of the most intense fighting |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/05/sprj.irq.lyle/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826104800/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/05/sprj.irq.lyle/ |archive-date=26 August 2016 |access-date=16 August 2016 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref> A total of 20 Bradleys were lost—three by enemy fire and 17 due to friendly fire incidents. Another 12 were damaged. The gunner of one Bradley was killed when his vehicle was hit by Iraqi fire, possibly from an Iraqi [[BMP-1]], during the [[Battle of 73 Easting]].<ref>[http://www.gao.gov/products/NSIAD-92-94 NSIAD-92-94, "Operation Desert Storm: Early Performance Assessment of Bradley and Abrams".] {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140221225558/http://www.gao.gov/products/NSIAD-92-94 |date=2014-02-21}} U.S. General Accounting Office, 10 January 1992. Quote: "According to information provided by the Army's Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, 20 Bradleys were destroyed during the Gulf war. Another 12 Bradleys were damaged, but four of these were quickly repaired. Friendly fire accounted for 17 of the destroyed Bradleys and three of the damaged ones."</ref> To remedy some problems that were identified as contributing factors in the friendly fire incidents, infrared identification panels and other marking/identification measures were added to the Bradleys.

In the Iraq War, the Bradley proved vulnerable to [[improvised explosive device]] and [[rocket-propelled grenade]] attacks, but casualties were light with the crew able to escape. In 2006, total losses included 55 Bradleys destroyed and some 700 others damaged.<ref>L.B. Thompson, L.J. Korb, C.P. Wadhams. [http://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/library/resources/documents/defense/army-equiptment-after-iraq.pdf "Army Equipment After Iraq"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230232949/http://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/library/resources/documents/Defense/army-equiptment-after-iraq.pdf |date=2010-12-30}}. [[Lexington Institute]] and [[Center for American Progress]].</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/04/AR2006120401347.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006084444/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/04/AR2006120401347.html |url-status=dead |title=U.S. Army Battling To Save Equipment |first=Ann Scott |last=Tyson |date=December 5, 2006 |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |via= washingtonpost.com}}</ref> By the end of the war, about 150 Bradleys had been destroyed.<ref>[http://www.army-technology.com/features/featurethe-us-armys-armoured-vehicle-conundrum-4369690/ The US Army's armored vehicle conundrum] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141004171739/http://www.army-technology.com/features/featurethe-us-armys-armoured-vehicle-conundrum-4369690/ |date=2014-10-04}} - Army-Technology.com, 11 September 2014</ref>{{Unreliable source?|reason=domain on WP:BLACKLIST|date=June 2016}}

During the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], the US donated about 190 Bradleys to Ukraine's armed forces. Ukraine's first documented use of Bradleys occurred in the Zaporizhzhia region after Ukraine launched its southern counteroffensive in June 2023. An early assault near Mala Tokmachka on June 8 was unsuccessful, and imagery showed that Ukraine lost at least 17 Bradleys of M2 variant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/06/27/25-tanks-and-fighting-vehicles-gone-in-a-blink-the-ukrainian-defeat-near-mala-tokmachka-was-worst-than-we-thought/?sh=69525a037918|title=25 Tanks And Fighting Vehicles, Gone In A Blink: The Ukrainian Defeat Near Mala Tokmachka Was Worst Than We Thought|work=Forbes|first=David|last=Axe|date=27 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629074507/https://gum.criteo.com/syncframe?origin=publishertag&topUrl=www.forbes.com|archive-date=29 June 2023}}</ref> On 19 July, [[Hanna Maliar]], Ukraine's deputy defense minister, claimed on Telegram that a M2 Bradley had killed Russian infantrymen during fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region. She further claimed that using [[TOW missile]]s the M2 Bradley was able to destroy two Russian [[T-72]] tanks. The Bradley was assigned to the [[47th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)|47th Mechanized Brigade]]. These claims could not be independently verified.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://t.me/annamaliar/944 |title=Ганна Маляр }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jankowicz |first=Mia |date=19 July 2023 |title=Ukraine says it took out 2 Russian T-72 tanks using a single US-supplied Bradley IFV |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-says-destroyed-2-russian-t72-tanks-us-bradley-ifv-2023-7?r=US&IR=T |website=Business Insider}}</ref>

 

 

As of 3 September 2024, 100 of the donated Bradleys had been confirmed destroyed, damaged, abandoned or captured (48 destroyed, 25 damaged, 23 damaged and abandoned, 4 captured) by the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[open-source intelligence]] website [[Oryx (website)|Oryx]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oryx |title=Attack On Europe: Documenting Ukrainian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine |url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-ukrainian.html |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=Oryx}}</ref>