The M-2A2 ODS SA will be loaded onto a freighter in Charleston, South Carolina and shipped to Ukraine.
U.S. Transportation Command photo
At least some of the cannon- and missile-equipped M-2 Bradley combat vehicles being donated by the United States to Ukraine are the third most capable versions of conventional vehicles.
A photo released Wednesday by the U.S. Transportation Command shows the M-2A2 Operation Desert Storm Situational Awareness Bradley loaded onto a transport ship in Charleston, South Carolina.
“U.S. Transportation Command has shipped more than 60 Bradleys as part of a U.S. military assistance package to Ukraine,” the command said.
Management of Pres.Joe Biden promised Ukraine his first 109 of his M-2 Plus 31 M-1A2 Abrams tanks— enough vehicles for a small mechanized brigade.The Ukrainian Army’s 47th Assault Brigade has already sent soldiers to Germany Begin training to use M-2The Bradley transports, protects and supports up to seven infantrymen.
First commissioned in 2003, the M-2A2 ODS SA offers several significant improvements over older versions of the M-2 from the 1980s. The US Army made improvements based on lessons learned during the 1991 war with Iraq.
Most importantly, the ODS SA Bradley’s three crew members have, as their name suggests, excellent situational awareness. This is thanks to the driver’s new thermal sight and a digital map system that connects all his M-2s and other vehicles nearby via encrypted radio, allowing them to share their respective positions.When position of enemy forces.
This so-called “Blue Force Tracker” is not the first battlefield network system in Ukrainian military service.Ukrainians put together their own network They call it “Kropyva”. It runs on a computer tablet and displays a digital map of Ukraine. On top of that, the user can plot the locations of Russian troops found.
Kropyva is famous for helping Ukrainian air defense personnel warn each other about approaching Russian fighter jets. It is unclear whether the Ukrainian network will work at a more detailed tactical level, accurately plotting individual ground vehicles.
With the Blue Force Tracker, every crew member in a platoon, battalion, or brigade other BFT equipped crew of the same unit Also look. One of his M-2 or M-1 gunners spotted a Russian tank through an infrared sight. The vehicle commander taps his digital his map and adds a red icon to the entire unit’s network to let all other crew members know the bad guys are out there.
It’s a conceptually simple but technically complex system that helps alleviate a longstanding problem in combat. That is, knowing where everyone is. Given a choice, many soldiers choose situational awareness over other battlefield advantages. After all, if you don’t know where the enemy is, it doesn’t matter how heavily armed and armored your battalion is. do know where that teeth.
That is, the M-2 that Ukraine has acquired really good Combat vehicle – perhaps the best on either side in Russia’s widespread war against Ukraine 11 months ago.
There are better Bradleys.Later M-2A3 “Commander’s Independent Viewer” This allows the vehicle commander and gunner to scan targets separately. His M-2A4, even newer, upgrades Bradley’s engine and suspension.
But the M-2 ODS SA has the advantage of being available. The US Army has purchased hundreds of A3s and A4s to refit heavy brigades. The new American-acquired Bradley replaced the older but still highly capable M-2A2 ODS SA, which the Americans could take over for the Ukrainians.
The first 109 Bradleys may be just the beginning. Imagine an entire Ukrainian brigade with hundreds of combat vehicles and tanks. other Crew what it sees.
