Since Russia launched its invasion back in February 2022, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with more than $39 billion in security assistance.
Along with its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, the U.S. has pledged humanitarian aid, military equipment, training, and munitions to support Kyiv’s defense efforts.
Most recently, U.S. officials agreed to provide Ukrainian forces with an additional $500 million-dollar package.
The Pentagon revealed yesterday that this package would include Bradley fighting vehicles and Stryker armored personnel carriers, in addition to munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems. Since Kyiv has launched its counter-offensive in recent days, some soldiers have contributed their ability to advance to the American-supplied Bradley vehicle.
Bradleys Have Helped Shape Kyiv’s Defense Efforts
According to an ABC News report, two Ukrainian soldiers from the 47th Brigade even claimed that they owe their lives to the Bradley fighting vehicle. “We were hit multiple times,” one soldier told ABC in an interview. “Thanks to it, I am standing here now. If we were using some Soviet armored personnel carrier we would all probably be dead after the first hit. It’s a perfect vehicle.” The soldier was likely referring to the Soviet-era infantry fighting vehicles the BMP-1 and BMP-2.
The Bradley tracked armored fighting vehicle platform of the U.S. is designed to safely and effectively transfer infantry or scouts with armored protection while simultaneously preventing enemy fire from penetrating the vehicle. The U.S. Army has been using Bradleys for decades in combat. Smaller than the M1 Abrams main battle tank (MBT), this fighting vehicle can carry several military personnel and is fitted with a powerful MK 44 main gun. Additionally, the Bradleys sport a TOW missile system that can strike armored targets positioned more than two miles away.
How have Stryker vehicles fared in Ukraine?
While obtaining exact figures surrounding the war in Ukraine is challenging, the open-source intelligence website Oryx recently reported that Kyiv has lost 10 Bradleys from enemy fire in addition to another 14 that took on damage. According to the tracking group, shockingly zero of the 100 Stryker vehicles provided to Kyiv have been reported damaged or abandoned. The M1126 Stryker Combat Vehicle is perhaps the most well-protected armored personnel carrier across the globe, superseding Russian and Chinese counterparts.
As summed up by Military.com, “Stryker vehicles have robust armor protection, can sustain speeds of 60 miles-per-hour, have parts commonality and self-recovery abilities, and also have a central tire inflation system. The Infantry Carrier Vehicle carries a nine-man infantry squad and a crew of two and has a Remote Weapon Station with an M2 .50 caliber machine gun or MK-19, 40mm grenade launcher.”
Twenty of the Stryker vehicles provided to Ukraine by the U.S. possess mine rollers, an important feature for a country riddled with minefields at the moment. If the Oryx Group’s tracking is accurate and Ukraine has yet to lose any of its Strykers, this could indicate that the country is holding back amidst the initial phases of its counter-offensive. The deliveries of additional Bradley and Stryker combat vehicles will only enhance Kyiv’s heavy weapons stockpile.
Maya Carlin, a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
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