An intriguing picture has emerged of an M2 Bradley infantry combating automobile (IFV) captured by Russia and fitted with a Russian-made 30mm cannon rather than the automobile’s authentic Bushmaster M242 25mm computerized cannon. Whether or not the set up is meant for operational use, for trials, or for some totally different objective is unclear, however different unorthodox modifications to armored automobiles have appeared for the reason that begin of the warfare in Ukraine.
The Bradley seen within the picture is without doubt one of the examples captured largely intact by Russia from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The situation and date of the picture are unknown, as is the unique supply, however the Bradley in query appears to be in a depot alongside different Western-supplied armor captured from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
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Some puzzled how can Russians use the Bradley if they do not have ammo for it. Effectively, that is how:
“Russian repairmen put in a home 30mm 2A72 cannon on a captured Bradley as a substitute of the chain-driven Bushmaster.” pic.twitter.com/m4SZhfVKQe
— SIMPLICIUS Ѱ (@simpatico771) June 12, 2025
You’ll be able to learn all in regards to the Bradley and what it brings to the struggle in Ukraine on this previous characteristic of ours.
Most curiously, Russian technicians have changed the Bushmaster with what seems to be a 30mm 2A72 cannon, in all probability finest often known as the primary gun of the BTR-82 wheeled armored personnel provider.
The 2A72 is a reduced-weight growth of the extensively used 2A42, additionally a 30mm weapon, which arms the BMP-2 infantry fight automobile, BMD-2 and BMD-3 airborne fight automobiles, BTR-90 armored personnel provider, in addition to Ka-52 Hokum and Mi-28 Havoc assault helicopters.
The 2A72 has a fee of fireplace of 330 rounds per minute, sending its ammunition to an efficient vary of virtually a mile in opposition to an armored automobile. It is a notably quicker fee of fireplace than the already spectacular 200 rounds per minute achieved by the Bushmaster.
In opposition to comfortable targets, akin to infantry, the efficient vary of the 2A72 is elevated to round 1.2 miles. Ammunition choices embrace armor-piercing-tracer (AP-T), high-explosive fragmentation-incendiary (HEF-I), and high-explosive-tracer (HE-T) ammunition.
A Russian Ministry of Protection video exhibits the 2A72 gun in motion on a BTR-82A throughout an train:
As for the Bushmaster, it is a weapon that now we have mentioned earlier than, within the context of the Bradley being utilized in Ukraine. The Bushmaster can hearth two several types of ammunition, fed from containers through chutes into the autoloader. The gunner, sitting to the left of the tank commander, can flip a swap to pick out between high-explosive (HE) rounds to strike calmly armored automobiles or depleted uranium (DU) armor-piercing sabot rounds to hit extra closely armored automobiles like IFVs and even tanks. The gunner can even choose between single- or multiple-shot modes.
“Our DU rounds can actually hit one aspect of an armored personnel provider or infantry combating automobile (like a BRDM or BMP) and exit the opposite aspect and can have sufficient kinetic pressure to disable one other one,” one armor skilled advised TWZ, talking on situation of anonymity.
Effectively-known movies present Ukrainian Bradleys firing 25mm rounds from their Bushmaster weapons at a Russian T-90M primary battle tank from comparatively shut vary:
There are three issues you possibly can watch without end. Like this Ukrainian M2 Bradley IFV obliterating a «no-analogue» russian T-90M tank.
— Protection of Ukraine (@DefenceU) January 18, 2024
Larger high quality footage of a pair of Ukrainian M2A2 Bradley IFVs from the forty seventh Mechanized efficiently dueling a Russian T-90M in Stepove, disabling it, with a observe up FPV munition strike inflicting the crew to desert the broken automobile. pic.twitter.com/Vor8IuVlBZ
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 13, 2024
Greater than 300 examples of the M2A2 ODS model of the Bradley have been offered to Ukraine by america from April 2023 onwards. In response to the Oryx open-source monitoring group, which solely data losses that it has visible affirmation of, at the least 12 Ukrainian Bradleys have been captured by Russian forces, and plenty of extra have been deserted after having been broken or have been outright destroyed. At the least a number of the deserted however nonetheless intact automobiles might have discovered their means into Russian fingers, too, and will have been repaired.
One potential motive behind the modification might relate to the Russian operational use of captured Bradleys.
There may be proof that Russia has been making some restricted use of captured Bradleys on the battlefield. At the least one official video exhibits Russian troops from the Heart Military Group working a captured Bradley, after it was returned to working order, having been disabled by a mine. As soon as in Russian service, the automobile was fitted with extra anti-drone safety ‘cope cage’ across the prime of the hull.
A screencap from a video exhibiting a captured Bradley in Russian service. Russian Ministry of Protection screencap
The ruSSian military is utilizing captured Bradley IFV pic.twitter.com/Vp41JMy4rE
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝕯𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝕯𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔱△
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(@TheDeadDistrict) November 12, 2024
In that very same video, a Russian soldier explains that the Bradley is prized, above all, for its heavy armor, the scale of its troop compartment, and its subtle fire-control system.
One other soldier states that they like the 30mm gun on the BMP-2 to the Bushmaster, indicating that the unique American gun continues to be fitted to the automobile, though its use can be restricted by the restricted provide of the suitable ammunition.
Gunner ‘Molfar’, 39, a Bradle crew member of the forty seventh Magura Mechanized Brigade who took half within the combating to liberate Robotyne village from Russian forces, is pictured inside his automobile, Zaporizhzhia path, southeastern Ukraine. Picture by Ukrinform/NurPhoto through Getty Photos
Clearly, at the least some frontline Russian models contemplate it worthwhile to function captured Bradleys, even when they could be only a few in quantity, with no supporting logistics chain or ammunition stockpiles.
We would even be a take a look at set up to look at whether or not it’s possible to re-arm the Bradley with a Russian primary gun.
It might even be meant for propaganda functions, with the Russian gun standing in for the Bushmaster in order that the automobile will be demonstrated in parades or in collections of captured Western tools.
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