(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — A Russian television station recently broadcasted footage of a US-made Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) that was successfully captured in nearly pristine condition from the battlefield in the Luhansk region of Ukraine.
The Bradley IFV was seized by Russian forces after its involvement in a battle led to engine failure, compelling Ukrainian troops to abandon it.
According to the presenter of Russia’s Channel 1 television station, the successful capture of the Bradley IFV in almost perfect condition without significant damage will allow the Russian military to identify exploitable weaknesses.
The television program also featured unidentified masked individuals responsible for transporting the Bradley IFV back to Russia for further study by the country’s weapon experts.
According to those involved, they successfully took the Bradley IFV during the night and thick fog, approximately 500 meters away from Ukrainian forces, preventing it from falling into enemy hands after an initial failed attempt.
The showcased Bradley IFV displayed bullet impacts, attributed by the spokesperson to Ukrainian military drones attempting to destroy high-tech equipment in the abandoned armored vehicle.
The Russian television program also revealed that the American-made Bradley IFV still had its machine gun ammunition.
One masked individual stated that the captured Bradley IFV had been upgraded with a more powerful engine, improved night vision systems, and superior fire control control performance.
Additionally, he mentioned that the Bradley IFV had enhanced armor protection compared to other variants of the same vehicle.
“This captured Bradley IFV has only been used for a distance of 240 km,” said the masked individual.
Meanwhile, officials from the United States Department of Defense, as quoted by international defense media, declined to comment on whether they were concerned about the capture of the Bradley IFV by Russia.
The official stated, “I will not speculate on whether this Bradley IFV has been captured or not, and I will also not discuss intelligence matters.”
The United States is reported to have supplied 109 Bradley IFVs to Ukraine as part of preparations for a counteroffensive in the spring earlier this year.
However, in June, the United States reportedly provided about 15 additional Bradley IFVs to Ukraine, along with 10 Stryker wheeled armored vehicles, after many of the vehicles were reported to be destroyed in battles with Russian forces.
The delivery of the additional 15 Bradley IFVs to Ukraine was intended to replace the 16 US-made armored vehicles that were destroyed in the counteroffensive in the Zaphorizia region in southern Ukraine.
According to analysis by the Dutch war analysis website Oryx in the middle of this year, a total of 16 Bradley IFVs supplied by the United States to Ukraine were reported to be either destroyed or severely damaged.
Oryx reported that five Bradley IFVs were completely destroyed, while five suffered severe damage, leading to their abandonment by Ukrainian military operators. — DSA
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