M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFVs) will be shipped to Ukraine ahead of a larger tranche of donated U.S. armor, White House officials announced Thursday, as the world rushes to meet Kyiv’s almost insatiable demand for military assistance.
Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the expanded shipment will be detailed later and is part of security assistance totalling about $2.8 billion heading to Ukraine.
Ryder provided no specifics about the number of Bradleys expected to be in the package. Reuters estimated the package will include 50 Bradleys.
The BFV is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle platform of the United States developed by FMC Corporation and manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, formerly United Defense. It is named after U.S. General Omar Bradley.
They have both offensive and defensive capabilities and provide “a level of firepower and armor that will bring advantages on the battlefield as the Ukrainian military continues to defend their homeland,” Ryder said during a news conference.
Ukrainian soldiers must learn how to use the vehicles and maintain them, and Ryder said this will be part of the training that Ukrainian soldiers receive from U.S. and partner nations.
Germany will also provide Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Thursday, in the wake of countries as far away as Australia sending armored contributions to the Ukraine battlefront.
File/A Royal Australian Air Force air movements operator from No. 23 Squadron guides a Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle bound for Ukraine onto a C-17A Globemaster III aircraft at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. (LACW Emma Schwenke/Royal Australian Air Force)
In a joint statement after a call between Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the U.S. said it is committed to helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia.
“Right now the war in Ukraine is at a critical point,” Biden told reporters. “We have to do everything we can to help the Ukrainians resist Russian aggression.”
The announcement that Bradleys and Marders are going to Ukraine came after French President Emmanuel Macron told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday that France will send AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles to Ukraine, UPI reported.
Zelensky has been calling for advanced weaponry since the war began and has continued to do so as more and more countries have heeded Kyiv’s plea for cash and armaments.
The U.S. and other allies have repeatedly sent Ukraine packages of military assistance, and in June Washington announced HIMARS advanced weapons systems for Kyiv.
Last month, Washington said it would deliver its most advanced weapons systems to date, a Patriot missile battery.