Thread by @saintjavelin

Why Ukraine Needs More Western Armored Vehicles: A Comprehensive Thread

Western vehicles are critical to helping save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, and to understand why, let's compare the Soviet made BMP-1, which the Ukrainian military has been using for decades, and the American made "Bradley Fighting Vehicle”, which the Ukrainian military recently acquired .

First, let's take this example from a soldier in Ukraine’s 47th Mechanized Brigade "Magura" regarding the survivability of Bradley crews. "I personally witnessed a Bradley take 5 direct hits (3 on one side, 2 on the other) with ATGMs. It damaged the tracks, it damaged equipment, but the crew and personnel successfully exited the vehicle. And in another example, when the Bradley hit a TM-62 mine, there were no injuries to the crew, only damaged tracks."

The Soviet built BMP-1 wasn't produced as a vehicle that would preserve the crew's lives. It's a lightly armored tin can that, due to its equipment layout and poor armor, leaves no chance of survival for the crew. Its anti-mine protection is useless so if the vehicle hits a mine, the detonation will certainly result in casualties.

In the first photo, you can see the ammunition compartment's placement in the BMP-1. It's not hard to guess what happens after the vehicle is hit by fragments, ATGMs, or mines. The ammunition compartment takes up significant space in the vehicle, increasing the risk of detonation. In the second photo, you can see what happens when an ATGM hits a BMP-1. The ATGM pierced through causing the ammunition to detonate. Unfortunately, the crew had no chance to survive.

In contrast, we have the Bradley, which has been exceptionally helpful in operations with the ZSU. Although it’s true that initially, the Defense Forces suffered significant losses due to tactical discrepancies between their training and actual battlefield realities, after making adjustments, it's become one of the most crucial battlefield tools on the Zaporizhzhia front.

An important point is that, despite the numerous lost vehicles, crew survivability has been remarkable. The earlier comment from the soldier in the 47th is just one example of dozens from those who've seen first hand how the Bradley saves lives. It significantly affects morale as well because assault troops feel empowered in these vehicles. They're confident that if something goes wrong on the battlefield, the vehicle will protect them.

The US has significant stocks of Bradleys according to The Military Balance 2018, with 3700 in active service and 2800 in storage. Currently, only one Ukrainian brigade, the 47th Mechanized, uses these vehicles. So far, 186 Bradleys have been delivered. Although this is not a small number, unfortunately due to the scale of the Russian invasion, it's still insufficient.

The reality is that if Ukraine had five brigades operating Bradleys, it would significantly enhance the combat power of the AFU during crucial offensive pushes by improving survival rates. Simply put, assault troopers who ride in Bradleys have a greater chance to effect results on the battlefield because they have a greater chance of survival. Unfortunately, assault troopers in BMP-1’s are at a much greater risk of being wounded or killed before they can affect the battlefield.

If we desire victory for Ukraine, and we want to preserve the lives of ZSU soldiers, the best thing we can do is get more Western vehicles for Ukraine.