Ukraine-Russia war sees Bradley non-tanks enter the fray

Ukraine-Russia war sees Bradley non-tanks enter the fray

Military Twitter has been ablaze for days debating whether the armed and armored vehicles the U.S. and its allies recently decided to send Ukraine constitute tanks, which could be read as a significant escalation in the war against Russia. The debate centers on the precise form and function of the new fighting vehicles — but it misses the point. 

It’s true that neither the American-made Bradley nor the AMX-10 RC and Marder vehicles being chipped in by France and Germany, respectively, fit the technical definition of a tank, which is generally defined as combining a tracked hull with a turret containing a large howitzer-caliber gun. (The guns on the Bradley and Marder are smaller-caliber, while the AMX is wheeled rather than tracked.) But much more significantly, they provide the kind of armored maneuver capabilities that are required for pushing the Russians out of Ukraine.

French army soldiers ride in an AMX-10 RC armored vehicle as part of a demonstration in the Paris suburb of Villepinte on June 12, 2022.Emmanuel Dunand / AFP - Getty Images fileUntil recently, NATO states had been reluctant to give Ukraine their domestically designed heavy armored fighting vehicles due to a perception that they’re offensive weapons of aggression that Russia could jump on to broaden the scope of the war. But deadlier and more technically advanced weapons like HIMARS rocket artillery and PzH 2000 armored howitzers have already been transferred to Ukraine without triggering the Russian blowback many in the West feared. 

Now the war is about to enter its second year. Through last summer the focus was on helping Ukraine defend against Russian advances, which it’s done admirably. But to end the conflict, Ukraine needs to go fully on the offensive to drive Russia out.

Kyiv has already won some offensive victories. Last fall, it successfully liberated Kharkiv and much of Kherson province — campaigns made possible due to Western donations of artillery, ammunition and transport vehicles. But now, future Ukrainian offensives will prove more challenging as Russia has fallen back to more defensible positions and recruited fresh troops. Though the new soldiers are very poorly trained and equipped, the mass conscription means the Russian forces aren’t as acutely undermanned as they were last year.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/ukraine-russia-war-sees-bradley-non-tanks-enter-fray-rcna64963


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Updated: 1 year ago
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