Russian forces made a mistake by leaving a lone T-90M tank to confront two Ukrainian Bradley armored vehicles supported by UAVs, causing it to be disabled.
Last week, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense released a video of two M2A2 Bradley armored vehicles attacking and damaging Russia's most modern T-90M Proryv tank in the village of Stepovoye, near the city of Avdeevka in Donetsk province.
In the video, two Bradleys coordinate their operations and continuously fire 25mm cannon shells at the T-90M tank, causing it to lose its combat capability and crash into a tree. The Russian crew decides to abandon the vehicle, before a suicide drone (UAV) crashes into the rear of the vehicle.
Ukrainian Bradley Fighting Vehicle fires at Russian T-90M tank near Avdeevka in video released on January 18. Video: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
Vyacheslav, a tank company commander of the 100th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), pointed out that the unit operating the T-90M tank in the video made a mistake by leaving it to fight completely alone, while the two Ukrainian Bradleys coordinated smoothly and continuously maneuvered under the cover of an aerial reconnaissance UAV to have a panoramic view of the battlefield.
Facing two highly mobile armored vehicles, the T-90M tank became heavy and inflexible, and the crew inside had very limited visibility without the UAV providing information. The tank tried to aim, but missed the target and began to be heavily fired upon by the Bradley armored vehicle using its 25mm cannon at vulnerable positions.
"Experience from modern conflicts shows that tanks never fight alone. They need support and warning of potential threats to be able to maximize their capabilities. If reconnaissance and communication capabilities are guaranteed, Russian tanks can gain a clear advantage," the DPR officer commented.
Vyacheslav mentioned the battle of the "Alyosha" crew in Zaporizhzhia province in June 2023, when the Russian T-80 tank single-handedly confronted 10 Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles. The support of UAVs and artillery at that time helped the Russian crew destroy two T-72B tanks, an M113 armored personnel carrier and five MaxxPro mine-resistant armored vehicles, stopping the enemy's advance without any losses.
"Anything can happen in a conflict, maybe the T-90M crew had bad luck, but tactics must be developed to ensure that each individual tank can receive maximum support from all units on the battlefield," Vyacheslav said.
In addition, some Russian experts also praised the T-90M tank's defense capabilities, helping it withstand the onslaught of two Bradley armored vehicles and preserving the lives of the crew.
"The actual battle lasted more than 10 minutes and only a part of it was released by Ukraine. From the first image, it can be seen that the Russian tank was damaged in advance. The turret did not move, the sighting cluster also stopped working, making it difficult for the tank to return fire," commented Vlad Shlepchenko of Tsargrad TV channel.
The Ukrainian armored vehicle fired 25mm cannons from a distance of 70 meters, many of them aimed at the tank's flanks, which had much thinner armor than the turret and front. However, none of the shots penetrated this armor, while a large flash of fire was caused by smoke grenades on the turret's flanks being activated.
Serhiy, the commander and gunner of one of the Bradleys, admitted that the 25mm armor-piercing rounds from the Bushmaster M242 cannon were “ineffective,” forcing the Ukrainian crews to focus on targeting the T-90M’s optical systems. One round appeared to have hit the space between the turret and hull, where the armor is thin and many of the control systems are located.
T-90M tank damaged after confrontation with Bradley armored vehicle and Ukrainian UAV. Photo: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
"The turret spun out of control due to a hit to the stabilization system. Other armor blocks stopped enemy shells, preventing the risk of penetration and detonation of ammunition in the turret. Importantly, the entire crew was not harmed, which shows that the vehicle's defense system worked effectively," Vyacheslav said.
Military expert Alexander Matyushin said the most serious hit occurred when the suicide drone crashed into the roof of the engine compartment and the gearbox. "This is the part with the thinnest armor, no tank can withstand an armor-piercing shell aimed at this location, be it Russian or Western," he said.
Russian experts admit that the battle between the T-90M and Bradley at Avdeevka is proof that one must not be subjective or underestimate any weapon on the battlefield, even though their theoretical parameters may differ greatly.
"The Bradley remains a dangerous armored vehicle for Russian infantry and tanks. It is not by chance that it was chosen as the main infantry fighting vehicle of the US army," Shlepchenko warned.
Vu Anh (According to Topwar, Tsargrad, Drive )
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