Total Croatia News reported that the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic said on January 3, that the US administration’s offer to provide the Croatian ground forces with Bradley M2A2 Operation Desert Storm (ODS) armored fighting vehicles also has strategic and political significance for Croatia, criticizing the government for slowness in decision-making. The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Croatia of refurbishment/modernization and support for seventy-six (76) M2A2 ODS Bradley Fighting vehicles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $757 million on December 1, 2020. This proposed sale of the Bradley will contribute to Croatia’s goal of updating its military capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies.
The Government of Croatia has requested to buy refurbishment/modernization and support for seventy six (76) M2A2 Operation Desert Storm (ODS) Bradley Fighting vehicles consisting of: eighty-four (84) M240 machine guns; one thousand one hundred three (1,103) TOW 2A Radio Frequency (RF) missiles; sixteen (16) TOW 2A Radio Frequency (RF) fly-to-buy lot acceptance missiles; one hundred (100) TOW 2B Radio Frequency (RF) missiles; eight (8) TOW 2B Radio Frequency (RF) fly-to-buy lot acceptance missiles; five hundred (500) TOW Bunker Buster (BB) Radio Frequency (RF) missiles; and eight (8) TOW BB fly-to-buy lot acceptance missiles. Also included are M257 Smoke Grenade Launchers; ammunition; radios; simulator; special armor; Hunter/Killer technology, which may include an exportable Commander’s Independent Viewer (CIV); spare and repair parts; support equipment; upgrade/maintenance of engines and transmissions; refurbishment of TOW launchers; depot level support; communication support equipment; tool and test equipment; training; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The total estimated program cost is $757 million.
The M2 Bradley IFV is an American infantry fighting vehicle that is a member of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family. It is manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, which was formerly United Defense. The Bradley IFV was developed largely in response to the amphibious Soviet BMP family of infantry fighting vehicles, and to serve as both an Armored personnel carrier (APC), and a tank-killer. The M2A2 Bradley was introduced in the U.S. Army in 1988. It is an improved version of the standard vehicle Bradley M2A1. After Operation Desert Storm (First Gulf War in 1991), the M2A2 was upgraded again with the addition of an eye-safe carbon dioxide laser rangefinder, global positioning system, combat identification system, and thermal viewer for the driver. The 1,423 M2A2 Bradleys brought up to this standard were referred to as M2A2 ODS (Operation Desert Storm).
The M2A2 ODS emerged as part of a two-phased M2A2 modernization plan designed to implement lessons learned from over ten years of mechanized Infantry experience and to correct deficiencies noted during Operation Desert Storm. The addition of PGS/POSNAV enhances the M2A2 ODS’ ability to maneuver with the rest of the combined arms team. Crew survivability is also enhanced with the integration of Battlefield Combat Identification System and a Missile Countermeasure device. The M2A2 Bradley is armed with an ATK Gun Systems Company M242 25 mm Bushmaster Chain Gun with a 7.62 mm M240C machine gun mounted coaxially to the right of the main armament. The Javelin anti-tank missile replaced the earlier Dragon in the M2A2 restow, and five TOWs or three TOWs and two Javelins could be carried.
