The United States is discussing sending Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

The transfer of these armored vehicles is considered as part of an additional package of military support.

According to Bloomberg sources familiar with this issue, the final decision has not yet been made.

Bradleys will provide a significant increase in the combat capability of Ukrainian ground troops.

Unlike previously supplied M113, the Bradley is armed with a powerful 25mm gun and TOW anti-tank missile systems.

“There are a lot of Bradley armored vehicles in the United States, although some of them are outdated and need to be modernized, so numbers of them are not a problem,” says Mark Cancian, a former White House defense budget analyst who now works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Cancian adds that it will be several months before Ukraine can deploy these vehicles at the front, because crews and maintenance personnel must be trained first.

“Bradley is more than a worthy rival for Russian infantry fighting vehicles and its T-72 tanks,” said David Perkins, a retired US general and Iraq war veteran.

From past agreements between the United States and partners, it is known that 89 combat vehicles in the Bradley M2A2 ODS modification cost $196 million, being about 2.2 million per vehicle.

Those agreements also included receiving 25mm autocannon, 7.62mm machine guns, anti-tank missiles, and other related equipment.

At the same time, the United States is planning to replace all of its Bradley armored vehicles.

In 2021, the US Army selected candidates under the OMFV program to develop a replacement for this infantry combat vehicle. The Defense Department plans to spend $4.6 billion on the OMFV program between fiscal years 2022 and 2026.