--- title: "Digital Camouflage On Ukrainian Bradleys Sign Of Coming Combat Debut" description: "M2 Bradleys for Ukraine are starting to get new paint jobs, a new indication that they could be getting closer to entering the fight. Pictures have emerged showing at least one [Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle]() wearing a distinctively Ukrainian pixelated…" date: "2023-04-17" modified: "2023-04-17" authors: - name: "Howard Altman" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman" - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick" url: "https://www.twz.com/digital-camouflage-on-ukrainian-bradleys-sign-of-coming-combat-debut" categories: - "Americas" - "Armored Vehicles" - "Around The Globe" - "Europe" - "Land" - "M2/3 Bradley" - "News & Features" - "Russia" - "U.S. Homeland" - "Ukraine" tags: - "Ukraine" --- # Digital Camouflage On Ukrainian Bradleys Sign Of Coming Combat Debut ![M2 Bradley Ukraine]() *via Ukrainian Ministry of Defense/Twitter* M2 Bradleys for Ukraine are starting to get new paint jobs, a new indication that they could be getting closer to entering the fight. Pictures have emerged showing at least one [Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle]() wearing a distinctively Ukrainian pixelated 'digital' camouflage scheme and a second one in overall green. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's official Twitter account shared one of the pictures earlier today, which shows both of the Bradleys with their new paint jobs, effectively confirming its authenticity. "Bradley IFVs try on a new outfit," the Tweet accompanying the image says. https://twitter.com/defenceu/status/1647945825186619393?s=46&t=rDJhl\_C\_5AZkvIK8pGhEjA Another picture showing an M2 with digital camouflage on a trailer is also circulating online. This image is very low-quality and it's unclear if this is the same Bradley seen in the Tweet from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. The camouflage pattern looks like it could be different in some places and it has a white arrow painted on the left side of the hull not seen on the vehicle in the other photo. It is, of course, possible that both pictures show the same vehicle, but at different times with differences in the paintwork. https://twitter.com/front\_ukrainian/status/1647894752509980672 Camouflage schemes with pixelated sections in various greens, tans, and black over a green base coat have been [common on Ukrainian armored]() and [unarmored vehicles for years now](). Other vehicles that the Ukrainian military has received as aid since Russia launched its all-out war on the country in February 2022 have been seen sporting pixelated schemes. Many captured Russian types have also been similarly repainted. There have been reported instances of members of Russia's armed forces repainting their own vehicles to try to confuse their opponents. https://twitter.com/elmustek/status/1642959216057917443 https://twitter.com/elmustek/status/1642959222324207616 It is unknown at this time where exactly either one of the pictures was taken or when. The vehicles seen in both images are notably missing the barrels for the 25mm [M242 Bushmaster]() automatic cannons in their turrets. These are commonly removed [before repainting]() or being transported [across long distances in contexts]() where there is seen as little to no risk of immediate combat. ![]() *A picture of a newly-painted U.S. Army Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle with the barrel to its M242 main gun noticeably absent. *U.S. Army** To date, the U.S. military has [pledged to transfer a total]() of 109 M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine. American authorities are also planning to deliver four examples of the M7 Bradley Fire Support Team (BFIST) variant, a specialized version optimized for helping to direct artillery strikes, which you can read more about [here](). ![]() *A U.S. Army M7 BFIST. *U.S. Army** It remains uncertain whether any Bradleys have arrived in Ukraine and, if so, if they have officially been put into service. The U.S. military has been training Ukrainian personnel to operate and maintain Bradleys [at the Grafenwoehr Training Area]() in Germany [since at least February]() of this year. That same month, a commercial cargo ship, the *ARC Integrity*, arrived in that country [carrying more than 60 Bradleys]() ultimately bound for Ukraine. ![]() *A Bradley bound for Ukraine is loaded onto the *ARC Integrity* in Charleston, South Carolina, ahead of the ship's voyage to Germany earlier this year. *TRANSCOM** *The War Zone* has reached out to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the Pentagon for more information. Regardless, repainting the vehicles before their official delivery makes good sense. Pictures that the U.S. military has previously released of the Bradleys headed for Ukraine showed that they were initially painted in an overall desert tan color not well suited for any battlefields in Europe. ![]() *Bradleys seen wearing desert tan paint schemes while in the United States in January awaiting transfer to Ukraine. *TRANSCOM** Whenever they do begin to finally arrive on the battlefield, the Bradleys are expected to be a major boon for Ukrainian forces. Though the M2A2-OSD-SA variants that the U.S. military is transferring to Ukraine's military are not the most modern versions of the Bradley, they still offer impressive firepower, including [TOW anti-tank missiles]() and the aforementioned 25mm automatic cannon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA27t8xvq-8 The Bradleys also have more advanced night and thermal vision optics compared to Soviet-era armored vehicles in Ukrainian service, which give them important additional capabilities for finding and engaging enemy forces and acting as scouts. The BFIST variant has an even more robust suite of sensors in place of the TOW missile launcher. The M2A2-ODS-SA also has a higher degree of protection than many Soviet-designed and Western-supplied armored vehicles in Ukrainian service now, and will simply help bolster Ukraine's overall armor fleets. Even lighter armored vehicles have been very valuable on both sides of the conflict as they offer an additional layer of defense against shrapnel from artillery strikes, which [has become]() a major [threat all around](). You can read more about the benefits that the Bradleys are set to offer Ukrainian forces in detail in [this past *War Zone* feature](). All of this, of course, comes as Ukraine's military is widely reported to be gearing up for multiple [major new offensives]() in the eastern and southern [parts of the country](). Additional supplies of more modern heavy armor, in general, are among the things that could be key to the success of those operations. Since the beginning of the year, the United States and other countries have pledged to deliver a [growing plethora of armored vehicles](), [including multiple types]() of [Western main battle tanks](), to Ukrainian forces. German-made Leopard 2 tanks [have already begun arriving]() in the country. The emergence of pictures showing newly painted Bradleys, including at least one in the distinctive Ukrainian pixelated camouflage scheme, indicates that these vehicles, specifically, are getting closer to joining the fighting if they haven't already. **Contact the author: [joe@thedrive.com]()** ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()