US and Germany pledge infantry fighting vehicles for Ukraine

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to equip Ukraine with Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, while German officials said they would send Marders, decades-old weapons of a comparable class, as well as Patriot air defenses.

The joint announcement by Berlin and Washington follows a similar move by France earlier this week. Paris pledged to send an unspecified number of AMX-10 RC vehicles, billed as light tanks on wheels boasting armor-breaking 105 mm guns.

Ukraine has been pressing Western powers to donate armored vehicles, tanks and air defense systems and longer-range missiles amid the intense winter fighting. However, U.S. and German officials held back granting Western-made combat vehicles and tanks for Ukraine because they would require significant training and logistics expertise and could escalate the conflict with Russia beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Ukrainian forces have made gains beating back Russian invaders in recent months, and leaders in Kyiv have argued the battlefield success creates an opportunity to throw out Moscow’s forces altogether with more Western help.

The Bradley, a tracked armored vehicle made by BAE Systems, carries up to 10 troops and is usually armed with a 25mm chain gun and anti-tank guided missiles. The U.S. Army has about 2,400 Bradleys in its formations, but the service is moving to replace the 40-year-old vehicle.

According to a report by Reuters on Thursday, the number of Bradleys in line for Ukraine is 50.

Newer versions of the Rheinmetall-made Marder feature a 20mm cannon and anti-tank missiles. The Marder has been in service for more than 50 years with Germany’s armed forces, which started a life-extension for the program some years after the designated successor vehicle, the Puma, was showing growing pains.

According to a White House readout of a call today between President Joe Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, both the U.S. and Germany plan to train Ukrainian forces on the respective armored vehicles.

Pentagon Spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Thursday that the U.S. training would focus on both operating the Bradleys and maintaining them. The Bradleys will provide offensive and defensive capabilities as the fighting has grown static along the front line, he said.

In light of Russia’s ongoing missile and drone attacks against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, Germany also pledged to follow the U.S. in sending a Patriot air defense battery to Ukraine.

Joe Gould was the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He had previously served as Congress reporter.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

华盛顿——拜登政府周四宣布计划向乌克兰提供布雷德利步兵战车，而德国官员表示，他们将向乌克兰提供几十年前同级别的“黄鼠狼”步兵战车以及“爱国者”防空系统。

柏林和华盛顿的联合声明与法国本周早些时候的类似举措相呼应。巴黎承诺向美国提供数量不详的AMX-10遥控战车，这种战车被称为“轮式轻型坦克”，配备有可破甲的105毫米火炮。

在冬季激战中，乌克兰一直敦促西方国家捐赠装甲车、坦克、防空系统和远程导弹。然而，美国和德国官员迟迟不愿向乌克兰提供西方制造的作战车辆和坦克，因为这些装备需要大量的培训和后勤支持，而且可能会使乌克兰与俄罗斯的冲突升级到乌克兰境外。

近几个月来，乌克兰军队在击退俄罗斯入侵者方面取得了进展，基辅领导人认为，战场上的胜利创造了机会，可以在更多西方援助下彻底赶走莫斯科的军队。

布雷德利步兵战车是由英国航空航天系统公司（BAE Systems）制造的履带式装甲车，最多可搭载10名士兵，通常配备一门25毫米链式机炮和反坦克导弹。美国陆军目前拥有约2400辆布雷德利战车，但正在逐步替换这款服役已有40年的战车。

据路透社周四报道，准备部署到乌克兰的布雷德利战车数量为 50 辆。

新式莱茵金属公司生产的“黄鼠狼”坦克歼击车配备了20毫米机炮和反坦克导弹。“黄鼠狼”已在德国武装部队服役超过50年，在原定的后继车型“美洲狮”坦克歼击车出现性能瓶颈几年后，德国启动了该项目的延寿计划。

根据白宫今天发布的拜登总统和朔尔茨总理通话的声明，美国和德国都计划对乌克兰军队进行各自装甲车辆的培训。

五角大楼发言人帕特里克·赖德准将周四告诉记者，美军的训练重点将放在布雷德利战车的操作和维护上。他表示，随着前线战斗趋于稳定，布雷德利战车将提供进攻和防御能力。

鉴于俄罗斯持续对乌克兰关键基础设施发动导弹和无人机袭击，德国也承诺效仿美国，向乌克兰派遣爱国者防空导弹系统。

乔·古尔德是《防务新闻》的资深五角大楼记者，负责报道国家安全政策、政治和国防工业的交汇点。他此前曾担任国会记者。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。