Croatia ordered 89 M2A2 Bradleys back in 2022, but received only three units
Back in January 2022, Croatia signed an agreement with the United States to supply 89 M2A2 ODS Bradley infantry fighting vehicles worth $196 million. The Croatian side paid $145 million, and another $51 million was provided by the US in the form of assistance.
Here's What We Know
The low price of a unit of equipment is explained by the fact that these are used machines from a storage warehouse, which are transferred in an 'as is' condition without taking into account the cost of restoration. It was because of this 'nuance' that Greece had previously rejected a similar offer for 164 Bradley units.
According to the agreement, five vehicles will be used as training vehicles, 22 will be used as spare parts donors, and 62 will be delivered to combat units of the Croatian army. All service and training vehicles will be refurbished at the Croatian defence plant Djuro Djakovic, which cooperates with the UK-based BAE Systems.
The first four M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles for Croatia. Illustration: Croatian Ministry of Defence
The delivery was scheduled to begin in early 2023, but in April of that year it became known that the transfer of the vehicles for refurbishment at the Djuro Djakovic plant would be delayed by a year. Finally, the first four vehicles were delivered to the Croatian army on 14 January 2025. In March 2025, the Croatian Ministry of Defence announced that the first live-fire exercises with these Bradleys had been conducted.
Receiving only four combat vehicles out of 89 planned indicates significant problems in the implementation of the agreement. The reasons may lie both in the pace of the transfer of US equipment and in the capabilities of the Croatian plant 'Djuro Djakovic' to carry out repair and modernisation work.
Source: ZBiAM
