BMP-3

The BMP-3 is a Soviet amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, descendant to the BMP-1 and BMP-2. BMP stands for Boevaya Mashina Pehoty. The design of the BMP-3 or Obyekt 688M can be traced back to the Obyekt 685 light tank sample with 100mm gun 2A48-1 from 1975. This vehicle didn’t enter chain production but the armature, with a new engine, was used for the next-generation infantry combat vehicle Obyekt 688 from A. Blagonravov’s design bureau. The Ob. 688 weapons configuration, an externally-mounted 30 mm gun and twin Konkurs ATGM launcher was rejected; instead the new 2K23 armament system was chosen. The resulting BMP-3 was developed in the early 1980s and entered service with the Soviet Army officially in 1987. It was exposed for the first time in public during the 1990 May Day parade and was given the NATO code IFV M1990/1.

The BMP-3 is designed and produced by the Kurganmashzavod (“Kurgan Machine Building Plant”) some variants however are build by the Rubtsovsk Machine Building Plant (RMZ), for example the BRM-3K. The BMP-3 is one of the most greatly armed infantry combat vehicles in service, fitted with a low-velocity 2A70 100mm rifled gun, which can fire predictable shells or 9M117 ATGMs, a 2A72 30mm dual feed autocannon with 500 rounds and a rate of fire of 350 to 400 RPM, and a 7.62mm PKT machine gun with 2,000 rounds, all mounted coaxially in the turret. The main gun elevates from −5° to +60°. There are also two 7.62mm PKT bow machine guns, again with 2,000 rounds each. The BMP-3 is accomplished of engaging targets out to 5,000–6,000 meters with its ATGM weapon system 9K116-3 “Basnya”. The minimum engagement distance, flight time and vulnerability of launcher are typical of command-guided, rather than fire-and-forget, ATGM systems. With predictable ammunition, such as the HE-Frag shell 3OF32, the 2A70 gun has a range of 4,000 meters.

The turret is fitted with the 2K23 system which comprises of an automatic loader with 22 rounds, a ballistic computer 1V539, a cross-wind sensor, a 2E52-2 stabilising system, the 1D16-3 laser range finder, the 1K13-2 gunner’s sight/guidance device, the PPB-1 gunner’s sight and an OU-5-1 IR search light. The commander has a combined optical sight 1PZ-10, a day/night vision device TKN-3MB and an IR search light OU-3GA2. Since 2005, the BMP-3 can be fitted with a new fire control system from “Peleng” Joint Stock Company from Belarus. This consists of the SOZH-M gunner’s main sight with included laser range-finder and missile-guidance channel, the Vesna-K targeting system with thermal imaging camera and automatic target tracker AST-B, an armament stabilisation system, a ballistic computer with data input sensors and a PL-1 IR laser projector.

Standard equipment includes five firing ports with associated vision blocks, a transceiver R-173, a receiver R-173P, a GO-27 radiation and chemical agent detector, an FVU filtration system, an automatic fire extinguisher and six smoke grenade launchers 81mm 902V “Tucha-2″. The vehicle has an unconventional layout. The engine is in the back of the vehicle to the right. As a result the driver is seated forward in the hull (in the center) together with two infantrymen. The vehicle has a double bottom and the engine is located under the floor of the vehicle. In an attempt to improve battlefield survivability the fuel tanks are also located in the floor of the vehicle. The remaining five infantrymen are seated aft of the two man turret.

The hull and turret are made of aluminium, with the front being provided with a layer of spaced armor. Over the frontal 60 degree arc the vehicle is protected against 30 mm armor-piercing rounds of 2A42 gun at a range of 300 m. In an effort to improve battlefield survivability the fuel tanks are also located in the floor of the vehicle. The BMP-3 can lay its own smoke screen by injecting fuel into the exhaust. A chemical agent detector, an FVU filtration system, an automatic fire extinguisher and six smoke grenade launchers 81mm 902V “Tucha-2″ are standard.

An ERA reactive armor kit is currently available providing increased protection, however, using ERA on an IFV is considered knotty by some experts since in the event of the malfunction of the ERA, it can possibly pose a risk to friendly troops located in the surrounding area of the vehicle. The BMP-3 has also an ability to carry Shtora electro-optical jammer that disrupts semiautomatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) antitank guided missiles, laser rangefinders and target designators. Shtora is a soft-kill, or passive-countermeasure system.

For more details you must refer to Steven Zaloga’s book, BMP Infantry Fighting Vehicle. This richly illustrated book examines the development and design of the BMP, detailing its armaments, performance in combat and variants.

Specifications

Weight: 18.7 tonnes (18.4 long tons; 20.6 short tons)
Length: 7.14 m (23 ft 5 in)
Width: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
Crew: 3 (commander, gunner, driver); 7 troopers (+ 2 additional seats)
Armor: 35 mm (1.4 in) max. Frontal armor (est.)
Main armament: 100 mm gun/launcher 2A70 (able to fire shells or the AT-10 ATGM), 30 mm autocannon 2A72
Secondary armament: 2×7.62 mm PKT machine guns, 1×5.45mm machine gun, 1x40mm grenade launcher
Engine: UTD-29M diesel; 500 hp (375 kW)
Power/ weight: 27 hp/tone
Operational range: 600 km (370 mi)
Speed: 72 km/h (45 mph) (road); 45 km/h (28 mph) (off-road); 10 km/h (6.2 mph) (water)