BMP-1

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BPzV-1
BMP-1 general characteristics
BMP-1 BMP-2
Crew 3 (+8 passengers) 3 (+7 passengers)
Length 6.74 m 6.72 m
Width 2.94 m 3.15 m
Height 2.15 m 2.45 m
Armour 33 mm (max) 33 mm (max) [1]
Weight 13.5 t 14.3 t
Primary armament 73 mm smoothbore gun (2A28)
AT-3/4/5 ATGM		 30 mm cannon (2A42)
AT-4/5 ATGM
Secondary armament 7.62 mm machine gun (PKT)
Power plant 300 hp (225 kW) diesel
Speed 65 km/h (road)
45 km/h (off-road)
7 km/h (water)
Range 600 km

The BMP-1 is a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle which was first introduced in the early 1960s. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty (Боевая Машина Пехоты, literally "Combat Vehicle of the Infantry") †. In the 1980s the improved BMP-2 was introduced. The BMP is amphibious.

Contents

[edit] Production history

The BMP-1 was first seen by the West in the November 7, 1967 parade and is considered the world's first infantry fighting vehicle. Its steeply-sloped front armour was proofed against the .50-calibre machine guns carried by NATO armoured personnel carriers, while its smoothbore gun and AT-3 Sagger ATGM were a threat to NATO APCs and even main battle tanks. It replaced the BTR-50 in motorized infantry units.

Owing to experiences in Afghanistan (esp. survivability problems) a new version, the BMP-2, was introduced in the early 1980s . It had a new two-man turret with a 30 mm cannon and externally-mounted AT-4 Spigot or AT-5 Spandrel ATGMs.

[edit] Description

Detail of the BPzV-1's turret.
Detail of the BPzV-1's turret.

The BMP series of infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) is designed to assist in rapid maneuvers during an assault. It is capable of rapidly transporting infantry in safety from small arms fire and is capable in providing support when the infantry dismount. With armament consisting of a gun and anti-tank guided missiles, the BMP series is a valuable component of mechanized infantry. Its 73 mm smoothbore gun fires a low velocity HEAT round, and as such the main gun is unreliable in windy conditions. The original BMP series had an AT-3 Sagger ATGM launcher mounted above the gun. The AT-3 was known to fall off its mount, and thus BMP crews kept the missiles stowed when not in combat. The missile is reloaded by hand, through a small loading hatch.

While a formidable vehicle for its time, theoretically capable of defeating the steel-armoured medium tanks of its time with its 73 mm HEAT round, today the BMP-1 is at a severe disadvantage when engaging modern infantry fighting vehicles such as the U.S. M2 Bradley IFV or British Warrior IFV, and is almost totally ineffective against modern tanks. The thin armour of the BMP-1 is improved by its steep slope, but it can be penetrated by modern armour-piercing cannon rounds, and the risk of getting hit increases as fire-control improves on Western vehicles. While the smoothbore 73 mm cannon will still penetrate an IFV's armour if not specially protected, it is at an accuracy disadvantage compared to a modern autocannon, especially while moving. Further, the AT-3 Sagger is extremely difficult to operate because it uses first-generation MCLOS guidance system, and its projectile is very slow by modern standards. While the warhead is effective against steel armour, its penetration is insufficient against modern laminates on main battle tanks. Nevertheless, the BMP-1 is still a threat to light AFVs or dismounted infantry.

The BMP is amphibious without preparation, using hydrodynamic fairings to convert track momentum into water jets. WARPAC peacetime regulations require that any BMPs entering water must have a working radio set, since its bearings are not airtight and it can be carried away by currents in case of loss of engine power (the vehicle lacks an anchor).

The BMP's front and side armour is effective against .50-calibre and light cannon fire. On most examples the front armour is immune to 20 mm Oerlikon autocannon fire, but armour quality varies greatly with factory and year of manufacture. Examples where the dent marks of factory certification firings are recognizable on all major armour plates can be more trusted. The rear doors of the BMP-1 and 2 series are filled with diesel fuel, offering some risk from incendiary rounds.

The BMD-1, an air-mobile cousin of the BMP-1, was issued to Soviet airborne forces in the early 1970s. Although it shared the general layout and armament of the BMP-1, the smaller, lighter airborne vehicle is a different design, incorporating aluminum construction. The BMD-1 features hydraulic suspension and variable belly height.

BMP-2 on display in Kiev
BMP-2 on display in Kiev

The BMP-2 armament consists of a long-barreled 30 mm automatic cannon, and more modern ATGMs. The cannon is rather accurate (it is also used on the Mi-28 attack helicopter) and its antipersonnel capability is a good complement to the BMP-1's smoothbore for use against armour and bunkers, and the vehicles are often deployed together. The newer BMP-3 combines the best of both, with coaxial 30 mm cannon and 100 mm gun capable of firing ATGMs in its turret, but it is significantly heavier at 14.5 tonnes.

During the 1980s many BMPs in Warsaw Pact countries were provided with one RPG-7 shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon (five rounds), and one Strela/Igla shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile, in stowage boxes. These could be fired by climbing through the top hatches while on the move. A Dragunov sniper rifle was also frequently provided, especially to BMPs crews in reconnaissance.

[edit] Protection issues

Rear view of BMP-1, showing the fuel tanks inside the rear doors. A T72 can be seen in the background.
Rear view of BMP-1, showing the fuel tanks inside the rear doors. A T72 can be seen in the background.

The original BMP-1 had a significant shortcoming in its protection scheme, which only became obvious during the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan. The one-man-turret fighting vehicle seated its driver and commander in tandem layout, in the front-right part of the hull alongside the diesel engine. When a BMP-1 hit the obsolete kind of "tilt-rod" antitank landmine, its steeply sloped lower front glacis armour plate allowed the mine's arming rod to tilt with little resistance until the maximum deflection was reached with the mine already well under the chassis. When it eventually exploded, the mine blast usually killed both the driver and the tank commander, causing a painful loss of specialist personnel in the Soviet Red Army.

This shortcoming was addressed in the BMP-2 design, where the tank commander shares the well armoured two-man turret with the gunner. The driver's station has been enlarged and he is provided with an armoured driver's seat, in addition to extra belly armour in the lower front.

Another inherent flaw of the BMP-1 was in its troop seating scheme. In order to allow the infantrymen use their assault rifles while on the move, firing ports were installed in the hull and soldiers were seated on two back-to-back benches, mounted along the centreline of the fighting compartment. In case the BMP rolled over a more advanced type of magnetic anti-tank mine, the resulting explosion could kill the entire complement of infantrymen. (In many other troop carriers, soldiers are seated on separate benches against the hull sides. Although this layout prohibits the use of infantry weapons from inside the fighting compartment, in most cases of mine explosion the loss of life is significantly reduced, although loss of lower limbs is still frequent).

This shortcoming was not addressed by the later BMP designs, since Soviet military thinkers considered the auxiliary firepower of the troops' assault rifles a significant factor in the BMP's combat value. In practice, most conscript soldiers did not receive much training in firing from the vehicle while on the move. Even in case of professional soldiers, the cramped interior of the BMP-1 and 2, and the poor optical quality of its unstabilized firing port periscopes made it difficult to conduct aimed fire while on the move.

These issues, alongside the higher cost of maintenance (when compared with the wheeled Bronetransporter troop carriers) led many former Eastern Bloc satellite states to abandon the use of BMP fighting vehicles after the Warsaw Pact was dissolved.

The basic hull armor on the BMP can be easily penetrated by an RPG round. Due to this limitation, Russian troops in combat zones customarily ride outside the BMP, sitting on top. This limits the chance that a single RPG round could kill or wound everyone inside the vehicle.

[edit] Deployment

In the Soviet Army, BMPs were typically issued to the motor rifle battalions of tank regiments. In a typical motor-rifle division, one motor-rifle regiment had BMPs, the other two had wheeled BTRs.

Proliferation varied greatly among the rest of the Warsaw Pact nations. For example, at least some East German motor-rifle divisions were recorded to have all three motor-rifle regiments with BMPs, ranging down to the Romanian and Bulgarian Armies, some of whose divisions had no BMPs at all.

External link: Warsaw Pact OOB as of June 1989.

[edit] Operators

[edit] Variants

The BRM-1K has an extra-wide turret, mast antenna, and only a single firing port on each side. The turret has a large night sight, and ground surveillance radar which can be extended from a hatch in the turret roof. This example is at the Canadian War Museum, parked alongside an American-made M577 (3/4 view, front view)
The BRM-1K has an extra-wide turret, mast antenna, and only a single firing port on each side. The turret has a large night sight, and ground surveillance radar which can be extended from a hatch in the turret roof. This example is at the Canadian War Museum, parked alongside an American-made M577 (3/4 view, front view)
  • BMP-1 - Original version with 73 mm smoothbore.
  • BRM-1 or BMP-R - reconnaissance variant.
  • BRM-1K - Reconnaissance command vehicle, has "Tall Mike" surveillance radar. One assigned per recce company.
  • BMP KShM - Command variant; typically used at regimental level
  • BMP-1P - AT-4 Spigot ATGM.
  • BMP-1PK - Command variant of BMP-1P.
  • BMP-2 - (early 1980s) Improved model with 30 mm autocannon.
  • PRP-3 - "mobile reconnaissance post", used for artillery fire direction; includes a counterbattery/surveillance radar. One is assigned to an artillery battalion.

[edit] National versions

  • BWP-1 - Polish designation for BMP-1 (Bojowy Wóz Piechoty literally "Combat Vehicle of the Infantry")
  • BWR-1S - Polish designation for BRM-1 (Bojowy Wóz Rizpoznawczy literally "Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance")
  • BWR-1K - Polish designation for BRM-1K
  • M-80 - Yugoslav version of BMP-1
  • MLI-84 - Romanian modified version of BMP-1
  • BVP-1 - Czechoslovak produced version of BMP-1
  • BVP-1K - Czechoslovak command variant of BVP-1
  • BPzV-1 - Czechoslovak reconnaissance variant
  • BVP-2 - Czechoslovak produced version of BMP-2
  • OT-90 - Czechoslovak produced version of BMP-1
  • Reconnaissance Set SNĚŽKA - Czech variant for artillery fire direction [4]
  • Boragh - Iranian variant of BMP-1
  • Type 86 - Chinese variant of BMP-1, also known as WZ-501

[edit] Combat history

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[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ fas.org info about BMP-2
  2. ^ BMP-1 (HTML). Army Guide.com (15). Retrieved on March 15, 2007.
  3. ^ BMP-2 (HTML). Army Guide.com (15). Retrieved on March 15, 2007.
  4. ^ Www.army.cz about SNĚŽKA
Soviet and post-Soviet armoured fighting vehicles after World War II
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