BMP-3

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BMP-3
BMP-3
Type Infantry fighting vehicle
Place of origin Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
Specifications
Weight 18.7 tonnes
Length 7.14 m
Width 3.2 m
Height 2.4 m
Crew 3 (+7 passengers)
Armor 35mm max
Primary
armament		 100mm gun/launcher 2A70, 30mm autocannon 2A72
Secondary
armament		 3×7.62mm PKT machine guns
Engine UTD-29M diesel
500 hp (375 kW)
Power/weight 27 hp/tonne
Suspension torsion bar
Operational
range		 600 km
Speed 72 km/h (road)
45 km/h (off-road)

The BMP-3 is a Russian infantry fighting vehicle which was first observed by the West in 1990. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty (Боевая Машина Пехоты, literally "Infantry Combat Vehicle") †.

Contents

[edit] Production history

The design of the BMP-3 or Obyekt 688M can be traced back to the light tank prototype Obyekt 685 [1] with 100mm gun 2A48-1 from 1975. This vehicle didn't enter series production but the chassis, with a new engine, was used for the next-generation infantry combat vehicle Obyekt 688 [2][3] from A. Blagonravov's design bureau. The Ob.688 weapons' configuration - an externally-mounted 30mm gun and twin ATGM "Konkurs" launcher - was rejected; instead the new 2K23 armament system was selected. The resulting BMP-3 was developed in the early 1980s and entered service with the Soviet army officially in 1987. It was shown for the first time in public during the 1990 May Parade and was given the NATO code ICV M1990/1.

[edit] Armament and equipment

The "Troyka" is one of the most heavily armed combat vehicles around, fitted with a 2A70 100mm rifled gun, which can fire conventional HE-Frag shells or 9M117 (AT-10 Stabber) ATGMs (40 rounds + 8 ATGM are carried), 2A72 dual feed autocannon with 500 rounds, and a 7.62mm machine gun with 2,000 rounds, all mounted coaxially in the turret. There are also two 7.62mm bow machine guns, again with 2,000 rounds each. The BMP-3 is capable of engaging targets out to 5,000 - 6,000 meters, with its ATGM weapon system 9K116-3 "Basnya" (with an approximately eighty percent probability of a hit at that range). However, there is a minimum engagement range (about 100 meters in this case) within which the missile should not be fired and cannon fire should be used instead.[citation needed] In addition, there is a flight time of approximately twelve seconds to the maximum missile range.[citation needed] If the missile launcher is destroyed, missile guidance ceases and the missile may miss its target. It is important to note that the minimum engagement distance, flight time and vulnerability of launcher is representative of nearly all ATGM systems in service, due to most of them being command-guided (as opposed to fire-and-forget).

BMP-3 of the UAE with "Namut" thermal sight
BMP-3 of the UAE with "Namut" thermal sight

According to the manufacturer's web-site, all weapons can be fired from the halt, on the move, and afloat with the same effectiveness. The ability to hit targets on the move with missiles was successfully demonstrated during competitive evaluations in the UAE in 1991.

The turret is fitted with the 2K23 system which consists of an automatic loader, 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 and the PPB-1 gunner's sight. The commander has a combined optical sight 1PZ-10, a day/night vision device TKN-3MB and an IR search light OU-3GA2.

Also on board are one RPG-7, five RPG-18's, two MANPADS "Strela-3" or "Igla" and 10 hand grenades F-1.

Although early models were powered by a 450hp engine UTD-29, most BMP-3's are equipped with the 500hp version UTD-29M. The other standard equipment consists of 5 firing ports with associated vision blocks, a tranceiver R-173, a receiver R-173P, a GO-27 radiation and chemical agent detector, an FVU filtration system, an automatic fire extinguisher and finally 6 smoke grenade launchers 81mm 902V "Tucha".

The United Arab Emirates, the largest operator of the BMP-3 vehicle has expressed interest in mounting the BMP-3 turret on its future wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, the Patria AMV, thus enabling a more agile and faster vehicle, with the same firepower and protection capabilities.

[edit] Variants

[edit] Russian Federation

  • BMP-3 - Basic version, as described.
  • Prototype of BMP-3 with "Namut" sight
    Prototype of BMP-3 with "Namut" sight
    BMP-3M - KBP and Kurganmashzavod have upgraded the vehicle with a new turret and engines. The upgraded vehicle is called the BMP-3M and the new turret includes a new automatic fire control system with digital computer, new BZS1 gunner's sight with SAGEM thermal imager and laser illuminator, TKN-AI commander's periscope with laser infrared illuminator and new ammunition loading system. The BMP-3M will also be able to fire ammunition types including new 100mm laser-guided projectiles, new 100mm HE-FRAG (high explosive fragmentation) rounds and new 30mm APDS (armour piercing discarding sabot) rounds. Additional passive armour protection is effective against 12.7mm armour-piercing rounds from a range of 50m. Explosive reactive armour is available as an option. The new uprated engine is the UTD-32, which is rated at 660hp.[4] There are actually several different M models, some fitted with additional armour, "Arena-E" or "Shtora-1" protection system, air conditioner etc. The latest version is also known as BMP-4 and is fitted with the "Bakhcha-U" turret from the BMD-4. It entered state trials in 1999.
  • BMMP (bojevaya mashina morskoj pekhoti) - Version for naval infantry, fitted with the turret of the BMP-2.
  • BMP-3K (komandnyi) - Tactical command variant, includes additional radios R-173, an AB-1 APU, a navigation device TNA-4-6 and the "Ainet" round fuzing capability. The BMP-3K lacks the bow machine guns and has its whip antennas mounted on the rear hull. Crew: 3+3.
  • BMP-3F - Specially designed for operations at sea, with improved seaworthiness and buoyancy, and high fire accuracy at sea force 2. This can endure continuous amphibious operation for seven hours.[5]
  • BRM-3K "Rys" (Ob.501) (boyevaya razvedivatel'naya mashina) - Reconnaissance variant with 1PN71 thermal sight (3.7x/11x, 3km range), 1PN65 second-generation image intensifier (7x, 1.2-1.5km range), 1RL-133-1 ("TALL MIKE") I-band surveillance radar (3km man, 12km vehicle), 1V520 computer and a TNA-4-6 navigation system. The armament consists only of the stabilized 30mm gun 2A72 (600 rounds) and a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun (2,000 rounds). Combat weight: 19 t, crew: 6. Photos
  • BREM-L "Beglianka" (Ob.691) (bronirovannaya remontno-evakuatsionnaya mashina) - Armoured recovery vehicle with five-tone crane and 20/40 metric ton capacity winch. Photos
  • 9P162 "Kornet-T" - Anti-tank version with 9M133 Kornet (AT-14) missile system.
  • 2S31 Vena - Fire support vehicle with a 120mm mortar
  • DZM "Vostorg-2" (dorozhno-zemlerojnaya mashina) - Combat engineer vehicle with a dozerblade and excavating bucket. Prototype.
  • UR-93 (ustanovka razminirovaniya) - Mine clearing system. Prototype.
  • UNSh (unifitsirovannyj shassi) - Basic chassis for specialised variants.
  • KhTM (khodovoj trenazhor) - Driver trainer.
  • Hermes - Air-defence vehicle with high-velocity missiles and radar system. Prototype.

[edit] People's Republic of China

  • ZBD97 - Chinese version with "Bakhcha-U" turret on locally designed chassis. Variants include an amphibious assault vehicle, a recovery vehicle, a combat engineer vehicle and a 120mm self-propelled mortar.

[edit] Operators

A majority of BMP-3s are in use outside of Russia with Abu Dhabi (the United Arab Emirates) being the largest operator:

[edit] Former Operators

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Obyekt 685
  2. ^ Obyekt 68882
  3. ^ Ob'yekt 688
  4. ^ Army Technology - BMP 3 - Tracked Infantry Combat Vehicle
  5. ^ Army Technology - BMP 3 - Tracked Infantry Combat Vehicle
  6. ^ Ground Forces Equipment - Ukraine

[edit] External links

Soviet and post-Soviet armoured fighting vehicles after World War II
Tanks
T-10 · T-54 · T-55 · PT-76 · T-62 · T-64 · T-72 · T-80
Russian: T-90 · Black Eagle · T-95 Ukrainian: T-72MP · T-80UD · T-84
Armoured personnel carriers
Tracked
BTR-50 · MT-LB
Wheeled
BTR-40 · BTR-152 · BTR-60 · BTR-70 · BTR-80
Russian: BTR-90 Ukrainian: BTR-3 · BTR-4 · BTR-94
Infantry fighting vehicles
BMP-1 · BMP-2 · BMP-3 · BMD-1 · BMD-2 · BMD-3
Russian: BMD-4 · BTR-T · BMP-T
Armoured scout cars
BRDM-1 · BRDM-2
Self-propelled artillery
2S1 Gvozdika · 2S3 Akatsiya · 2S4 Tyulpan · 2S5 Giatsint · 2S7 Pion · 2S9 Anona · 2S19 Msta · 2S23 Nona-SVK · 2S30 Iset · 2S31 Vena · ASU-57 · ASU-85
Multiple rocket launchers
BM-14 · BM-21 Grad · BM-24 · BM-25 · BM-27 Uragan · TOS-1 · BM-30 Smerch
Surface-to-surface missiles
FROG-7 · 9K79 Tochka (SS-21 Scarab) · R-400 Oka (SS-23 Spider)
Russian: Iskander (SS-26 Stone)
Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons
Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns
ZSU-57-2 · ZSU-23-4 · 2S6 Tunguska
Self-propelled surface-to-air missile launchers
2K11 Krug (SA-4 Ganef) · 2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainful) · 9K22 Tunguska (SA-19 Grison) · 9K31 Strela-1 (SA-9 Gaskin) · 9K33 Osa (SA-8 Gecko) · 9K35 Strela-10 (SA-13 Gopher) · 9K37 Buk (SA-11 Gadfly) · 9K330 Tor (SA-15 Gauntlet) · S-300 (SA-10 Grumble)
Russian: Pantsyr-S1 · 9K38 Buk-M1-2 (SA-17 Grizzly)
List of armoured fighting vehicles by country