BMP-3

BMP-3
BMP-3
BMP-3 with Namut sight
Type Infantry fighting vehicle
Place of origin  Soviet Union
Production history
Manufacturer Kurganmashzavod
Specifications
Weight 18.7 tonnes (18.4 LT; 20.6 ST)
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 (+7 passengers)
Armor 35 mm (1.4 in) max. frontal armour (est.)
Primary
armament		 100 mm gun/launcher 2A70, 30 mm autocannon 2A72
Secondary
armament		 3×7.62 mm PKT machine guns
Engine UTD-29M diesel
500 hp (375 kW)
Power/weight 27 hp/tonne
Suspension torsion bar
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)

The BMP-3 is a Soviet amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, successor to the BMP-1 and BMP-2, which entered service with the Soviet army in 1987 and was first observed by the West in 1990. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty (Боевая Машина Пехоты, literally "Infantry Combat Vehicle"). [1]

Contents

Production history

The design of the BMP-3 or Obyekt 688M can be traced back to the Obyekt 685 light tank prototype with 100 mm 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] 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 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.

Armament and equipment

The BMP-3, nicknamed Troyka, is one of the most heavily armed infantry combat vehicles in service, fitted with a low velocity 2A70 100 mm rifled gun, which can fire conventional HE-Frag shells or 9M117 (AT-10 Stabber) ATGMs (40 HE rounds and 8 ATGM are carried), a 2A72 dual feed autocannon with 500 rounds and a rate of fire of 350 to 400 rpm, and a 7.62 mm machine gun with 2,000 rounds, all mounted coaxially in the turret. The main gun elevates from -5º to +60º.[3] There are also two 7.62 mm 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. If the missile launcher is destroyed, missile guidance ceases and the missile may miss its target. The minimum engagement distance, flight time and vulnerability of launcher are typical of command-guided, rather than fire-and-forget, ATGM systems; most systems in service are command-guided.

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.[4]

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.

The vehicle also carries one RPG-7, five RPG-18's, two MANPADS launchers (Strela-3 or Igla) and 10 F1 hand grenades.

Early models were powered by a 450 hp engine UTD-29, but most BMP-3's are equipped with the 500 hp UTD-29M version. Standard equipment includes five 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 six smoke grenade launchers 81 mm 902V "Tucha".

The vehicle has an unconventional layout. The engine is in the back of the vehicle to the right (unlike in most other IFV which have the engine located forward in the hull). As a result the driver is seated forward in the hull (in the center) together with two infantrymen (one on each side of the driver). The vehicle has a double bottom and the engine is located under the floor of the vehicle (troops enter/leave the vehicle over the engine). In an effort 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 BMP-3 can lay its own smoke screen by injecting fuel into the exhaust.[5][6]

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.[7] An ERA armour kit is currently available providing increased protection. Although using ERA on a IFV is considered problematic by some experts since it poses a threat to friendly troops located in the vicinity off the vehicle.[8]

Variants

Russian Federation

The turret of the BMP-3 has been fitted to the Patria Armoured Modular Vehicle.[10][11]

Operators

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

Former operators

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Soderzhaniye". Archived from the original on 2006-11-03. http://web.archive.org/web/20061103033619/http://www.milparade.com/Soderzhaniye.pdf. 
  2. ↑ Ob'yekt 688
  3. ↑ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/bmp-3-specs.htm
  4. ↑ "Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP-3". Enemyforces.com. 1991-07-27. http://www.enemyforces.com/apc/bmp3.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 
  5. ↑ http://www.military-today.com/apc/bmp_3.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_bmp3.html
  7. ↑ "Specifications: BMP-3 Tracked Infantry Combat Vehicle". Army Technology. http://www.army-technology.com/projects/bmp-3/specs.html. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 
  8. ↑ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/bmp-3.htm
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Army Technology - BMP 3 - Tracked Infantry Combat Vehicle
  10. ↑ http://www.janes.com/events/exhibitions/idex2009/sections/daily/day5/more-firepower-on-land-an.shtml
  11. ↑ http://www.janes.com/events/exhibitions/sofex2010/galleries.html
  12. ↑ Russia to sell 1,000 infantry fighting vehicles to Greece RIA Novosti, 22 June 2009
  13. ↑ Ground Forces Equipment - Ukraine globalsecurity.org

External links

Russian, Ukrainian, and former Soviet armoured fighting vehicles after World War II