BMP-3

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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]

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.^{[citation needed]} 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. 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 (with an approximately eighty percent probability of a hit^{[clarification needed]} at that range). 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.[1]

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 450hp engine UTD-29, but most BMP-3's are equipped with the 500hp 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 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.^[3] An ERA armour kit is currently available.

Variants

Russian Federation

Original basic BMP-3 in forest paint scheme.

• BMP-3 - Basic version, as described.
• 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 a new 100 mm laser-guided projectiles, new 100 mm HE-FRAG (high explosive fragmentation) rounds and new 30 mm APDS (armour piercing discarding sabot) rounds. Additional passive armour protection is effective against 12.7 mm 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.^[4]
• BRM-3K "Rys" (Ob.501) (boyevaya razvedivatel'naya mashina) - Reconnaissance variant with 1PN71 thermal sight (3.7x/11x, 3 km range), 1PN65 second-generation image intensifier (7x, 1.2-1.5 km range), 1RL-133-1 ("TALL MIKE") I-band surveillance radar (3 km man, 12 km vehicle), 1V520 computer and a TNA-4-6 navigation system. The armament consists only of the stabilized 30 mm gun 2A72 (600 rounds) and a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun (2,000 rounds). Combat weight: 19 t, crew: 6. Photos^{[dead link]}
• BREM-L "Beglianka" (Ob.691) (bronirovannaya remontno-evakuatsionnaya mashina) - Armoured recovery vehicle with five-tone crane and 20/40 metric ton capacity winch. Photos
• 9P157 "Krizantema-S" - Anti-tank version with two supersonic 9M123 Khrizantema (AT-15) missiles. Photos
• 9P162 "Kornet-T" - Anti-tank version with 9M133 Kornet (AT-14) missile system.
• 2S31 Vena - Fire support vehicle with a 120 mm 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.

Operators

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

•  Russia - 550
•  Saudi Arabia - 250 on order.
•  Kuwait - 120
•  United Arab Emirates - 598 with "Namut" thermal sight and other modifications. Might be further upgraded with modular armor "Kaktus" and UTD-32 engine.
•  South Korea - 70
•  Greece - 1000 BMP-3HEL on order^[5]
•  Venezuela - 135 BMP-3M (BMP-4 with ERA and Shtora) on order
•  Azerbaijan - 4 (total of 60 on order)
•  Cyprus - 43
•  Indonesia - 20 BMP-3F with option for 100 more
•  Sri Lanka - 45
•  Ukraine - 4 ^[6]

Former operators

•  Soviet Union - Passed on to successor states.

See also

• British Warrior Tracked Armoured Vehicle
• Chinese ZBD-97
• French AMX-10P
• German Schützenpanzer Marder
• German Schützenpanzer Puma
• Israeli Namer IFV
• India Abhay IFV
• Italian Dardo IFV
• Soviet BMP-1
• Soviet BMP-2
• South Korean K21 IFV
• Singaporean Bionix AFV
• Swedish CV90 IFV
• US M2 Bradley IFV
• US AIFV

References

External links

• Technical Data Sheet and pictures BMP-3 from ArmyRecognition.com
• Kurganmashzavod manufacturer's site.
• BMP-3 at Army Technology
• BMP-3 at fas.org
• Detailed description of BMP-3^{[dead link]} at vif2.ru, in Russian
• Video presentation of BMP-3
• BMP-3 at GlobalSecurity.org