Armored Vehicles
In the postwar period, the Soviet Union confidently retained the world leadership in the production of tanks, but for a long time lagged behind the West in the production of armored personnel carriers. The Soviets decided to compensate this lag with a high quality. The domestic military-industrial complex was the first to create a new class of armored vehicles - an infantry fighting vehicle.
The BMP-1 was put into service in 1965. She, like the armored personnel carrier, also transported infantrymen inside the armored hull, but was distinguished by more powerful weapons and better protection. The BMP-1 received a 73 mm Thunder smoothbore gun. The Soviet military doctrine provided for large-scale offensive operations of tank and motorized rifle formations, and numerous BMP-1s were to operate in a single deployed formation with tanks.
The comparison of the BMP-1 and the American M-113 armored personnel carrier, which entered service in 1960 and is still in service in various modifications, is indicative. With a mass of 13 tons, only 6% more, the Soviet vehicle was favorably distinguished by the presence of a turret with a 73-mm cannon and a 7.62-mm machine gun paired with it, while the American one carried only a 12.7-mm Browning. The hull was welded from rolled steel armor of high hardness, and the Americans, in order to reduce weight, often used aircraft-grade aluminum.
As a result, the BMP-1 turned out to be much more resistant to small arms fire from behind and from the side, and in the frontal projection, including due to the rational angles of inclination of the armor plates - from large-caliber machine guns. Mobility was approximately equal due to the use of a tracked chassis and a diesel engine (the BMP-1 was 9% more powerful). The only thing in which the M-113 was superior was the number of troops transported: two crew members plus eleven infantrymen versus three and seven or eight, respectively.
The design of the BMP-1r allowed the transported motorized riflemen to fire from machine guns while inside the armored hull. In the M-113, this is not possible. It was intended only for transporting infantry to the battlefield and supporting them with fire while dismounting. Immediately after this, the armored personnel carrier retreated, firing back from a 12.7 mm machine gun. Its creators did not think about any joint actions with tanks, like that of the BMP-1.
In an improved version of the BMP-2, it began to be produced in 1980, the turret was armed with a 30-mm automatic cannon. The frontal armor withstood the impact of automatic cannon shells of 20-23 mm caliber, the side armor of a 12.7 mm machine gun.
True, after the appearance of the next generations of ammunition, the security slightly decreased, but, as the experience of local conflicts has shown, the BMP-1/2 can withstand shots from grenade launchers, machine guns and machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber, and also protect against fragments of antipersonnel mines, hand grenades and mortars of caliber up to 100 mm.
The BMP-3 was put into service in 1987. Armed with cannons of 30 and 100 mm caliber, it can be used as a launcher for guided anti-tank missiles.
During the production of the BMP-1 (1966-1988), more than 20,000 such vehicles were built. By 2018, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the National Guard had about a thousand BMP-1 in service. A further 7,000 armored vehicles are stored by the Ministry of Defense. In addition, almost 7.000 BMP-1s are in operation in more than 30 countries around the world.
Various modernization of infantry fighting vehicles of three generations is being carried out in the Russian Armed Forces. The BMP-1 is being finalized to the Basurmanin version, the BMP-2 is equipped with the Berezhok manned fighting compartment, and the BMP-3 is equipped with the Epoch uninhabited module. The corresponding work has been carried out over the period 2019-2020.
Most importantly, the existing armored hull remains with a slight upgrade inside and out. Change for everyone - replacement of the standard turret with a modern combat module. The respective programs, which have started at short intervals over the past two years, differ greatly in terms of scope and cost. At the same time, in all cases, the existing armored hull remains, going through only a relatively small process of renovation inside and outside. General - all ongoing projects involve replacing the standard turret with a modern combat module.
The modernization of the entire Russian fleet of BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles is planned to begin in 2018. The first modernized sample of this vehicle was presented at the Army-2018 forum. The BMP-1 will remain in service for a long time due to its modification into the BMP-1AM "Basurmanin" variant. By car, they change the standard turret to a combat module from the BTR-82A with an automatic cannon of 30 mm caliber, and the diesel engine to a more reliable one from the BMP-2. So the BMP of two generations will almost be equal in combat capabilities. The commander and gunner-operator of the BMP-1AM will receive a better view, and the accuracy of shooting will be increased due to the new fire control system.
In 2019, state tests of the upgraded BMP-2M were completed. Its capabilities have quadrupled. The vehicle was armed with a manned fighting compartment "Berezhok" with ATGM "Kornet". The existing turret is not removed, but re-equipped. An automatic grenade launcher of 30 mm caliber is mounted in the stern.
BMP-2M have an automatic fire control system that allows the commander and gunner to act as a single unit in the daytime and at night. Also, the BMP-2M is equipped with panoramic sighting and surveillance devices that have night vision functionality. A new radio station R-168 "Aqueduct" has been installed, capable of stably operating under conditions of radio-electronic influence from the enemy. BMP-2M is designed to transport servicemen to the front line, increase their mobility, armament and security.
The upgraded infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-2M) took part in the exercises of the three countries on the border with Afghanistan, entered service with the Russian military base stationed in Tajikistan. The press service of the Central Military District stated: "A batch of 17 modernized infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-2M) entered service with the 201st Russian military base stationed in Tajikistan. The new combat vehicles are designed to replace obsolete equipment of motorized rifle units."
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian army got up to three hundred BMP-3. It is more massive and better protected, while maintaining high-speed qualities by increasing the engine power from 300 to 500 hp, and with the more modern UTD-32 - up to 660. The armament includes 2A72 and 2A72 guns of 30 and 100 mm caliber, respectively. In addition to shells, the 2A70 can also be used as a launcher for guided anti-tank missiles.
For a long time there were no purchases - all newly produced products were exported. In the period from 2015 to 2019, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation issued several contracts for the supply of a total of about four hundred BMP-3 and overhaul of about a hundred vehicles from stock.
Among them there are variants equipped with an uninhabited module "Epoch" with a 57-mm cannon and two types of ATGM: large caliber for the destruction of tanks and small - for infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and other similar vehicles. In 2020, batches of BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles with an uninhabited Epoch combat module and BMP-2 with a Berezhok fighting compartment, as well as a batch of Terminator BMPT tank support combat vehicles, will enter the units of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. As part of the execution of the state defense order, the enterprises of the military-industrial complex will transfer modern samples of armored vehicles to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
BMPT "Terminator" is a multipurpose highly protected combat tracked fire support vehicle with powerful weapons, modern fire control devices and high maneuverability. It is capable of striking lightly armored targets, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, together with military air defense to fight against helicopters and low-flying low-speed enemy aircraft.
Infantry fighting vehicles have undergone a deep modernization, while increasing their fire capabilities. The Epoch unmanned combat module contains a 57-mm gun, a 7.62-mm PKTM machine gun with 2,000 rounds of ammunition is paired with the cannon. A distinctive feature of the new fighting compartment of the BMP "Berezhok" is the presence of an ATGM "Kornet" with an ammunition load of eight missiles, of which four are immediately ready for launch, and an automatic grenade launcher is installed in addition to the 30-mm automatic cannon.
The result of the ongoing modernization will be a significant increase in the firepower of our infantry fighting vehicles, an expansion of the list of targets they hit, an increase in capabilities to combat enemy armored and airborne vehicles. It is expected that this will stimulate foreign users of Russian equipment to carry out similar improvements to their own fleet of infantry fighting vehicles, thereby causing an additional inflow of funds to the accounts of enterprises of the domestic military-industrial complex.
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