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") .
The design of the BMP-3 or Obyekt 688M can be traced back to the Obyekt 685 light tank prototype 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 from A. Blagonravov's design bureau. The Ob. 688 weapons configuration—an externally-mounted 30mm 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 2A70 100mm rifled gun, which can fire conventional HE-Frag shells
or 9M117 (AT-10 Stabber
(40 rounds and 8 ATGM are carried), 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 at that range). However, there is a minimum engagement range (about 300 meters in this case) within which the missile should not be fired and cannon fire should be used instead. In addition, there is a flight time of approximately twenty-seven seconds to the maximum missile range. 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).
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.
The vehicle also carries one RPG-7, five RPG-18's, two MANPADS launchers (Strela-3 or Igla) and 10 F-1 hand grenades.
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 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 finally 6 smoke grenade launchers 81mm 902V "Tucha".
The hull and turret are made of aluminium, the front being reinforced with composite aluminium-steel armour, with shock-absorbing elements.
- 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 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. 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.
- 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
- 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 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.
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.
A majority of BMP-3s are in use outside of Russia with Abu Dhabi (the United Arab Emirates) being the largest operator:
- - 4
- - 43
- - 450 BMP-3M on order.
- - 20 BMP-3F on order, scheduled to deliver in 2008
- - 70
- - 110
- - 540-550, 30 BMP-4 on order.
- - 4
- - 598 with "Namut" thermal sight and other modifications. Might be further upgraded with modular armor "Kaktus" and UTD-32 engine.
- - Passed on to successor states.