BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Efran Syah       IFV , Russia    Comment   

(Vitaliy Ragulin / Wiki Common)

The BMP-3 is a Soviet and Russian infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), successor to the BMP-1 and BMP-2. The abbreviation BMP stands for boevaya mashina pehoty (literally "infantry fighting vehicle").

(Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wiki Common)

The BMP-3 is designed and produced by the Kurganmashzavod ("Kurgan Machine Building Plant") some variants however are built by the Rubtsovsk Machine Building Plant (RMZ). The BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle entered production in the late 1980s.

(Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wiki Common)

The vehicle has an unconventional layout. The engine is in the back of the vehicle to the right (unlike most other IFVs, 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). The remaining five infantrymen are seated aft of the two-man turret.

(Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wiki Common)

The engine is the V-shaped UTD-29 diesel engine, which produces 500 hp.

The transversal mount of the engine enables the wheel drive, cardan shaft for the waterjet drives and electric bilge pump to be located underneath. Transmission is hydromechanical with a hydrostatic gearbox for the steering gear and power take-off for the water jets.

The BMP-3 vehicle weighs 18.7 t and is capable of a maximum speed of 70 km/h and range of 600 km on roads,  an altitude of operation of up to 3,000 m and it is transportable by train, truck, sea, and air.

(Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wiki Common)

The BMP-3 engine is a diesel four-stroke, liquid-cooled design. The suspension is independent, with a torsion bar and six hydraulic shock absorbers. Steering is by gear differential with hydrostatic drive.

The track adjusting mechanism is remotely controlled from the driver's station, with tension force indication. The water-jet propulsion unit is single-stage, axial, auger-type.

(Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wiki Common)

The BMP-3 is one of the most heavily armed infantry fighting vehicles in service, original version of BMP-3 has a turret fitted with a low-velocity 2A70 100 mm rifled gun, which can fire conventional shells or 9M117 Bastion ATGMs (AT-10 Stabber). 40 100 mm-rounds and 8 ATGMs are carried.

A 2A72 30 mm dual feed autocannon with 500 (300 HEI and 200 APT) rounds and a rate of fire of 350 to 400 RPM, and a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun with 2,000 rounds, all mounted coaxially in the turret.

The main gun elevates from −5° to +60°. There are also two 7.62 mm PKT bow machine guns, again with 2,000 rounds each. The BMP-3 is capable of engaging targets out to 5,000–6,000 m with its ATGM weapon system 9K116-3 "Basnya". With conventional ammunition, such as the HE-Frag shell 3OF32, the 2A70 gun has a range of 4,000 m.

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.

(Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wiki Common)

The turret is fitted with the 2K23 system, which consists of an autoloader with 22 rounds (the remaining 18 rounds are stored in the hull), a 1V539 ballistic computer, a cross-wind sensor, a 2E52-2 stabilising system, a 1D16-3 laser range finder, a 1K13-2 gunner's sight/guidance device, a PPB-1 gunner's sight and an OU-5-1 IR searchlight. Optional autoloader for ATGM missiles is also available.

(Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wiki Common)

The commander has a combined optical sight 1PZ-10, a day/night vision device TKN-3MB and an IR searchlight OU-3GA2.

Since 2005, the BMP-3 can be fitted with a new fire control system from the "Peleng" Joint Stock Company from Belarus. This consists of a SOZH-M gunner's main sight with an integrated laser range-finder and missile-guidance channel, a Vesna-K targeting system with thermal imaging camera and automatic target tracker AST-B, an armament stabilisation system, a ballistic computer with data input sensors and a PL-1 IR laser projector.

Since 2017, the BMP-3 is fitted with a new fire control system from the "Vologda Optical-Mechanical Plant" from Russia. This consists of a Sodema two-plane stabilized gunner's main sight with an integrated laser range-finder and missile-guidance channel plus a SOZH-M thermal imaging camera.

BPM-3 at parade in Moscow 2018. (Dmitriy Fomin / Wiki Common)

The BMP-3 can be fitted with the Arena defensive aids suite, developed by KBM Kolumna. The system consists of target detection and tracking radar, computer and processing unit and protective ammunition.

The system is automatic: the radar passes tracking data to the computer, which selects the number of ammunition rounds and controls firing. The selected ammunition is then expelled as a directed field. The vehicle can also be fitted with the Shtora defensive aids system which counters anti-tank guided weapons with SACLOS (semi-automatic command to line-of-sight).

BMP-3 PVO anti aircraft variant presented at Expo Army 2018. (Boevaya mashina / Wiki Common)

The hull and turret are made of a high-strength aluminum alloy, with the front of the hull being provided with an extra steel plate welded over it plus spaced armor from the trim vane.

The turret is also provided with a thick steel spaced armour shield over its frontal arc. Over the frontal arc, the vehicle is protected against 30 mm gun rounds at a range of 200 m.

In addition to "hard" protection, the BMP-3's self-sealing fuel tank is located in front of the driver, directly behind the front armour plating. It is specially constructed to act as armour, effective against shaped charge warheads as well as any auto-cannon shells that managed to go through the front armour.

The BMP-3 can create a smoke screen by injecting fuel into the exhaust manifolds. A chemical agent detector, an FVU filtration system, an automatic fire extinguisher and six 902V "Tucha-2" 81 mm smoke grenade launchers are standard.

BMP-3 PVO anti aircraft variant presented at Expo Army 2018. (Boevaya mashina / Wiki Common)

BMP-3 Varian:

• BMP-3 – Basic version
• BMP-3M – New engines and turret with a new ATGM system 9K116-3 Basnya
• BMP-3M Ataka – BMP-3M version with a two men turret
• BMMP – Version for naval infantry, fitted with the turret of the BMP-2
• BMP-3K – Tactical command variant
• BMP-3F – Specially designed for operations at sea
• BT-3F – Amphibious version based on BMP-3F
• BRM-3K – Surveillance and reconnaissance variant
• BMP-3 Dragoon – New IFV version with an unmanned turret
• BREM-L – Armoured recovery vehicle
• BMP-3 "Khrizantema-S" – Self-propelled anti-tank version
• 9P163M-1 "Kornet-T" – Anti-tank version with Kornet (AT-14) missile system
• 2S18 "Pat-S" – Self-propelled version of the 152 mm howitzer 2A61 "Pat-B"
• DZM "Vostorg-2" – Combat engineer vehicle
• UR-07 – Mine clearing system
• UNSh – Basic chassis for specialised variants
• KhTM – Driver trainer
• Hermes or TKB-841 – Air-defence vehicle
• 2S31 Vena – Self-propelled mortar carrier
• 2S38 ZAK-57 Derivatsiya-PVO – Self-propelled air defense
• UDAR UGV – Unmanned ground vehicle
• Vikhr UGV – Unmanned ground vehicle
• Prokhod-1 – Unmanned mine-clearing vehicle.

BMP-3M Dragoon at Army-2016. (Boevaya mashina / Wiki Common)

BMP-3 current operators:

• Azerbaijan – 100 BMP-3M.
• Cyprus – 43 delivered in 1995–1996.
• Indonesia – 54 BMP-3F & 1 BREM-L currently in service, with another 22 BMP-3F ordered in 2019 along with 21 BT-3Fs.
• Iraq – Application for 500.
• Kuwait – Currently it has about 200 in service.
• Libya – 14 9P157-2 tank destroyers in service.
• Morocco – 60 BMP-3 ordered from Russia to supplement the T-72BV.
• Nicaragua
• Russia – 720.
• Sri Lanka - 45.
• South Korea – 33 delivered in 1996–1997 to pay off Russian debt, and another 37 in 2005.
• Turkmenistan – 4
• Ukraine – 4
• United Arab Emirates – 250 for Abu Dhabi and 402 for Dubai
• Venezuela – 130 BMP-3M, 10 BREM-L and some BMP-K.

BMP-3 specifications
Mass: 18.7 t
Length: 7.14 m
Width: 3.2 m
Height: 2.4 m
Crew:

• 3 (commander, gunner, driver)
• 7 troopers (+ 2 additional seats)

Armor:

• Aluminium alloy + steel, 35mm+ frontally, all around small arms fire protection up to 12.7mm

Main armament:

• 2K23 turret with 100 mm gun/launcher 2A70 (able to fire shells or the 9M117 Bastion ATGM)
• 30 mm autocannon 2A72 and 7.62mm PKT machine gun or Bakhcha-U turret (2A70, 2A72
• PKMT machine gun, and a new fire control system) or B05Ya01 Berezhok turret with 2A42
• AGS-30 grenade launcher, Kornet-EM, and PKT machine gun or AU-220M Baikal remote weapon station turret with 57 mm BM-57 autocannon and 7.62mm PKMT machine gun

Secondary armament: 2 × 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)
Maximum speed:

• 72 km/h (45 mph) (road)
• 45 km/h (28 mph) (off-road)
• 10 km/h (6.2 mph) (water)