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BMP-2 (Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty)

1982 ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER COLD WAR MODERN SOVIET-AFGHAN WAR

History

The Soviet Union introduced the BMP-1 in 1966, which introduced the concept of the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the genre immediately proved revolutionary and was exported to more than 40 countries and countries allied with the Soviet Union and absorbed by the emerging home countries of various collectibles.

This type of product proved so popular that thousands of them were produced, many of which are still in circulation today (2013). However, the design had several important tactical limitations, especially as improvements were ordered during the Arab-Israeli and Soviet-Afghan wars.

This eventually became the "BMP-2" series of armored tracked vehicles.

The name "BMP" comes from the Russian "Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty", which means "infantry fighting vehicle".

The IFV concept stemmed from Soviet plans to introduce a vehicle that would have the fast-moving troop, protection and troop transport capabilities of an armored personnel carrier (APC) with the firepower of a light tank. This effort inevitably gave birth to the BMP-1.

While success is at its core, the BMP-1 offers some notable inherent limitations on the evolving battlefield. It was designed in various ways for combat on the European battlefield.

The first combat operations against the Israeli army during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 were in the hands of the Arabs, and the results were not optimistic, as many operations fell on large-caliber machine gun fire and small-caliber artillery systems. The design proved vulnerable in several key areas when deployed in the dry, hot and harsh terrain of Afghanistan against unconventional forces using RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades).

The basic armament of the 73mm gun with built-in support for the first generation of anti-tank missiles was surpassed by the anti-tank missiles that appeared in the West. The 73mm gun itself proved to be particularly inaccurate at the required attack distance. The AT-3 "Sagger" was designed as a wire-guided anti-tank missile, and the operator had to stick out from the top of the turret when turning the missile toward the target.

Other limitations include an interior layout where the captain sits directly behind the fuselage driver. Not only did this limit his tactical view of the current situation, a single direct hit from an enemy projectile could kill both crew members - leaving the vehicle completely lost. The interior layout of the passenger seats is also striking, with two back-to-back benches arranged around the fuel tank in the middle, posing a clear danger to both passengers and crew.

Likewise, ammunition around the fuselage is exposed and may detonate on a direct hit.

While the modernization program produced an improved BMP-1P, the effort was a preliminary design awaiting the arrival of a new model. This began work on this product in 1972, and its immediate successor was aptly named "BMP-2".

The form and function of the new BMP-2 remains largely the same as the original, but there are a few key qualities that immediately make it even better. The hull has been shortened and widened to allow for a new interior layout and a minimized side profile along the horizon. The rider stayed on the front left of the fuselage, with the power pack directly to his right. However, the commander moved from his hull position to a new two-man turret and joined the gunner.

This arrangement now provides a better communication arrangement between the gunner and the commander. The cabin has been redesigned and downsized to accommodate only 6 infantry (up from 8 seats), while double doors (opening outwards) on the rear fuselage surface allow normal infantry boarding and disembarkation. In the old commander's position, another infantryman was stationed behind the driver. The passengers, again seated on two back-to-back benches, have access to the periscope-equipped muzzle for aiming. Four launch ports are allocated on the left side of the fuselage and three on the right side so that passengers can protect the vehicle with personal weapons if necessary.

Night vision equipment remains standard for all three crew positions and requires NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection on Cold War nuclear-powered battlefields. The BMP-2 retained the purely amphibious approach of the former, but improved these characteristics, with a sharper nose at the front, lengthened deflectors at the rear, and drives based on moving orbital movements, eliminating the need for special water jets.

Before entering the water, however, the vehicle must have crew trim blades installed and bilge pumps turned on, as in the BMP-1. Unlike earlier BMP-1 vehicles that relied on an internal exhaust-based smoke generation system, the BMP-2 was equipped with 6 electric smoke grenade launchers (three on the front of each turret), while also retaining the engine-based system.

Armor Protection is up to 33mm thick, mainly along the critical front fairing, although the overall armor protection scheme has reportedly been improved as a result of operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

One of the major changes to the BMP-2 design was the replacement of the original 73mm automatic cannon with a more accurate 30mm system. The weapon can fire armor-piercing and high-explosive rounds against lightly armored targets or low-flying aircraft. The turret swivels 360 degrees and has an elevation angle of up to +75 degrees, providing a useful arc of fire for the shooter. The main gun is paired with a coaxial 7.62mm anti-infantry machine gun.

Another major improvement to the weapons suite was the introduction of the new generation 2 missiles via launchers mounted on top of the turret (as opposed to above the main gun on the BMP-1). The BMP-2 has been approved to launch the AT-4 "Spigot" and AT-5 "Spandrel" series of anti-tank missiles, which replaced the original BMP-1 "Sagger" series.

Combined weapons give the BMP-2 enough firepower to repel infantry, hardened, lightly armored and heavily armored threats from a distance.

The practical body of the BMP-2 is mounted on a suspended chassis with six twin-tire rubber wheels on one side of the track. The drive sprocket is at the front of the fuselage, the track idler is at the rear, and three track idlers guide the upper track section. The upper track area is also protected by smaller tank skirts.

The powerplant is a UTD-series 6-cylinder supercharged diesel engine rated at 300 hp, with a top speed of 40 mph and a range of 380 miles. The tracked nature of the BMP-2 ensured its inherent ability to traverse battlefield areas normally off-limits to wheeled types, while meeting the expectations of fast-moving mechanized troops in Soviet doctrine.

While the BMP-1 debuted in 1966, the BMP-2 did not appear until the early 1980s, and was not discovered by the West until its public display at the Moscow military parade in 1982. The vehicle features an all-new interior that benefits the crew and passengers, a new turret system and new weapons, and a more powerful engine. Over time, armor block kits were added to the BMP-2 product line with decals that significantly improved crew and system survivability. These armor blocks can be added to well-structured turrets and well-sloped hulls to improve point defense, especially against anti-Cupid measures like RPGs.

The BMP-2 entered service in 1980, and mass production began in the same year. Based on existing resources, between 26,000 and 35,000 units may have been produced. The recognized prime contractor for the vehicle is Kurganmashzavod from Kurgan, Russia.

Vehicles of this family have been used in many major and minor conflicts since their adoption. This guy fought in the Soviet-Afghan War, the Iran-Iraq War, the Georgian Civil War, the 1991 Gulf War, the First and Second Chechen Wars, the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. More recently, that was the BMP-2 as part of the South Ossetia war between Russia and Georgia in 2008 and the Syrian civil war that began in 2011. Like the BMP-1 series, the BMP-2 eventually inevitably evolved from a large number of variants available, some of which were further developed to meet local needs in the former Soviet Union countries, as was the case in Czechoslovakia. India still has a large and stable fleet of BMP-2 vehicles, with around 1,500 in operation today (2013).

Israel took advantage of the type with numbers captured during the Israel-Arab war and appropriately modified examples with local power packs and gearboxes for easier maintenance/repair and improved performance in desert environments. Many of the operators are Soviet/Russian allies and ex-states mainly located in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Just as the BMP-1 of the 1960s was replaced by the greatly improved BMP-2 of the 1980s, the BMP-2 itself was improved by the modern BMP-3 of the 1990s, this new iteration adding a more powerful turret combination gun and 30mm automatic cannon, simultaneously defended by two machine guns. A 500-horsepower engine was also introduced and several variants were demonstrated.

While the BMP-3 has not reached the range of the previous BMP-2 or even the more successful BMP-1, the BMP-3 can be found in no less than a dozen countries.