Basic Information

Name

BMP-1 Russian Amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)

Designation

BMP-1

Alternate Designation

—

Equipment Type

Amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)

Manufacturer

Kurganmashzavod

Date of Introduction

1967

Description

Hezbollah Proliferation. Development of the BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle commenced in 1960. It entered service with the Soviet Army in 1966. The BMP-1 was first shown publicly in 1967 and created quite a stir in the West by its apparent combination of mobility protection and gun/missile firepower. This infantry fighting vehicle was produced in large numbers. In its day the BMP-1 was the vehicle that others were measured by and the type was churned out in thousands in the former Soviet Union. It was produced until 1988. Over 20 000 of these IFVs were made. Currently, around 1 000 of these IFVs are in service with the Russian military and Ministry of Internal Affairs. Another 7 000 are in storage. The BMP-1was widely exported to the Soviet allies. It was also produced in China, Czechoslovakia, and Romania. From those four nations sprang a whole host of variants to meet just about every combat requirement from artillery observation to armored engineering vehicle. This IFV has seen combat during many wars. The BMP-1's still remain in service in large numbers. It is estimated that around 7 000 of these armored vehicles are still in service with more than 30 operators, excluding Russia.

Ground Specifications

Crew 3

Mobility Type Tracked

Main Weapon 73-mm gun

Engine Diesel (360 hp)

Active Protection None

Range 550.0 km

Variants

BMP-1P The BMP-1P is an upgraded variant of the BMP-1 and weighed 13.4 tons. Protection capabilities in the BMP-1P and its sub variant BMP-1PG ('Granatomyot' - grenade launcher) were improved by fitting them with the 81 mm 902V "Tucha" smoke grenade launcher and an AGS-17 "Plamya" AGL respectively.

BMP-1 Ambulance (Iraq) Evacuate wounded.

BMP-1M Kliver turret & drop down gate.

Type 86/WZ-501 (China) Chinese BMP-1 IFV.

BMP-1G ICV AT-4/AT-5 ATGM & 30-mm AGS-17 AGL.

BMP-1 with Soviet modifications in Afghanistan Applique armor, AT-4 ATGM mount; some with AGS-17 30-mm AGL.

BMP-IRM (“Zhuk”-Beetle) Engineer recon vehicle with front mine claws; 1 MG only.

BMP-1 with mine plow KMT-8 or KMT-10 mine-clearing plows attached.

MP-31 Modernized command vehicle.

BMP-R (BMP M1976) Recon vehicle with larger rear hatches & 2-man turret.

BRM-1/BRM-1K Reconnaissance BMP-R with a GS-12 Tall Mike radar ILO AT-3 Sagger

BREM-2 Light recovery vehicle w/crane.

BMP-40 Larger turret; carries 6 soldiers, prototype model only.

PRP-3/PRP-4 (Radar) Artillery recon vehicle with 7.62 MG ILO 73-mm cannon.

VP-90 (Czech Republic) Recon with OT-64 turret; 14.5-mm & 7.62-mm MGs.

SVO Mineclearer (Czech Republic) Turretless BMP-1 with 24 245-mm explosive rockets.

BMP-PP0 Training variant w/o turret.

Snezka (Czech Republic) Battlefield surveillance vehicle.

PRAM-S (Czech Republic) SP 120-mm mortar carrier.

BMP-1 Finnish variant East German vehicles with autoloaders removed.

BMP-1 with Poyaud engine (Egypt) 150 with replaced 10.47-liter Poyaud 6-cylinder engine.

BMP-1 with applique armor (Iraq) Armor added to resist 12.7-mm & 14.5-mm armor-piercing shells at 200 m.

BMP-1A1 Ost In 1990, Germany created more space (6 passengers) & removed the automatic loader.

BMP-1 with CERAWA armor (Poland) CERAWA ERA on the glacis, hull, & turret front.

OT-90 (Czech Republic) OT-64 1-man turret with 14.5-mm & 7.62-mm machine guns.

BPzV (Czech Republic) Recon with Tall Mike radar.

DP-90 (Czech Republic) Recon with Tall Mike ra0T-90 maintenance variant adar.

MU-90 (Czech Republic) Turretless mine-laying OT-90.

MLI-84 (Romania) Larger & heavier w/ 12.7-mm machine gun.

Pansarbandvgn 501 (Pbv 501 (Sweden) East German vehicles to mechanized Swedish infantry.

BREM-4 recovery vehicle No turret & crane (Czech version is the VPV).

BRM-23 (Bulgaria) Recon with 23-mm cannon.

82-mm SP Automatic mortar (Hungary) Vasilyek mortar ILO troop compartment.

BMP-1K / BMP-1KSh / BMP M1974 Command Vehicle This is the company command version of the BMP-1. It has additional communications equipment, an additional radio aerial on the right rear of the hull, a redesigned troop compartment to incorporate tables and a map board. The firing ports were eliminated. The BMP-1K has two roof hatches, each equipped with a roof-mounted TNPO-170A aiming device. The 73-mm gun is provided with 20 rounds of ready use ammunition, which is loaded manually. Two man-portable surface-to-air missiles are carried. The BMP-1K1 and K2 are equipped with two R-123M radios and a semi-telescopic antenna. The K3 features an R123M radio, R130M and a 33-ft (10-m) telescopic antenna. Another variant, the BMP-1KSh (not to be confused with the KShM) was a regimental and divisional command post vehicle. It was similar to the BMP-1K, except that it was unarmed, has a larger Hawk Eye radio antenna and carries more radio equipment (R-137, R-140M or R-145BM, each with four or five radios). A TNA-3 navigation system is fitted. The crew is provided with a portable 7.62-mm PK machine gun for self-defense. Ref: Military Periscope, April 2016

BMP-1KSh (Ob'yekt 774, 9S743) BMP-1KSh (Ob'yekt 774, 9S743) (KSh stands for komandno-shtabnaya – command and staff) – Command and staff variant of the BMP-1 for motorized rifle and tank regiments with a TNA-3 gyroscopic navigation device, two R-111, one R-123MT and one R-130M additional radios as well as telegraph and telephone equipment. The armament was replaced by the AMU "Hawkeye" 10 m long telescopic mast and the turret was fixed. It also had a tubular case for the AMU "Hawkeye" antenna parts on the right rear of the vehicle, an AB-1P/30 1 kW box-shaped portable petrol-electric generator set at the center of the rear part of the hull's roof instead of two roof hatches (two roof hatches immediately behind the turret remain) and four elevatable whip antennas at the rear (two on the left and two on the right). The vehicle weighs 13 tonnes and has a crew of 3 + 4. It is armed with one 7.62 mm PKT machine gun. It officially entered service with the Soviet Army in 1972, production did not start until 1976. It saw service in Afghanistan and Chechnya. There were three variants of the BMP-1KSh, one being the "Potok"- 2, each had different additional equipment (including R-137 or R-140 or R-45 radios). NATO gave it the designation BMP M1978.

System

Alternative Designations BMP-1; M-1967; BMP; BMP-76PB

Type Amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)

Manufacturer Kurganmashzavod (Soviet Union)[

Configuration Track

Proliferation Hezbollah

Crew 3 ea

Passengers 8 ea

Driver's Station The driver sits in the front on the left side of the hull. He has three TNPO-170 periscope vision-blocks to provide vision when his hatch is closed. The driver's center vision block can be replaced with a TVNO-2 active night binocular vision device for use in night and poor visibility conditions or with a TNPO-350B extended periscope when swimming with the trim vane erected. The BMP was the first Soviet armored vehicle to use a simple yoke steering system.

Commander's Station The commander's station is located behind the driver's station and is provided with a removable OU-3GA2 or OU-3GK infrared searchlight with an effective range of about 400 metres (440 yd). A dual mode (day/night) TKN-3B 5x/4.2x magnification binocular vision device is coupled to the infrared searchlight. Two periscope vision blocks are also fitted with a heating and cleaning system. The commander's station is equipped with an R-123M radio set.

Turret The BMP-1 has a conical turret equipped with a fume extraction system and an electric traverse drive with a manual backup system.[14] The main gun has a dead-zone over the commander's hatch (between the 10:00 and 11:00 o'clock positions), where the gun must be elevated over the infra-red searchlight to avoid crushing it. When the gun is facing backwards, it prevents hatches on top of the troop compartment from opening. The low profile of the turret makes it a difficult target. The same turret is used in the BMD-1.

Gunner's Station The gunner's station is located to the left of the main gun. The gunner has a dual mode (day/night) 1PN22M1 6x/6.7x magnification image intensifying monocular periscope sight, four day-use periscope vision blocks, and an OU-3GK removable infrared or white-light searchlight. The 1PN22M1 sight has a maximum range of 400 metres (440 yd) at night, 900 metres (980 yd) with the use of the infra-red searchlight. The sight is marked stadiametric with the apparent size of a 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) tall tank at various ranges. The original sight was replaced with the 1PN22M2, which has an additional scale for the OG-15V HE-Frag rounds used by the Ob'yekt 765Sp3, produced from July 1974. The new sight has two day scales for the two projectiles – one from 200 to 1,600 metres (220 to 1,750 yd) and the other from 400 to 1,300 metres (440 to 1,420 yd).

Note IFV with exit doors in the rear with space for 8 soldiers; 4 firing ports on each side; 1 firing port in left rear door

Dimensions

Length 6.735 m

Width 2.94 m

Height 2.15 m

Track 2.75 m

Track Width 300 mm

Weight, Standard 12,500 kg

Weight, Combat 13,500 kg

Ground Clearance 0.39 m

Ground Pressure 0.60 kg/cm² (58.840 Pa) (8.53 psi)

Automotive

Engine Name UTD-23 (Upgraded Engine)

Engine Type Diesel

Engine Power 360 hp

Fuel Capacity 462 liters

Electrical System 24 V

Suspension torsion bar

Range 550 km

Speed, Maximum Road 65 km/h

Speed, Maximum Swim 7 km/h

Speed, Average Cross 45 km/h

Gradient 60%

Side Slope 30%

Trench 2.2 m

Vertical Step 0.80 m

Fording Depth Amphibious

Communications

Type R-123M Radio

Radio Range 16-55 km

Main Weapon System

System

Name 1 × turret-mounted 73 mm 2A28 smoothbore gun

Type Smooth bore semi-automatic gun

Caliber 73 mm

In Service 1966 - Present

Manufacturer KBP

Length 1,195 mm

Width 218 mm

Height 322 mm

Weight 115 kg

Barrels 1 ea

Loader Type Autoloader

Maximum Elevation +33 deg

Minimum Elevation -4 deg

Traverse Range 40 deg

Traverse Left 20 deg

Traverse Right 20 deg

Rate of Fire 8 rds/min

Maximum Firing Range 4,500 m

Sights 1PN22M, 1PN22M2

Ammunition

Name PG-15V

Type HEAT

Caliber 73 mm

Muzzle Velocity 665 m/s

Maximum Firing Range 4,500 m

Shell Variants PG-15V (HEAT), OG-15V (HE-FRAG), PG-15VN (HEAT-DP)

Basic Load 40 ea

Wire-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM)

9M14 Malyutka, MCLOS Wire-Guided Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM)

Name 1 × turret-mounted Malyutka (Baby) 9M14 series ATGW

Type Manual Command to Line of Sight (MCLOS) wire-guided anti-tank guided missile (ATGM)

Manufacturer Soviet Union, Russia as successor state and other countries under license and domestic versions

In Service 1963-present

Proliferation Widely Proliferated, more than 100 countries operate this ATGM

Variants 9M14M, 9M14P1, Malyutka-2, Malyutka-2F

Length 860 mm

Width 393 mm

Diameter 125 mm

Weight (9M14M) 10.9 kg

Weight (9M14P1) 11.4 kg

Weight (Malyutka-2) 12.5 kg

Weight (Malyutka-2F) 12 kg

Warhead Weight (9M14M, 9M14P1) 2.6 kg

Warhead Weight (Malyutka-2, Malyutka-2F) 3.5 kg

Launcher Type 9S415 launch rail

Launcher and Guidance System Weight 30.5 kg

Effective Firing Range 500-3,000 m

Missle Load Time 50 sec

Speed (9M14M, 9M14P1) 115 m/s

Speed (Malyutka-2, Malyutka-2F) 130 m/s

Guidance system MCLOS, SACLOS

Armor Penetration 200mm at 60 degs

Steering Manual via a joystick controler

Basic Load 4 ea

Coaxial Weapon System

System

Name 1 x PKT (Kalashnikov's Machine Gun)

Type General-Purpose Machine Gun

Caliber 7.62 mm

Function In use as a front-line infantry and vehicle-mounted weapon with Russia's armed forces.

In Service 1961-present

Manufacturer Degtyaryov plant

Proliferation 1 Million +

Length (Overall) 1,203 mm

Length (Barrel) 605 mm

Weight (Gun Only) 9 kg

Weight (Tripod Only) 7.7 kg

Action Gas-operated, open bolt

Max Rate of Fire 650 rds/min

Effective Rate of Fire 250-300 rds/min

Feed System Non-disintegrating metal 50 round belts in 100 and 200/250 round ammunition boxes

Sights Tangent iron sights (default); Optical, Night-vision, Thermal and Radar sights

Note The 7.62mm PKT can be controlled remotely and is slaved to the main gun,

Ammunition

Name 57-N-323S

Type Rifle

Caliber 7.62 mm

Cartridge 7.62×54mmR

Muzzle Velocity 855 m/s

Accuracy of fire at 300 meters 90 mm

Basic Load 950 ea

Fire Control

Name INA

Computerized FCS Yes

Thermal Vehicle Commander Yes, TKN-3B day night sight with variable magnification

Thermal Gunner Yes, TVNE-1PA active IR night vision metascope

Main Gun Stabilization No

Gyrocompass Yes, GPK-59 electrical gyrocompass

Firing Ports 4 ea

Day Periscopes 4 ea

Search Light OU-3GK IR search light

Search Light Range 400 m

Protection

Hull Armor Steel 19 mm. The hull of the BMP-1 is made of all-welded steel, which provides the crew with protection from small-arms fire and shell splinters.

Turret Armor Steel 23 mm

Applique Armor Available

Explosive Reactive Armor Available

Active Protection System No

Self-entrenching Blade No

NBC Protection System GO-27 radioactive and chemical agent detector

Chemical Decontamination Kits TDP chemical decontamination kits

Smoke Equipment To create a smokescreen, BMP-1 has a built in TDA thermal smoke emitter in the engine compartment that creates smoke by injecting small amount of diesel onto the engine manifold.

Survivability Equipment INA

Grenade Launcher Yes, RPG-7 light grenade launcher with grenades

Scavenger System Yes

Mine Plough Yes, KMT-10 plough-type mine-clearing system

CVI: HATS

Hull Speedboat-shaped hull with a straight front edge and a trim vane folded on top. Features low profile bullet deflectors. The driver position is on the left side, and the engine exhaust port is on the top right of the vehicle. Two troop hatch doors swing out from the rear.

Armament 73mm low profile gun. Anti-tank missile rail mounted above gun. Rail supports the AT-3 Sagger missile.

Turret One-man low profile turret in the shape of a frying pan.

Suspension 6 road wheels resembling trash can lids. Front sprocket drive supported track. Signature gaps between the 4th, 5th and 6th road wheels. Top of the track is high in relationship to the hull.

Image Sources

Notes https://live.warthunder.com/post/624763/en/?comment=2424954; https://wallmix.net/army/; https://www.armyrecognition.com/russia_russian_army_light_armoured_vehicle_uk/bmp-1_armoured_infantry_fighting_vehicle_technical_data_sheet_specifications_pictures_video.html;