This year marks 50 years since the BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle was adopted by the Soviet Army in 1966. In terms of its characteristics: mobility, security and firepower, the new vehicle significantly surpassed the armored personnel carriers previously used to transport infantry. The Soviet Union became the first country to adopt an armored vehicle of this class. Its layout has become a classic BMP. The engine compartment is located in the front of the hull, in the middle of the hull there is a turret with weapons, and in the rear of the hull is the troop compartment.
In the future, BMPs became widespread in the armed forces of other states, displacing light tanks. In terms of security, the BMP-1 was close to the PT-76 amphibious tank. The frontal armor of the BMP-1 withstood shelling of 12, 7-20 mm ammunition, the side, stern and roof of the hull are protected from shrapnel and rifle bullets.
BMP-1
The armament of the BMP-1 had a pronounced anti-tank orientation. Soviet military leaders believed that motorized rifle subunits operating autonomously should have ample opportunities to resist enemy tanks. In this regard, the armament of the combat vehicle included a 73-mm smooth-bore gun 2A28 "Thunder", paired with a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun, and an ATGM 9M14M "Malyutka". The gun installed in the tower has a circular firing sector, elevation angles -5 … + 30 degrees.
The main purpose of the 73-mm launcher gun is precisely the fight against armored vehicles. For some time after the adoption of the BMP-1 into service, the ammunition load of the 2A28 gun included only the PG-15V cumulative shot with the PG-9V cumulative grenade. This cumulative ammunition is also used in the 73 mm LNG-9 anti-tank grenade launcher.
An active-reactive shot with a cumulative grenade consists of a powder propellant charge in a short sleeve and a PG-9V cumulative grenade with a jet engine. The grenade leaves the gun barrel at a speed of 400 m / s, and then is accelerated by a jet engine to a speed of 665 m / s. At the same time, the maximum firing range is 1300 meters, and the range of a direct shot at a target 2 meters high is 765 meters. That is, the effective range of fire against armored targets from the 73-mm BMP-1 gun is comparable to the range of fire from the PKT 7.62 mm machine gun.
Weight: shot PG-15V - 3, 5 kg, grenades PG-9V - 2, 6 kg. The first version of the PG-9V could penetrate 300 mm of armor. The armor penetration of the upgraded PG-9S cumulative grenade is 400 mm of homogeneous armor. The cumulative jet of this ammunition is able to overcome 1 meter of reinforced concrete, 1.5 meters of bricks or 2 meters of soil.
Model of an active-reactive shot with a cumulative grenade PG-15V
Since 1974, the BMP-1 ammunition has also included OG-15V fragmentation shots, designed to defeat manpower and destroy light field fortifications. Weight: shot OG-15V - 4, 6 kg, grenades OG-9 - 3, 7 kg, grenade contains 375 grams of explosive.
For the 2A28 "Thunder" gun, a loading mechanism is used, thanks to which the technical rate of fire is 8-10 rds / min (real 6-7 rds / min). The loading mechanism is semi-automatic with an electromechanical drive and a mechanized conveyor-type ammunition rack. It provides storage, transportation and firing of shots to the delivery line. After the introduction of the OG-15V fragmentation shots into the BMP-1 ammunition, the shot feed mechanism was excluded, since the OG-15V can only be loaded manually. In this regard, loading with cumulative rounds of PG-15V was also carried out manually. The ammunition load of the gun is 40 cumulative and fragmentation rounds.
At the time of adopting the BMP-1, its 73-mm gun could, within the effective firing range, fight against tanks: Leopard-1, M48, M60, AMX-30, Chieftain. However, after the appearance of tanks with multi-layer spaced armor and the massive introduction of dynamic protection (reactive armor), the capabilities of 73-mm cumulative ammunition became insufficient. In the course of hostilities, where the BMP-1 was used, the weakness of the gun was revealed when suppressing tank-dangerous targets - infantry with RPGs and ATGMs. In addition, when the BMP-1 was detonated on an anti-tank mine, the fuses of the 73-mm gun shells often became on a combat platoon and self-destructed after a short time interval. At the same time, the detonation of the entire ammunition load took place, with the death of the crew and the landing. All this led to the fact that the military subsequently demanded the introduction of a small-caliber automatic weapon into the armament, which has great capabilities to combat helicopters, lightly armored vehicles and enemy infantry.
Even at the development stage of the BMP-1 to combat tanks at medium distances, it was decided to equip the vehicle with the 9K11 Malyutka anti-tank guided missile system with a launch range of 500-3000 m. The 9M14 missile weighing 10, 9 kg flew 3000 meters in 25 seconds at a speed of 120 m / s. The warhead of an ATGM weighing 2, 6 kg, normally penetrated 400 mm of homogeneous armor. In the BMP-1 ammunition there were 4 anti-tank missiles "Baby". Later, a modernized 9M14M ATGM with armor penetration up to 460 mm appeared.
ATGM "Baby"
Thus, the 73-mm gun and ATGM complemented each other. However, for the effective use of a joystick-controlled anti-tank missile, the level of professional skills of the gunner-operator had to be high enough. In battle, the operator, after launch, visually observes the flight of the ATGM and corrects it. At a distance of less than 1000 meters, the rocket can be guided "by eye". At long distances, an 8x telescopic sight is used. For visual observation of the rocket along the trajectory, a well-visible tracer in its tail section is used. During the Yom Kippur War, in order to maintain the qualifications of the Egyptian operators of the Malyutka ATGM at the proper level, it was necessary to conduct trainings on the simulator every day. Even so, the probability of hitting a moving tank did not exceed 0.7. In case of hitting an M48 or M60 tank, armor that was not equipped with reactive armor penetrated about 60% of the time.
For the first time, the opportunity to assess the anti-tank capabilities of the BMP-1 weapons presented itself during the next Arab-Israeli conflict in 1973. Although the Egyptians lost an unreasonable amount of BMP-1s due to incorrect use tactics and poor crew training, these vehicles made a strong impression on the Israelis. So, during the battles in the Kantara area, light and passable BMP-1s were able to cross the salt marshes and shot the Israeli tanks stuck. The Syrians used the armament of the BMP-1 against tanks quite effectively in 1982. It is believed that the gunners-operators were responsible for several destroyed Israeli tanks "Magah-3" during the night battle in the Sultan Yaakub area. The Syrians also announced the destruction of the Magah-6 and Merkava tanks in other combat episodes. But by the mid-80s, after the appearance of DZ and tanks of a new generation, the armament capabilities of the BMP-1 no longer corresponded to modern requirements. In this regard, instead of the 9K11 "Baby" ATGM, the BMP-1 in 1979 was rearmed with the 9K111 "Fagot" anti-tank complex. The upgraded vehicle received the designation BMP-1P. To this level, during the overhaul, most of the early release BMP-1s in the troops were modified.
BMP-1P
The launch range of the first versions of the Fagot ATGM was 2000 meters. But at the same time, the guidance became semi-automatic, which means that the operator, after launching the rocket, only needed to keep the target in the optical sight. At the same time, the automation itself brought the wire-guided missile to the line of sight. The armor penetration of the first 9M111 missiles remained at the level of the 9M14M ATGM, but the maximum flight speed increased to 240 m / s, and the "dead zone" decreased to 75 meters. Later, missiles were developed and entered service with a launch range of 2500-3000 meters with armor penetration of 600 mm.
The introduction of an ATGM with a semi-automatic guidance system significantly increased the probability of hitting the target and reduced the requirements for the level of training of the gunner-operator. However, it should be understood that even with the increased probability of hits and armor penetration, the BMP-1's capabilities to combat modern main battle tanks remain very modest. The 2A28 "Thunder" gun is hopelessly outdated and has a chance to penetrate only the side armor, and an anti-tank missile, not equipped with a tandem warhead, does not guarantee overcoming multi-layered frontal armor. In addition, an ATGM in a combat situation is, in fact, a disposable weapon; it is extremely problematic to reload the launch container under enemy fire.
Soon after the adoption of the BMP-1, the design bureau of the Kurgan Machine-Building Plant began designing a new infantry fighting vehicle with an improved armament complex. The reason for this was the information about the creation in Germany and France of the BMP "Marder" and the BMP AMX-10P. In addition, helicopters armed with ATGMs began to play an important role in the fight against tanks. To combat them, a small-caliber automatic cannon was needed. By the beginning of the 70s, the priority task of the BMP was the fight not against tanks, but against tank-dangerous targets - anti-tank artillery and armed infantry ATGM and RPG, as well as the destruction of lightly armored targets: BRDM, armored personnel carriers and BMP. The Soviet-Chinese border conflict on Damansky Island played its role in the decision to modernize the BMP weapons, where the low efficiency of the 73-mm cannon in the fight against enemy manpower was revealed.
BMP-2
In 1977, small-scale production of the BMP-2 began, its main difference from the BMP-1 is the armament complex. In the new, more spacious turret, an automatic 30 mm 2A42 cannon with 500 rounds of ammunition was installed as the main armament. The gun has a separate power supply with the ability to change the type of ammunition - one tape is equipped with armor-piercing tracer shells, the other - high-explosive incendiary and fragmentation tracer shells. Shooting from the 2A42 is possible with single and automatic fire at high and low rates. The 7.62 mm PKT machine gun is paired with a 30 mm cannon. To combat tanks, the Fagot ATGM was originally installed. In addition, there are six 81-mm Tucha grenade launchers for setting up a smoke screen.
The first BMP-2s were sent for military trials to the 29th Panzer Division, stationed near Slutsk in Belarus. After the introduction of the "limited contingent" into Afghanistan, vehicles from the BVO were sent beyond Pyanj. At the same time, in 1980, mass production of the BMP-2 began in Kurgan.
During the fighting in Afghanistan, the BMP-2 has proven itself well. Of course, our motorized riflemen did not have to deal with combat helicopters and tanks there, but a 30-mm automatic cannon with elevation angles of −5 … + 74 ° was the best suited to defeat the rebel firing points on the mountain slopes. In addition, 30-mm shells did not detonate when the BMP-2 was detonated on mines and land mines.
In order to increase security, the BMP-2D was created in 1982. On this modification, additional side armor screens were installed, the side armor of the turret was increased, the driver was covered with an armor plate from below. Due to the increased mass from 14 to 15 tons, the vehicle lost its ability to float, but in the conditions of Afghanistan, greater protection turned out to be more important.
BMP-2D
It is generally accepted that a 30-mm cannon is only capable of fighting lightly armored vehicles. Thus, an armor-piercing 30-mm projectile 3UBR8 at a distance of 100 meters penetrates a 45 mm armor plate installed at an angle of 60 °, and at a distance of 500 meters - 33 mm of armor. However, it should be borne in mind that the fire on the armored targets is fired in burst, and the 2A42 assault rifle has a good accuracy of fire. This means that at relatively small distances, the shells will hit almost the same place. At the end of the 80s, the author had a chance to observe a decommissioned T-54 tank, which was used as a target, at the test site. Its frontal 100-mm armor was literally "gnawed" by armor-piercing 30-mm shells. The early-type turret with "lures" also had holes. It follows from this that a burst of 30-mm armor-piercing shells fired at close range is quite capable of penetrating the side armor of a main battle tank, damaging observation devices, sights and weapons, and setting fire to hinged fuel tanks. In the course of real hostilities, cases of incapacitation and even destruction of modern tanks by BMP-2 were repeatedly recorded.
Compared to the BMP-1, the anti-tank capabilities of the "two" have increased significantly, including due to the use of the late series ATGMs 9K111-1 "Konkurs" and 9K111-1M "Konkurs-M" on machines. The launch range of the 9M113M anti-tank guided missile of the Konkurs-M complex is 75-4000 meters. The missile is guided along a wire line in a semi-automatic mode. An anti-tank guided missile with a tandem warhead is capable of penetrating 750 mm of homogeneous armor after overcoming dynamic protection. In total, the BMP-2 ammunition contains 4 ATGMs. However, reloading them takes a lot of time and the most effective fight against tanks is possible when operating from ambushes.
Analysis of the combat use of infantry fighting vehicles, a change in combat tactics and the emergence of opportunities for the development of new weapons and ammunition served as the reason for the formulation of new requirements for a fundamentally new infantry fighting vehicle with significantly increased firepower.
In 1987, the BMP-3 was adopted, and its production began at the Kurgan Machine-Building Plant. The new combat vehicle was strikingly different from the usual BMP-1 and BMP-2. The front arrangement of the engine-transmission compartment, traditional for Soviet vehicles of this class, was replaced by a stern one - as on tanks. When the MTO is located in the front, the engine serves as additional protection in case of penetration of the frontal armor. At the same time, due to the front alignment of the BMP-1 and BMP-2, they are prone to "pecking", which significantly limits the speed of movement over rough terrain. With the rear engine, the weight is more favorably distributed along the length of the car, the volume of living space increases and the driver's view is improved.
BMP-3
The body made of aluminum armored alloys is additionally reinforced with steel screens. According to the manufacturer, the frontal armor holds the 30-mm armor-piercing shell of the 2A42 cannon from a distance of 300 meters. It is also possible to further increase the level of security by installing overhead armor modules. But at the same time, the mass of the car increases from 18, 7 to 22, 4 tons, it loses its ability to float, the mobility and resource of the running gear are reduced.
For the BMP-3 in the Instrument Design Bureau (Tula), a very unusual main armament complex was created, installed in a low-profile conical turret. It consists of a low-impulse 100-mm gun - a 2A70 launcher and a 30-mm 2A42 automatic cannon. The 7.62 mm PKT machine gun is rigidly built with cannons. BMP-3 has an advanced fire control system. It includes: 2E52 weapon stabilizer, 1D16 rangefinder, 1V539 ballistic computer, roll, speed and heading sensors, 1K13-2 sight-targeting device, PPB-2 device, 1PZ-10 sight, TNShVE01-01 device. Vertical aiming angles -6 … + 60 ° allow hitting targets on the slopes of mountains and upper floors of buildings, as well as hinged firing with 100-mm projectiles and fight low-flying air targets.
Ammunition 100-mm guns 40 unitary rounds, of which 6-8 ATGM. The range of ammunition includes ZUOF 17 with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile (OFS) ZOF32 and ZUB1K10-3 with ATGM 9M117. Thanks to the automatic loader, the rate of fire of the 100-mm 2A70 gun is 10 rds / min. 22 rounds fit into the conveyor of the automatic loader. A unitary shot ZUOF 17 with OFS ZOF32 with an initial speed of 250 m / s can hit targets at a distance of up to 4000 meters. In terms of its destructive characteristics, it is similar to the high-explosive fragmentation projectile of the 100-mm D-10T tank gun and is capable of fighting enemy manpower, suppressing tank-hazardous targets, destroying field-type shelters and destroying lightly armored vehicles. In the 90s, for the 2A70 gun, 3UOF19 and 3UOF19-1 shots were created with an increased firing range and an increased damaging effect of the projectile.
In addition to high-explosive fragmentation shells from the BMP-3 100-mm gun, it is possible to fire an ATGM 9K116-3 "Fable" guided in a semi-automatic mode by the laser beam. Structurally and in terms of its characteristics, the guided weapons complex (KUV) is similar to the KUV "Bastion" of the T-55M tank and the "Kastle" of the 100-mm MT-12 anti-tank gun and is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 4000 meters. The armor penetration of the first version of the 9M117 ATGM was 550 mm of homogeneous armor. Later, improved versions 9M117M and 9M117M1 appeared with a launch range increased to 5000-5500 meters. According to the manufacturer's advertising brochures, the 9M117M1 "Arkan" guided missile with a tandem warhead is capable of penetrating a 750 mm homogeneous armor plate after overcoming the DZ. Mathematical modeling showed that to hit the tanks M1A2, "Leclerc", "Challenger-2" it is necessary to hit 2-3 ATGM "Arkan". For the use of new guided missiles in the armament of the BMP-3 existing in our country, it is necessary to refine the KUV. So far, their ammunition contains only the 9M117 ATGM, which can no longer guarantee the penetration of the frontal armor of modern tanks.
Since 2005, a small-scale production of the Bakhcha-U universal automated combat module (turret with an armament complex) has been carried out. It is designed to arm promising and modernized armored vehicles and has a number of advantages over the original BMP-3 weapon system. The "Bakhcha-U" module in the firing position weighs 3600-3900 kg. The ammunition load contains 4 ATGMs and 34 OFS.
Combat module "Bakhcha-U" at the exhibition "Technologies in mechanical engineering", 2014
Thanks to the use of new, more effective guided (including the Arkan ATGM) and unguided ammunition, advanced sensors and a ballistic computer, the range and effectiveness of firing have significantly increased. Thanks to the introduction of a satellite positioning system (GPS / GLONASS), it is possible to fire new 100-mm high-explosive fragmentation projectiles from closed firing positions at a distance of up to 7000 meters.
Paired with a 100-mm BMP-3 cannon, the 2A72 automatic 30-mm cannon with ready-to-use ammunition load of 500 rounds of ammunition is completely unified with the 30-mm 2A42 cannon and is similar in its ability to combat armor targets to the cannon installed on the BMP-2.
The start of mass production of the BMP-3 coincided with the collapse of the USSR and the beginning of "economic reforms". This negatively affected the fate of the vehicle in the Russian armed forces. Despite the fact that the army had a large number of well-mastered BMP-1 and BMP-2, the need for a rather complex BMP-3, with "children's sores" not yet eliminated, was not obvious to the leadership of the RF Ministry of Defense. The BMP-3 armament complex turned out to be too difficult for conscript soldiers to master, and the creation of the necessary repair infrastructure required additional investment. All this led to the fact that BMP-3s were mainly built for export, and in the Russian armed forces there are very few capable machines of this type. Nevertheless, work on improving the BMP-3 did not stop. Recently it became known about the tests of the BMP-3 with the artillery module AU-220M "Baikal".
In terms of a number of characteristics, the AU-220M "Baikal" with a 57-mm automatic gun is even more preferable than the "Bakhcha-U", it is also important that it will be significantly cheaper in serial production. According to the developers, the rate of fire of "Baikal" is up to 120 rounds per minute, the maximum range is 12 km. The ammunition load includes high-explosive, armor-piercing and guided projectiles. Under "controlled", obviously, one should understand fragmentation shells with remote detonation on the trajectory. The maximum range of 12 km is also a purely advertising statement, no one in their right mind will fire from a 57-mm gun at ground targets at such a range. But if we discard the advertising husk and analyze the characteristics of the AU-220M "Baikal", we can come to the conclusion that for the BMP this is in many ways the optimal weapon.
AU-220M "Baikal"
The 57-mm automatic gun mount, when firing with existing armor-piercing shells, is guaranteed to hit all existing infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, it is also capable of posing a serious threat to main battle tanks. If adopted, new shells with increased armor penetration can be introduced into the ammunition load. 57-mm fragmentation projectiles with automatic firing will be much more effective compared to 30-mm when suppressing tank-hazardous manpower. In the case of the introduction of remotely programmable or projectiles with a radio fuse into the ammunition load and the creation of an appropriate fire control system, the BMP-3 will receive the functions of an effective anti-aircraft self-propelled installation.
In order not to overload the article with unnecessary volume, it deliberately does not consider the armament complex of "airborne BMPs": BMD-1, BMD-2, BMD-3, BMD-4 - since in terms of their armament and, accordingly, the ability to fight tanks, they are practically the same BMP ground forces. Partly a confirmation of the weakness of the anti-tank capabilities of the Airborne Forces was the adoption of the Sprut-SD tank destroyer with a 125-mm smooth-bore tank gun.
At the Victory Parade in 2015, a medium-weight wheeled BMP "Boomerang" and a heavy tracked BMP "Kurganets-25" were presented. According to information published in open sources, promising infantry fighting vehicles will be armed with an uninhabited combat module "Boomerang-BM" with a 30-mm cannon 2A42. The cannon has a selective power supply, 500 rounds of ammunition (160 BPS / 340 OFS), 7, 62-mm PKTM machine gun is paired with the cannon. To combat tanks, four 9K135 Kornet ATGM launchers are intended. The 9M133 ATGM is guided by a laser beam in a semi-automatic mode. The aiming range of the 9M133 ATGM is 5000 meters, the armor penetration beyond the DZ is 1200 mm of homogeneous armor, which is enough to penetrate the frontal armor of modern MBT.
"Boomerang-BM"
It is known about the creation of a modernized version of the "Cornet-D" with a firing range of up to 10 km. The 9M133FM-3 missile with a high-explosive warhead can be used to combat air targets flying at speeds up to 250 m / s. To hit air targets with a miss of up to 3 meters, the ATGM is equipped with an additional proximity fuse. Guidance of the combat module can be carried out by the gunner and commander. Due to robotization, the universal combat module after capture is able to monitor the movements of the target and fire at it. In the future, it is planned to equip new infantry fighting vehicles with more advanced anti-tank weapons, operating on the principle of "fire and forget."
