Though the Germans had discovered the use and importance, shortly followed by America & the UK, of the APC in the Second World War, it was the Russians who evolved the APC into the Infantry Fighting Vehicle with the introduction of their BMP-1 in 1967.

The BMP-1 saw action through the 70’s and beyond the millennium. It was through the combat experiences of the 70’s and the impending introduction of the new German Marder that the BMP-1’s replacement the BMP-2 had gone into development by 1972 and continued through out the 70’s.

The Russian BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

The BMP-2 saw the introduction of a new powerful engine and turret, housing a new replacement to the old 73mm cannon, a 30mm 2A42 auto cannon with dual ammunition feeds. It has two rates of fire, between 200 to 300per/min in slow or 500per/min in fast. The cannon has a better elevation of up to 75deg. giving it a strong anti-helicopter capability with a range of 2000 – 4000m’s. The old 9K11 Malyutka ATGM, which was very unpopular with the crews as they had to fire and guided it from the exposed position of the top of the turret was replaced with the 9M113 Konkurs ATGM, which enabled it to be fired from the safety of inside the turret with a maximum range of 4000m. The turret is also fitted with 6 smoke grenade launchers and a co-axially mounted 7.62mm MG.

The new turret saw changes to the crew and infantry troops. It mean’t that it could only carry 7 instead of the original 8 of the BMP-1 and the commander was moved into the turret. (Commander sits on the right and gunner on the left, with the driver on the left at the front).

The new turret also meant that the four original hatches at the top of the hull, used by the infantry troops for dismounting was reduced to two. Three troops sit on each side of a central bench back-to-back, facing the hull walls and a firing port each. The seventh trooper sits behind the driver.

The vehicles armour is appliqué steel and highly susceptible to all modern anti-tank munitions, inc 50 cal. MG’s as ERA, which is highly used on Russian tracked fighting vehicles, can’t be used as it poses a danger to the dismounting infantry.

Unlike its NATO counter-parts, the BMP-2 was fully amphibious with the only preparation being a thin buoyancy board at the front. It was propelled by its tracks and fitted with bilge pumps.

The BMP-2 was manufactured in Russia, the former Czechoslovakia and India where it was designated Sarath, who produced a number of variants.

Combat History:

Known Operators up to 2005:

Former USSR / Russian BMP-2 Variants:

Variants of the Former Czechoslovakia:

Variants of the Indian Army:

The Russian BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle entered service in 1981 (originally designated the BMP 1981) and was first publicly displayed in a military parade in Moscow in 1982. Despite combating a number of flaws of the BMP-1, the BMP-2 field some new ones. Its low profile mean’t the fuel tank was fitted under the bench of the infantry troops and in their rear two doors, providing a larger target for a SABOT round to strike. The 30mm gun also had problems. Firstly if the fast rate of fire was used then the turret crew became over whelmed with fumes from the gun. Also it could take up to two hours to refill the dual ammunition feeds.