The Russian BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

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:

A good example of the design floor of the fuel tanks being in the rear doors and under the troop bench

Conflict Date
Angolan Civil War
1975 – 2000
The Soviet war in Afghanistan
1979 – 1988
The Iran-Iraq War
1980 – 1988
The Gulf war
1990 – 1991
The first Chechen War
1994 – 1996
The current on-going Chechen War
1999 – to present
The War on terror in Afghanistan
2001 – present
The invasion of Iraq
2003
South Ossetia War
2008

Known Operators up to 2005:

Operator
number
Operator
number
Operator
number
Abkhazia
U-KN
Georgia
210
Slovakia
93
Afghanistan
550
India
1500
Sri Lanka
375
Albania
13
Iran
400
Sudan
6
Algeria
225
Indonesia
40
Syria
100
Angola
250
Jordan
35
Tajikistan
25
Armenia
78
Kazakhstan
300
Togo
20
Azerbaijan
96
Kuwait
46
Turkmenistan
930
Belarus
1164
Kyrgyzstan
101
Uganda
19
Bulgaria
114
Republic of Macedonia
10
Ukraine
1434
Czech Republic
186
Russia
3250
Uzbekistan
172
Finland
110
Sierra Leone
2
Yemen
334

 

Former USSR / Russian BMP-2 Variants:

A Russian BMP-2 during the 2008 South Ossetia war
The Russian BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Variant:
Characteristics:
BMP-2 1982
Standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
BMP-2 1984
Standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle with added kovriki armour on the front of the turret.
BMP-2 1986
Standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle with a new BPK-2-42 gunners sight.
BMP-2D
Added on spaced armour for the Soviet war in Afghanistan, with the option of front mounted mine clearance equipment.
BMP-2K
Command vehicle with telescopic observation mast.
BMP-2M
General up-grade, new larger ATGM launcher, AG-30 grenade launcher, night vision sights, air conditioning and passive armour
BMO-1
Standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle for flamethrower troops, equipped with napalm rocket launchers.

Variants of the Former Czechoslovakia:

Variant: Characteristics:
BVP-2 Standard indigenes manufactured version of the BMP – II.
BVP-2V Command vehicle with telescopic observation mast.
VPV Recovery vehicle mounted with a hydraulic crane.

Variants of the Indian Army:

Sarath (Chariot of Victory)Standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

Variant:
Characteristics:
Sarath (Chariot of Victory)
Standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
Armoured Ambulance
Internal troop compartment redesigned to fit four stretchers.
Armoured Vehicle Tracked Light Repair
Mounted with a hydraulic crane.
Armoured Amhibious Dozer
Fitted with a rear dozer blade and mine plough, a main winch with a lifting capacity of 8000 kg.
Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicle
Turret less with a number of external detection devices such as radar (water) and water current reader meters.
NBC Reconnaissance Vehicle
Equipped with various external environmental measuring/monitoring equipment.
Namica
ATGM tank destroyer. It is turret less, with a launcher on a retractable arm that houses four Nag HEAT ATGM’s with an operational range of 4000m.
Akash
Air-defence vehicle with a SAM missile launcher (houses three missiles).
Rajendra
Radar (air) detection vehicle.
Carrier Mortar Tracked Vehicle
Turret less with a 81mm mortar operated and fired from inside the hull. It has a range of 5000m and carries 108 mortar rounds.

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.