BMP-1

This article deals with the BMP-1 armored personnel carrier. For a description of the cytokine of the same name, Bone Morphogenetic Protein-1, see Bone Morphogenetic Protein 1 .

BMP-1
BPzV-1, the Czechoslovak reconnaissance version of the BMP-1 (2005)
General properties
crew	3 (driver, commander, gunner) + 8 soldiers
length	6.74 m
width	2.94 m
height	2.15 m
Dimensions	13.5 tons (combat weight)
Armor and armament
Armor	maximum 33 mm
Main armament	1 × 73 mm low-pressure smoothbore cannon (2A28 "Grom") and 9M14 Maljutka , 9K111 Fagot , 9K113 bankruptcy - anti-tank guided weapons
Secondary armament	1 × 7.62 mm PKT - machine gun (coaxial)
agility
drive	6-cylinder V-diesel engine UTD-20 225 kW (300 PS )
suspension	Torsion bar
Top speed	65 km / h (road), 45 km / h (terrain), 7 km / h (water)
Power / weight	16.7 kW / ton
Range	600 km (road), 400 km (terrain)

The BMP-1 is a floatable armored personnel carriers from Soviet development and one of the most widely used armored vehicles in the world. The abbreviation BMP stands in Russian for Боевая Машина Пехоты ( B ojewaja M aschina P jechoty ), which means something like "battle vehicle of the infantry".

History and strategic classification

Although the Red Army had developed pioneering battle tanks during World War II , it did not have its own armored personnel carriers. To make up for the shortage, the Soviet troops improvised on battle tanks with mounted infantry . After the end of the war, experiments began on the basis of captured German and US and British transporters acquired as part of weapons aid . Initially, large-sized transporters with a transport capacity of up to 30 soldiers were developed as both wheeled and tracked vehicles. As the first model, the BTR-50 with space for 20 men went into large-scale series production. The disadvantages of the vehicle introduced in the Soviet Army in 1954 quickly became clear: the soldiers had to leave the vehicle through the roof hatches, it was not adapted to the size of an individual rifle squad and not suitable for use under NBC conditions or for fighting other armored vehicles .

Based on these considerations, a new requirement profile was advertised at the end of the 1950s. Four development groups in Volgograd , Chelyabinsk , Rubtsovsk and Bryansk began the design work. Finally, the development of the Isakow design office from Chelyabinsk with the designation "Object 765" was selected. Construction of the first prototypes began in 1966. In the same year, the new vehicle was officially put into service in the Soviet Army, but initially only used for testing on training grounds near Rzhev and Kubinka . The new tank was first presented to the public at the October parade on Red Square in 1967. Then the prototypes were revised again to compensate for the poor balance. This was achieved by extending the vehicle to compensate for the heavy weight of the engine. At the same time, a large production facility was built in Chelyabinsk, where the Isakov design office began developing and designing various variants. The delivery to the regular troops under the name BMP-1 began in 1969.

At the time, the new tank was a revolutionary new concept. Previously, armored personnel carriers had only served to bring infantrymen into their combat position under protection from enemy fire and to offer additional firepower with their relatively weak on-board weapons . They did not have their own anti-tank capability. The BMP-1 was the first armored personnel carrier to enable mounted combat: the occupants could fire their personal weapons from the vehicle while driving. In addition, it was smaller and more maneuverable than comparable western weapon systems of the time. The front armor was designed so that it was impenetrable for the heavy machine guns of the NATO troop carriers of that time. Conversely, no contemporary western troop transport had armor that could have withstood the main weapon, the 9M14 Maljutka . Various battle tanks from NATO countries could have been destroyed with this weapon. Since the production and operating costs for the vehicle were very high, only part of the troops were to be equipped with it and the majority with armored wheeled vehicles. Because of these disadvantages and the light armament compared to main battle tanks, the BMP-1 was particularly controversial among the Soviet military when it was introduced. Because of these concerns, the operational doctrine of the Soviet Army was changed: in the future, main battle tanks and dismounted infantry were to fight tanks, while the BMP-1s were to follow, in order to defeat enemy infantry together with their own.

In the decades that followed, the BMP-1 replaced the BTR-50 in more units than originally planned and became the most popular armored personnel carrier in the Soviet Army. After numerous BMP- 1s had been destroyed in Afghanistan , the BMP-2 was introduced as an improved model in 1982 , which was not intended to replace the predecessor in all units. A fundamental new development with only a few similarities to the BMP-1 is the BMP-3 .

Including the various variants and licensed productions, an estimated 55,000 BMP-1s have been built worldwide to date.

description

Tower in detail

Driver's seat

Crew room

Polish BMP-1

The vehicle is equipped with a 73-millimeter smooth-barreled cannon (2A28) in the turret. The NVA's combat set included 24 armor-piercing shaped charge grenades (with post-acceleration and wing stabilization ) and 16 fragmentation projectiles ( without post-acceleration), the same ammunition that is also fired by the SPG-9 heavy anti-tank rifle . The grenades can be loaded by a semi-automatic loading device after preselection. The rate of fire is six rounds per minute. The effective range is 800 meters, the maximum 1300 meters, 1600 meters at random, and 800 meters at night as well. In addition, a launch rail for launching the anti-tank guided missile 9M14 Malyutka (NATO designation: AT-3 Sagger) is mounted above the cannon. A total of four AT-3s are carried in special holders in the tower. A 7.62 mm machine gun ( PKT ) is installed parallel to the axis of the cannon , the combat kit includes 2000 rounds. The wall thickness of the tub is between 14 and 20 millimeters, that of the tower 23 millimeters.

The vehicle can negotiate trenches up to a width of 2.50 meters and terrain steps up to 70 centimeters high. The ground clearance is 370 millimeters.

The BMP-1 is buoyant; its drive in the water takes place via the chains, the change of direction results, as on land, by braking one chain at a time. To travel in the water, the surge board is folded up, a longer corner mirror is mounted for the driver and the air intake nozzle located behind the tower is extended.

The crew consists of three men:

• Commander (sits in the front left behind the driver, is also the group leader of the motorized rifle group or the platoon leader of the respective motorized rifle platoon )
• Driver (sits in front left next to the engine)
• Directional Gunner (RLS) (sits in the tower)

There is space for eight soldiers in the crew compartment, four on each side with their faces facing the vehicle, i.e. across the direction of travel. The main tank with a capacity of 350 liters and the accumulator box for the two on-board batteries are located between the benches.

The driver, commander and RLS each have their own hatch, the commander's cupola can be rotated around 360 degrees and is equipped with an infrared searchlight, observation optics and night vision device. The driver's central corner mirror is replaceable; a night vision device or the corner mirror can be used for water travel.

Four more hatches are on the roof of the vehicle. These so-called parade hatches are mainly intended for anti-tank rifles, anti-aircraft missiles or snipers in mounted combat. On each side of the crew compartment there are four shooting hatches in which the infantrymen's weapons can be anchored and through which they can be fired from the closed vehicle, and there are four corner mirrors on each side. Two large rear doors, which are also used as fuel tanks for 55 liters of diesel each, are used to get in and out of the mounted infantry. Another shooting hatch is located in the left rear door, and there is also a corner mirror in each rear door.

The vehicle is equipped with infrared headlights , a periscope telescopic sight and a fog system that works by injecting diesel into the exhaust (ejector). Besides the main infrared headlight, the right driving headlight is an IR headlight. This can be converted to an additional headlight. The tower spotlight can be converted to an IR spotlight.

Its ABC protection system makes the vehicle drivable even under contaminated conditions. In addition, the BMP has an automatic fire extinguishing system, preheating system, bilge pumps, a motor protection device for water travel as well as suction and filter systems.

The BMP is driven by a 6-cylinder V-diesel engine (UTD-20), which delivers its 300 HP (221 kW) at 2600 revolutions per minute. The usable speed range is 1800 to 2600 revolutions per minute. It starts electrically or pneumatically . The BMP-1 has five forward gears and one reverse gear in H-shift on the steering bar as well as an off-road reduction that can be activated at any time.

Peculiarities and weak points

The BMP-1 is characterized by high maneuverability for vehicles of its generation, a good mass-performance ratio and soft suspension. The low silhouette makes it difficult to track down and fight the vehicle. The low battle mass was achieved using a magnesium alloy. It allows the vehicle to swim over water hazards without additional equipment and to move on soft ground.

The armament has a few weak points, but these are not unusual for armored vehicles of this era: the cannon must be manually pointed at the target again after loading with the loading machine, as it adopts a certain loading angle for the loading process. The loading process takes place via a lever system. It can also be loaded by hand so that the cannon does not have to be aimed at a loading angle. The BMP-1 allows targeted shooting only when the vehicle is stationary. Since the cannon sits far back on the vehicle, it can only be swiveled down to a limited extent. The AT-3 can also only be started when the vehicle is stationary. The missiles are stored inside the vehicle and must be reloaded by hand. During the journey, the loaded rocket can be transported on the launch rail, but because of the risk of losing it when driving off-road, the PALR was normally not carried in the launch position. This was only intended for emergencies and was the case in peacetime during target practice with the PALR and parades. When the ABC seal is active, the cannon and rocket rail cannot be reloaded.

Rear view: Additional fuel tanks in the doors

The heavy rear doors give the infantrymen problems opening or closing on sloping terrain.

The radio system, which was originally partly equipped with electronic tubes , consumes a lot of electricity and quickly fatigues the vehicle batteries when the engine is not running.

The armor proved to be inadequate not only with the increasing performance of anti-tank weapons and on-board weapons of other vehicles. In the Afghan war in particular, the susceptibility to anti- tank mines was shown , which mainly killed the drivers and commanders who were barely protected in the vehicle's floor area.

It was first used in combat conditions in 1973 in the Yom Kippur War , in which Syria and Egypt had BMP-1 at their disposal. The poor suitability for areas with high ambient temperatures emerged: the soldiers were forced to leave the fighter hatches open, which made them vulnerable to the pressure waves from artillery and air attacks. In addition, the Egyptians and Syrians criticized the low trajectory of the on-board weapons, which posed a threat to their own infantry in front of the vehicle, because "overshooting" was only possible to a limited extent.

According to American tests from the 1970s, the crew room is so low that only 25% of the male population are small enough to be accommodated there comfortably. When wearing full winter combat gear, the value dropped to 15%. The crew room was also rated as too short, so that only 35% of the soldiers have a shoulder width that is narrow enough to allow four men to sit comfortably next to each other on each bench.

Use in the NVA and other armies

Finnish BMP-1

BMP-1 armored personnel carrier on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the founding of the GDR, 1988

BMP-1 A1-Ost of the Bundeswehr

In the Soviet Army, the rifle battalions of tank regiments were normally fully equipped with BMP-1s. In the motorized rifle divisions , one motorized rifle regiment was normally equipped with BMP-1s, the other with wheeled vehicles from the BTR family.

After 14 BMP-1 SP1s from the Soviet Union came to the NVA for testing from 1968 to 1971 , their numbers increased from 1972 to 1986 with the introduction of the BMP-1 SP2 (more than 950 pieces) from ČSSR production. From 1987 to 1988 the NVA received around 180 BMP-1P with 9K113 bankruptcy PALR and smoke throw cups. From 1988 the NVA converted around 90 more BMP-1SP2s to BMP-1Ps in the Neubrandenburg repair plant , which could also fire 9K111 Fagot .

One motorized rifle regiment from each division of the NVA was equipped with the BMP . There were also some variants in the NVA arsenal, especially radio, command and reconnaissance vehicles. Except for the first models of the BMP-1 SP1, all others (BMP-1 SP2) came from the license production of the ČSSR. In 1990 the NVA had around 1100 vehicles.

After 1990, as an interim solution, almost 600 vehicles were converted for use in the German Armed Forces , which then bore the designation BMP-1A1-Ost. Among other things, a ladder was installed on the left side of the vehicle as a stepping aid , modified lighting and asbestos-free linings for the clutch and brake. Some of the cannon ammunition was banned due to the presence of asbestos in the ignition devices, and the fuel tanks in the rear doors were filled with foam or poured out. In 1993 these vehicles were taken out of service and replaced by Marder vehicles . A larger population, around 500, went to Greece , some to Sweden and Finland (165). In Sweden the BMP-1 is called Pansarbandvagn 501 (Pbv 501 for short).

In addition to Russia, Albania , India , Indonesia , Iran , Iraq , Cuba , Libya , Kazakhstan , North Korea , the Czech Republic , Slovakia , Afghanistan , Sri Lanka , Hungary , Estonia , Armenia , Poland , Myanmar , Algeria , Syria and Vietnam are currently using BMP -1 a.

Military operations of the BMP-1 have included the Yom Kippur War, the Soviet-Afghan War , the three Gulf wars , the Yugoslav wars , the Chechen wars , the war in Afghanistan , the Caucasus War in 2008 , the operations of Libyan troops in Chad and the Cuban troops in Angola .

Versions

The BRM-1K reconnaissance tank, also used in the NVA

Czechoslovak mortar version: ShM vz.85 PRÁM-S.

In the Soviet Army:

• BMP-1 - original version
• BMP-1 - With a combat turret from the BTR-82A
• BMP-1K and BMP-1K3 - command vehicles
• BRM-1 or BMP-R - reconnaissance vehicle
• BRM-1K - reconnaissance command vehicle with radar system, command vehicle for scouting companies
• BMP KShM - unarmed regimental command vehicle
• BMP-1P - equipped with 9K111 fagot
• BMP-1PK - guide variant of the BMP-1P
• BMP-1D - version built from 1982 for the Afghan war. Reinforced armor and partial exchange of the ATGM for AGS-17.
• PRP-3/4 - radar vehicles
• BMP-PPO - training vehicle
• BMP-MP-31 - Air Defense Command Vehicle
• RTV - repair vehicle

In other states:

• BWP-1 - Polish name for the BMP-1
• BWR-1S - Polish name for the BRM-1
• BWR-1K - Polish name for the BRM-1K
• M-80 - alleged Yugoslav replica of the BMP-1
• MLI-84 - Romanian, modified version
• BVP-1 - Czechoslovak replica
• BPzV-1 - Czechoslovak scout version
• BMP-1F - Hungarian reconnaissance vehicle
• Boragh - Iranian variant
• Type 86 or WZ-501 - Chinese variant
• BMP-1UM - Ukrainian variant

In addition, various manufacturers offer a wide range of improved engines as well as alternative weapons and communication systems.

User states

Current users (as of 01/2018)

•  Egypt - There are at least 15 BMP-1s in service.
•  Algeria - There are 685 BMP-1s in service.
•  Angola - There are an unknown number of BMP-1s on duty.
•  Equatorial Guinea - There are 20 BMP-1 on duty.
•  Ethiopia - There are approximately 20 BMP-1s in service.
•  Eritrea - There are 15 BMP-1 in service.
•  Armenia - There are 154 BMP-1, 7 BMP-1K, and 20 BRM-1K in service.
•  Azerbaijan - There are 43 BMP-1 and 15 BRM-1 in service.
•  Bulgaria - There are 90 BMP-1s in service.
•  Democratic Republic of the Congo - As of January 2018, there are 20 BMP-1 in service.
•  Georgia - There are 25 BMP-1 and 1 BRM-1K in service.
•  Greece - There are 398 BMP-1s in service.
•  Guinea - There are 2 BMP-1 on duty.

•  India - There are 700 BMP-1s in service.
•  Iraq - There are approximately 80 BMP-1s in service.
•  Iran - There are 210 BMP-1s in service.
•  Cambodia - There are 70 BMP-1 in service.
•  Kazakhstan - There are 60 BRM-1s in service.
•  Kyrgyzstan - There are 230 BMP-1s in service.
•  Cuba - There are approximately 50 BMP-1 / P in service.

•  Mongolia - There are 310 BMP-1s in service.
•  Mozambique - There are 40 BMP-1 in service.
•  Nicaragua - There are at least 17 BMP-1s on duty.
•  Poland - There are 1277 BMP-1s in service.
•  Russia - There are 500 BMP-1 and 700 BRM-1K in service with the Army .
•  Slovakia - There are 148 BMP-1s and an unknown number of 9S428 ATGW LFK launchers with 9K11 missiles in service.
•  Sri Lanka - There are 13 BMP-1s in service.
•  Sudan - There are an unknown number of BMP-1s in service.
•  Syria - An unknown number of BMP-1s are in service.
•  Tajikistan - There are 8 BMP-1 in service.
•  Chad - There are 80 BMP-1 and 42 BMP-1U in service.
•  Turkmenistan - There are 600 BMP-1 / M and 60 BRM-1 in service.
•  Ukraine - There are 193 BMP-1 and 115 BRM-1K in service.
•  Hungary - There are an unknown number of BMP-1's in service.
•  Uruguay - There are 18 BMP-1 in service.
•  Uzbekistan - There are 6 BRM-1 in service.
•  Vietnam - There are an unknown number of BMP-1's in service.
•  Belarus - There are 132 BRM-1s in service.

Former users

•  Libya - Decommissioned by January 2018.
•  Czech Republic - Decommissioned by January 2018.
•  German Democratic Republic - dissolution of the NVA and transfer to the Bundeswehr.
•  Germany - retirement and partial sale.

literature

• Wilfried Copenhagen : The land forces of the NVA . Motorbuch-Verlag 2003, ISBN 3-613-02297-4 .
• Wilfried Copenhagen: The BMP infantry fighting vehicle. ( Memento from March 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) In: Vehicle profiles. No. 13, Unitec Medienvertrieb, order no. 9013.
• AW Karpenko: Soviet-Russian tanks . 1905-2003. Ed .: Rudi Meier. Elbe-Dnjepr, Klitzschen 2004, ISBN 3-933395-44-5 , p. 121–134 (491 pp., Russian: Обозрение отечественной бронетанковой техники (1905–1995 гг.) . Translated by Rudi Meier).
• Peter Heinze: Bundeswehr "conquers" East Germany: an East German reporter on duty . 2010, ISBN 978-3-937885-32-2 , BMP fighting machine was "Measure of Threat", p. 102-104 ( Gugelbuch [accessed May 23, 2018]).

See also

• BMD (tank)

Web links

Commons : BMP-1  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• The BMP 1 - BMP friends, military technology and model making. In: bmp-freunde.jimdo.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Steven Zaloga: BMP Infantry Fighting Vehicle 1967-94. Osprey Publishing, 1994, ISBN 9781855324336 .
2. ↑ Ulf Krause: The Bundeswehr as an instrument of German foreign policy . Springer, 2012, ISBN 978-3-658-00185-8 , pp. 156 ( Gugelbuch [accessed May 23, 2018]).
3. ↑ СМИ: В ходе модернизации на БМП-1 установят орудие от БТР-82. военное.рф, March 19, 2018, accessed March 23, 2018 (Russian). 
4. ↑ New BMP-1 upgrade developed in Ukraine ( Memento from May 2, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an} The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) : The Military Balance 2018 . 1st edition. Routledge, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-85743-955-7 (English, January 2018).

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on March 19, 2007 .