User:Megapixie/BMP-1 rewrite
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BMP-1,BMP-2 and BMP-3 are a series of Soviet infantry fighting vehicles. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty (Боевая Машина Пехоты, literally "Combat Vehicle of Infantry") †. The BMP-1 was first seen publically in the November 1967 Moscow parade.
BMP series general characteristics | |||
---|---|---|---|
BMP-1 | BMP-2 | BMP-3 | |
Entered service | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 |
Crew | 3 (Driver, Gunner, Commander) | ||
Passengers | 8 | 7 | |
Length | 6.74 m | 6.72 m | 6.72 m |
Width | 2.94 m | 3.15 m | 3.23 m |
Height | 2.15 m | 2.45 m | 2.65 m |
Frontal armour | 33 mm | 33 mm | 50 mm |
Weight | 13.5 t | 14.3 t | 18.7 t |
Primary armament |
73 mm 2A28 grom gun |
30 mm 2A42 autocannon |
100 mm 2A70 gun + 30 mm 2A72 |
Secondary armament |
7.62 mm PKT coax machinegun |
1 x PKT coax 2 x bow PKT | |
ATGM armament | AT-3/4/5 | AT-4/5 | AT-10 |
Elevation | +33 to -4 | +74 to -5 | +60 to -6 |
Power plant | 300 hp (225 kW) diesel |
500 hp UTD-29M diesel | |
Speed (road) | 65 km/h | 70 km/h | |
Speed (water) | 7 km/h | 10 km/h | |
Range | 600 km | ||
Ground pressure (kg /cm²) |
0.6 | 0.65 | 0.61 |
It was a revolutionary design, combining properties of an armoured personnel carrier and a light tank. The Soviet military leadership saw any future wars as being conducted with nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Unprotected infantry in such a conflict would soon be either killed or incapacitated by radiation or chemical and biological agents. A vehicle like the BMP would allow infantry to operate from the relative safety of its radition shielded interior in contaminated areas, and to fight alongside it in uncontaminated areas.
The BMP-1 was first tested in combat in the 1973 Yom Kippur War where it was used by Egyptian and Syrian forces. Based on leasons learned from this conflict and early experiences in the Soviet war in Afghanistan, a improved version, the BMP-2 was developed. It was accepted into service in August 1980. It was first shown publically during the November 1982 Moscow parade.
In 1990 the BMP-3 a radically redesigned vehicle with a completely new weapon system entered service in limited numbers with the Russian army.