The Russian BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle will receive an improved UTD-32T engine and a new thermal imaging panoramic sight for the commander.

This was reported to RT in the armament complex of the state corporation "Rostec".

“We are planning to equip the BMP-3 with a power plant using the UTD-32T engine.

It will be more powerful than its predecessor - it has 660 hp.

This will make it possible to start the engine faster, change its operating modes faster, and make the car more maneuverable, ”the corporation said.

In turn, the press service of the NPO High-Precision Complexes announced plans to install new communication systems on the combat vehicle.

"Communication facilities are constantly being improved, this happens in accordance with the requirements of the military," the holding noted.

The NGO added that serial BMP-3s for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are equipped with a complex of additional protection, and stated that the vehicles have a high modernization potential and will remain in service for a long time.

The "High-precision complexes" also reported that in parallel, work is underway to modernize the naval version of the armored vehicle - BMP-3F.

History of success

The BMP-3 tracked infantry fighting vehicle is designed to deliver personnel to the front line of hostilities, increase their mobility and security on the battlefield.

Its development within the framework of the "Object 688" project began in 1977 at the Kurgan Special Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering.

It was created as a fundamentally new machine, which was not the result of the modernization of the BMP-1 and BMP-2 that were in service.

Its tests took place from 1983 to 1986, and in 1987 the BMP-3 was put into service.

At the same time, the first samples made at Kurganmashzavod entered the motorized rifle troops.

For the first time, the BMP-3 was demonstrated to the public on May 9, 1990 at the parade in honor of the 45th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

  • BMP-3 at the parade in honor of the 45th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War

  • RIA News

  • © Yuri Somov

Despite the economic crisis that hit the Russian defense sector after the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, Kurganmashzavod continued to produce these machines due to the high demand for them from foreign customers.

Thus, the BMP-3 was exported to the UAE, Kuwait, the Republic of Cyprus and other countries.

And in 1997, China acquired the rights to manufacture its warhead for use in the design of its own ZBD-04 armored vehicles.

In 2015, at arms exhibitions, the public was presented with a whole range of modifications of the BMP-3 with various weapons and equipment - "Vityaz", "Derivation" and "Dragoon".

In 2017, the Ministry of Defense signed a contract for the supply of an BMP-3 with an Epoch unmanned combat module.

At the end of 2019, this module was presented to Vladimir Putin at an exhibition at the National Center for Defense Management of the Russian Federation.

According to the military department, the first batches of cars with the "Epoch" began to enter the army in 2020.

Combat capabilities

Infantry fighting vehicles differ from armored personnel carriers by a large number of protective systems and an increased fire potential.

Moreover, the BMP-3 with a mass of more than 18 tons can float - it is equipped with special water-jet engines.

They, like the tracked undercarriage, have a reverse gear, which allows the car to quickly escape from enemy fire and afloat, without wasting time turning.

At the same time, she can overcome water obstacles "on the move", that is, without any special technical training.

Movement on land is provided by an individual torsion bar suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers.

In "Rostec" RT said that the UTD-32T engine, which is planned to be installed on the BMP-3, is a more powerful, reliable and energy-efficient modernization of the UTD-29 power plant.

"It is equipped with a turbocharger, which can significantly increase the dynamic properties of the machine," - noted in the state corporation.

The crew of the BMP-3 is three people, while it can drop up to seven people.

According to analysts, in its class, the BMP-3 has one of the most powerful weapons systems in the world.

Its main weapon is a 2A70 rifled gun of 100 mm caliber with a rate of fire of 10 rounds per minute and an ammunition load of 40 rounds.

It can also be used as a guided missile launcher.

Paired with it is a 30-mm 2A72 automatic cannon with an ammunition load of 300 high-explosive and 200 armor-piercing shells, as well as a PKT machine gun of 7.62x54 caliber.

Two more course PKT machine guns are located in the body of the armored vehicle.

The BMP-3 has a number of modifications.

So, the car with the letter "F" mentioned in the message of "Rostec" is "sea" - it has increased buoyancy and has additional water-reflecting shields.

There is also a "command" BMP-3K, designed to control the BMP link and equipped with an increased set of communication devices.

"Vityaz" is equipped with a fire control system of the same name, which enhanced the striking capabilities of the BMP-3 guns.

In "Dragoon" the engine compartment has been moved to the front of the vehicle, the layout of the compartment for paratroopers has been changed.

He does not have course machine guns, however, thanks to the new design, the landing of the paratroopers has been accelerated.

Specialized publications note that such technical solutions were developed based on the experience of operating the BMP-3 in the UAE.

  • BMP-3M "Dragoon" with the BM 100 + 30 module

  • © Vitaly Kuzmin

"Derivation" is equipped with an uninhabited artillery combat module AU-220M "Baikal" with a 57-mm automatic cannon.

At the same time, the crew of the vehicle was reduced to two people, and the number of the landing force was increased to ten fighters.

Serious help

In an interview with RT, a military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin recalled that the BMP-3 was developed in the USSR due to the need to strengthen the offensive capabilities of infantry fighting vehicles.

“The BMP-2, which had a 30-mm cannon, was not capable of fighting tanks, and therefore the BMP-3 with a 100-mm gun was created, which was capable of firing anti-tank guided projectiles.

This innovation, along with a new engine and armor, gave the vehicle more protection for the crew, as well as power and maneuverability.

It was designed to deal with a serious enemy, ”Litovkin explained.

“This is a good car with good prospects.

It can be equipped with a more powerful engine, a fire control system, as well as a battlefield monitoring system, night sights, a system for combating enemy cumulative projectiles, active and passive dynamic protection, and other systems to protect the crew, "Litovkin said.

In turn, military expert Alexei Leonkov, in a conversation with RT, noted that the new equipment will increase the effectiveness of the BMP-3 on the battlefield.

“This modernization is carried out taking into account the real modern combined arms combat, which can take place at any time of the day, which requires thermal imaging sights.

In addition, modern combat requires a more efficient and agile combat unit, which requires a new powerful engine.

A distinctive feature is a new communication system, which is needed for the BMP-3, like other combat units, to become an integral part of the automated command and control system, "the expert explained.

The armament and capabilities of the BMP-3 make it indispensable for the Ground Forces of the Russian army, the analyst noted.

“This is a serious help to the Russian ground forces in any conditions, the main combat unit of infantry support,” concluded Leonkov.