Kurganmashzavod (KMZ) of the High-Precision Complexes holding company supplied the Russian army with a new batch of BMP-3 as part of the execution of the state defense order (GOZ), the press service of Rostec reported.

“This equipment is intended both for combined arms combat and for performing special tasks. The BMP-3 has a powerful weapon system and is equipped with an automated fire control system. The car reaches speeds on land of up to 70 km/h,” says the Rostec Telegram channel.

As noted in the state corporation, for two years Kurganmashzavod has been increasing the production of military equipment and improving it to meet the tasks set by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

"Fire Support"

The BMP-3 is considered one of the most advanced armored vehicles of the Russian army. Rostec materials report that the vehicle received high marks from the military “for its reliability, high mobility and firepower.”

“The reliability of Kurgan infantry fighting vehicles is highly valued by the military taking part in a special military operation. They note the high mobility and firepower of the “troika,” Pyotr Tyukov, executive director of the Kurganmashzavod, previously told reporters.

  • BMP-3 batch supplied by Kurganmashzavod

The BMP-3 was created back in the 1980s to strengthen the capabilities of the USSR Ground Forces in a hypothetical confrontation with the armed forces of NATO member countries. Then Kurgan designers equipped the vehicle with the latest armor protection equipment. In particular, a special alloy was made for the vehicle - armored aluminum ABT-102. She also received unusually powerful weapons.

“The armament combined in one turret unit consists of a 100-mm launcher, a 30-mm cannon and a 7.62-mm machine gun... For the first time in the world, an automated fire control system was used on an infantry fighting vehicle, which solved the problem set (by the military leadership of the USSR. -

RT

) firing on the move,” says the Rostec materials.

The BMP-3 became the first armored vehicle in our country with a semi-automatic transmission. In addition, the UTD-29 diesel power plant with a capacity of 500 hp was developed specifically for this platform. With.

“As a result, the BMP-3 turned out to be a very balanced vehicle in all the most important parameters: fast, protected and well-armed... In terms of the totality of characteristics, the BMP-3, which was put into service back in 1987, still has no competitors in the world,” they say at Rostec.

Last year, Roman Khromov, Deputy Executive Director for State Defense and Military-Technical Cooperation at Kurganmashzavod, told reporters that, according to its current characteristics, the BMP-3 is confidently superior to the M2 Bradley armored vehicle, which the United States supplies to Ukrainian militants. KMZ specialists came to these conclusions after examining a captured American model.

According to Khromov, the Russian armored platform has a more solid arsenal, it is easier to operate, maintain and repair. He called another important advantage of the BMP-3 the ability to overcome water obstacles on the move. Bradley is also capable of crossing bodies of water, but cannot do this without prior and fairly serious preparation.

Earlier, an article by two Russian reserve officers was published in the Army Collection magazine. The material details the tactical and technical characteristics of the Bradley and compares it with the BMP-3. The authors came to the conclusion that in battle the BMP-3 leaves little chance for the American vehicle, “since theoretically it will not give the enemy the opportunity to approach the effective range of weapons.” Officers named the lower silhouette and variable ground clearance as other tangible advantages of the Troika. 

  • Bradley, captured by the Russian Armed Forces in the Avdeevsky direction

  • RIA News

  • © Vitaly Timkiv

“In fact, it (BMP-3. -

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) can “look out” from behind the parapet by 32 cm, and then “sit down” back. A great help in combat when firing from a 100-mm gun is the loading mechanism (ML) used in the BMP-3, which houses 22 projectiles. The MZ provides a combat rate of fire of ten rounds per minute,” the article says.

In addition, the BMP-3 is adapted for mounting anti-tank missiles of the 9M117 family. These ammunition are capable of penetrating 750 mm of homogeneous armor and hitting targets at ranges of up to 5.5 thousand m.

Experts interviewed by RT also believe that the BMP-3 has no equal in the world in many key parameters. For example, the Russian vehicle is ahead of NATO models in terms of maneuverability, unpretentiousness and firepower. 

“The Bradley is like a small tank. The vehicle is really well protected: its frontal projection is reinforced with steel sheets, and individual vulnerable parts are covered with dynamic protection (RA). However, the BMP paid for this with a mass of 34 tons. Of course, the Americans worked to increase engine power, but this did not bring significant results. In terms of mobility, the American vehicle is completely inferior to our “troika” (BMP-3. -

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),” Sergei Suvorov, candidate of military sciences, told RT.

According to the expert, the Bradley is “overweight and unbalanced,” unlike the BMP-3. In addition, it is much less suitable for movement on the viscous soils of Eastern Europe.

In a conversation with RT, military observer Alexander Khrolenko also drew attention to the “excess weight” of the American platform. The expert named the second significant drawback of the Bradley as its fire capabilities, which are insufficient for a modern theater of military operations. Let us remind you that the American armored platform is equipped with a 25-mm M242 automatic rifled cannon, a 7.62-mm machine gun and a TOW anti-tank missile system (ATGM).

“With excess weight, and even a high profile, the Bradley has a 25 mm caliber main gun. Such a gun can work effectively against infantry and some fortifications, but it is not able to withstand armored vehicles. At least its shells will not penetrate the frontal armor of the BMP-3,” Khrolenko noted.

Military expert Alexander Zimovsky shares a similar view on the combat and operational qualities of the Bradley and the Troika. In a commentary to RT, he emphasized that the Russian vehicle is lighter and more maneuverable, which allows it to effectively carry out the task of delivering personnel to the battlefield.

“Bradleys and 3s perform the same tasks. First of all, these are transport and evacuation: they transport military personnel to the line of combat contact. Obviously, the lighter BMP-3 is superior in terms of speed and mobility to the Bradley. If the vehicles enter the battle, then here too our “troika” will have objective superiority due to the presence of a 100-mm cannon,” Zimovsky said.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, in the special operation zone the BMP-3 is used to transport military personnel to a firing position, conduct reconnaissance before carrying out a combat mission, as well as destroy enemy fortifications, armored vehicles and manpower. 

The maximum firing range of the BMP-3 is 7 km. Fire adjustment is carried out using a UAV. 

“The main tasks are to support our infantry with fire, usually from indirect fire positions, sometimes with direct fire. We work mainly against enemy infantry, light fortifications, and mortars. The enemy really doesn’t like this vehicle due to the fact that the shot is hard to hear: they don’t hear the exit, so they don’t have time to quickly react to the shelling,” the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense quotes the armored group commander with the call sign Vekt.

In February, a serviceman described how his BMP-3 crew “suppressed” two Bradleys with fire. 

In demand in SVO

Currently, the Russian army has begun to receive improved BMP-3 with anti-cumulative grilles and armored screens. In addition, in 2023, the Steel Research Institute (part of the Kalashnikov concern) launched mass production of a dynamic protection system for the BMP-3.

The product consists of large-sized containers that protect the crew from damage from monoblock cumulative weapons, RPG shells, and armor-piercing ammunition of 23 and 30 mm caliber. Its elements are capable of covering 62% of the side area, 36% of the frontal part of the hull and 70% of the turret. The mass of the complex is 4.2 tons.

  • BMP-3 in the SVO zone

  • RIA News

  • © Pavel Lisitsyn

According to Kalashnikov, the new remote sensing system is fundamentally different from the previous 4S20 model.

“Its properties ensure that neighboring blocks do not detonate when hit by a grenade or ATGM. Previously, the defeat of one dynamic protection unit led to the failure of several neighboring ones, which increased the area of ​​the unprotected section of the armor,” Kalashnikov explained earlier.

According to Khrolenko, the modern modification of the BMP-3 has received the highest level of protection for such equipment from drones, grenade launchers and anti-tank missiles.

“Increasing security almost never comes without increasing mass. To maintain mobility, a more powerful engine is installed. In the case of the BMP-3, this is UTD-32 - with it the “troika” retains the same speed and maneuverability. Our modernized armored vehicle, without any doubt, is in demand in the special operation zone. Moreover, it is extremely important that KMZ is able to produce it in large quantities,” concluded Khrolenko.