The Primary Nemisis.... the Soviet Army (still more!)
The BMP-1 and derivatives...
the first Infantry Fighting Vehicle
The BMP-1 was first developed as the BMP, and was initially called the BMP-76PB by NATO, since it was assumed the vehicle carried a 76mm gun. It was later learned that the new vehicle carried a new 73mm low pressure gun that fired HEAT rounds.
The BMP was the first true infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), and modern armies looked at this vehicle as the forerunner of the new generation of mechanized infantry. It is being replaced in Russian inventory by the BMP-2 and 3.
The specimen at left is a war trophy from the Gulf War, on display at Camp Shelby, MS (near Hattiesburg).
The BMP-1 was the first modified version of the vehicle, with the bow extended for better swimming characteristics. The 73mm gun is smoothbored, firing fin-stablized HEAT rounds. Mounted above the gun was a rail for firing the 9M14M Malyutka ("Little One") AT-3 Sagger. Four extra Saggers are stored within, with the rail being reloaded by the gunner pushing the Sagger through the open hatch seen at right, mounted on the rail, and then using a small metal rod to flip the fins out. Needless to say, this method is extremely cumbersome.
Troop access in the BMP was much improved over the older BTR series (either the 50 or 60), in that it was done either through top hatches or through two swing out hatches in the back. The upper hatches also allowed the infantry to engage targets from partial cover, rather than trying to engage from within the vehicle. Furthermore, one Soviet squad in a platoon carried a hand-held SAM, and this could be fired from a top hatch on the vehicle.
Note that this ex-Iraqi BMP received a hit in one of the top hatches.
The 73mm gun was used to engage lightly armored targets or fixed positions,such as bunkers or buildings. The photo at right clearly shows the smoothbore within the 73mm gun.
One of the unique features of the BMP was the ability of the infantry to engage targets from within the vehicle. This was done by inserting an AK-47 (with folding stock) into the the hull ports. The men could then observe for targets through the vision blocks.
While this seems simple, engaging targets accurately from within would be extremely difficult. The BMP suspension provides a tremendous amount of bounce when moving, making target acquisition virtually impossible. Yet, this system could be very useful at low speeds, or when stationary.
The front port (the one on the left) was used for the PKM light machine gun, while the other ports were for AK-47s (now AKS-74s).
The BMP-1's engine is located in the front and right of the hull. There has been a continuous debate regarding personnel carriers as to where to place the engine. The BTR series put the engine in the back, but then infantry must dismount from the top or the side. With an engine in the front, the troops can exit using rear hatches (and thus under cover of the vehicle itself from small arms fire).
This BMP is a war trophy from the Gulf War, and is still a runner, being worked on in the Patton Museum workshop. In the picture at the right, the transmission is to the left, with the engine behind to the right. The driver's hatchway is barely visible to the lower right.
