The BMP Is Part Tank, Part Taxi

War is Boring ^ | March 4, 2015 | S.K. Au-Yeong

[C19fan]

When the Cold War escalated in the 1950s, the United States and its European allies knew that the Warsaw Pact far outnumbered the alliance’s own tanks, artillery and infantry.

Should the Soviets launch an invasion of Western Europe, the NATO armies expected — and planned—to use tactical nuclear weapons to make up for their inferior numbers.

[C19fan]

The daddy of the Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

[DCBryan1]

The BMP Is Part Tank, Part Taxi and part death trap by fire.

Whoever put those thin gas tanks as doors on the back was probably hanged by the KGB.

[edpc]

The BTR-90 is its latest offspring, using 8 wheels over tracks. More speed and maneuverability, with updated armament.

[Little Pig]

The BTR and the BMP do not share lineage. They’re completely separate vehicles. The BTR started life in the 50s, and while there have been a couple of tracked variants, it was always a wheeled APC. The BMP didn’t appear until the 1960s, and uses a completely different hull design.

[Chainmail]

With one really cool and significant advantage over other IFVs: the infantry passengers can fire their individual weapons from within the vehicle.

IFVs have always been slightly armored boxes to transport infantry but usually they were at the mercy whoever was driving the thing and if there was somebody with the nerve to man the machine gun out in the breeze. The BMP not only had a bad-ass turret but firing ports for the passengers.

[Pontiac]

Thanks

Great site

[glorgau]

Firing ports are pretty much useless. If the vehicle is moving, hand held weapons won’t be accurate. If the vehicle is stationary, it is a conspicuous target that doesn’t have enough armor to protect the people inside.

[TADSLOS]

Otherwise known as an Apache appetizer.

[central_va]

Armor piercing ammo goes right thru a BMP without exploding unless it hits the engine block.

[C19fan]

That’s a good one. Bonus just need to use the 30 MM chain gun to make those look like Swiss Cheese saving the Hellfires for the real AFVs.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Warthog bait.

[TADSLOS]

The 30mm M789 is a HEDP round. It is a point detonating shaped charge effective against light armor that also produces anti- personnel effects from fragmentation.

[central_va]

It is better to use an HE round rather than an AP round against a BMP. My 2 cents. AP rounds designed to penetrate MBT frontal armor goes thru like cardboard on a BMP

[Chode]

think of the poor bastards riding in a BMD... eat them like peanuts

[Chainmail]

I disagree. If the choice is sitting in a cramped lightly armored can with no way of fighting back or having at least a small port to fire my personal weapon out to at least make some noise, I'll pick the latter. Conversely, if I'm some hero with a LAW or an RPG who wants to take out an armored personnel carrier, I'd really have to screw up my nerve to attack something with dozens of small arms pointed my way.

Remember the lessons of the Soviets versus the Porsche Elefant: lots of people swarming an armored vehicle with no close-in protection end up being static displays at the enemy's museums.

[archy]

The BMP Is Part Tank, Part Taxi and part death trap by fire. Whoever put those thin gas tanks as doors on the back was probably hanged by the KGB.

Beats the heck out of having a plastic bag full of mogas inside the crew compartment, as with our early M113 APCs. And when they upgraded to a Diesel engine and a little more safer fuel tank arrangement, guess where the fuel storage went? In a pair of rear-mounted tanks on either side of the crew ramp.

[archy]

think of the poor bastards riding in a BMD... eat them like peanuts

When I had the opportunity to work with BMPs and BTRs, we most generally rode on top. A lot of the mech infantrymen in Vietnam felt the same way about their M113s.

[Chode]

yup, it's hell when riding on the outside, is safer the riding on the inside...