The BMP-1AM version is considered one of the best options for upgrading the BMP-1.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, in February 2022, the motorized rifle units of the Eastern Military District will receive new models of equipment. Accordingly, the infantry fighting vehicle BMP-1AM “Basurmanin” will replace the outdated BMP-1s. The modernization of the Soviet-made BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle has been completed. The advantages of the new version BMP-1AM “Basurmanin” have been confirmed through state trials.
After the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union still led the world in the production of tanks, but lagged behind Western countries in armored vehicles. However, instead of racing to mass produce armored personnel carriers, the Soviet defense-industrial complex developed a new type of vehicle that was responsible for rapidly transporting infantry units to the battlefield. The world’s first infantry fighting vehicle BMP-1, designed by Pavel Isakov, performed the same functions as an armored personnel carrier but was better armed.
The first prototype of the BMP-1 was built in 1966. The vehicle weighs 12.6 tons, is 6.7 meters long, 2.9 meters wide, and 2 meters high. The crew of 3 includes commander, driver and gunner plus 8 armed soldiers in the passenger compartment. From 1966-1983, the Soviet defense industry produced a total of about 20,000 vehicles. A large amount was exported to China, Mongolia, Middle East countries, Europe and Africa.
Currently, Soviet-made vehicles are in service with the Syrian army. In Russia, the BMP-1 is still active in service. According to experts, the most important part in the BMP-1 is the armored compartment. If not physically damaged, it can serve at least 50 years. As a result, with relatively modest costs to upgrade, the army has a highly effective combat vehicles.
The BMP-1AM version is considered one of the best options for upgrading the BMP-1. The BMP-1AM was first shown in 2018. In the same year, Uralvagonzavod announced the development of a large-scale modernization program for the existing BMP-1 fleet to the BMP-1AM level. According to open sources, the units and formations of the Russian army have several hundred BMP-1s, and several thousand more are in storage.
The BMP-1AM was called the “budget replacement” for the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle. The outdated 73mm gun “Thunder”, which no longer meets modern requirements for combating NATO military equipment, is being replaced by new weapons. The vehicle receives a unified fighting compartment from the BTR-82A with a 30mm 2A72 automatic cannon, a 7.62mm PKTM machine gun.
The BMP is equipped with a fire control system with a combined all-day anti-aircraft sight TKN-4GA-01, a two-plane weapon stabilizer and anti-tank guided weapons ATGM 9K115 “Metis”. The basic UTD-20 engine has been replaced by economical UTD-20S1 with the same 300 HP power. The total weight increases to 14.2 tons, but the maximum road speed (65 km/h) and the range (550 km) remain the same.
