BMP-1

BMP-1

BTR-80A

Object 906

BMP-1

BTR-80A

Object 906

USSR

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.7	8.0	8.0

Class:

Light tank

Research:105 000

Purchase:300 000

This page is about the Russian light tank BMP-1. For other version, see BMP-2.

Description

The BMP-1 is a Rank V Russian light tank with a battle rating of 7.7 (AB) and 8.0 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.71 "New E.R.A.".

The BMP-1 is a shoot-and-scoot type of vehicle as an exposed BMP-1 is a dead BMP-1 - avoid being a target at all costs. Use your mobility to find reasonable sniping spots (for your ATGM) and only use your cannon if an enemy is close and unaware of your presence. Remember that if anything sees you, it can destroy you - even a .50 cal will make quick work of the BMP-1 from the sides or back.

General info

Survivability and armour

The BMP-1 has very little to speak of in the armour department. Minimal frontal and nearly non-existent side armour results in the vehicle being vulnerable to almost any incoming fire. As such, the vehicle's survivability stems entirely from its mobility and reasonably small profile. Where possible, utilise hills or other cover, only exposing as much of the vehicle as is necessary to engage an unaware target.

Despite the lack of armour, however, the BMP-1 will, on occasion, survive hits unexpectedly - the internals of the vehicle are largely non-critical and many rounds will over-penetrate.

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	7-12 mm (80°) Front glacis 19 mm (56°) Lower glacis	16 mm (3-18°) Top 18 + 4 mm Bottom	16 mm (12°) Top 12 mm (48°) Bottom 12 mm (8-51°) Doors	6 mm 5 mm Engine exhausts
Turret	23 mm (0-53°) Turret front 33 + 26 mm Gun mantlet	13-23 mm (24-37°)	13 mm (23-26°)	6 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	7 mm	7 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 10 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 6 mm thick.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	73	12	13	465	572	35.77	44
Realistic	66	11		265	300	20.38	23.08

The BMP-1's mobility is reasonably good, although somewhat lacking relative to other IFVs. Despite that, once it gets moving it can travel at a decent pace.

Be aware when attempting flanking maneuvers and early pushes that there are vehicles with better mobility characteristics, and in many cases you'll encounter a vehicle before reaching a desirable position.

Armaments

Main armament

The 2A28 main cannon, despite being the 'main' armament will more often than not act more as secondary armament, at least once the BMP-1P upgrade is researched, due to the 9M113 ATGM proving significantly more controllable and effective at all engagement ranges. Despite this, the PG-9 HEAT round proves valuable in a pinch, with well-placed shots able to disable critical components on most vehicles the BMP will face. Keep in mind that the BMP-1 does not feature any sort of stabilisation at all, and due to its light weight the gun is near impossible to get on target at speed.

The main cannon's primary drawback is its mediocre ballistic performance, with the HEAT round travelling at only 665m/s and the HE round travelling at an abysmal 290m/s.

73 mm 2A28 Cannon
Capacity		Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
40		7	-5°/+30°	N/A	No
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	11.9	N/A	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	11.9	N/A	__.__	__.__	__.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
PG-9	HEAT	300	300	300	300	300	300
OG-9	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
PG-6	HEAT	665	2.6	0.0	0.1	1,130	+0°	25°	18°	15°
OG-9	HE	290	3.7	0.05	0.1	735	+0°	11°	10°	9°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
40	XX (X+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	no

Additional armament

9M14

The BMP-1 comes with a rail-mounted manually-guided ATGM as stock, initially aimed manually and with somewhat mediocre penetration and explosive mass values. While occasionally useful, generally the main gun is easier and more reliable to use.

4 x 9M14 ATGM

• Guidance type: MCLOS
• Firing range: 3 km

9M113

Once the BMP-1P upgrade is researched, the rail-mounted 9M14 ATGM is replaced with a spindle-mounted 9M113 ATGM. This ATGM is significantly more powerful and easier to use due to its semi-automatic guiding system. Improved penetration values and significantly increased explosive mass will result in far more reliable destructive power. Keep in mind that the ATGM can only be fired when stopped or at extremely low speeds.

4 x 9M113 ATGM (BMP-1P)

• Guidance type: SACLOS
• Firing range: 3 km

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
9M14	ATGM	400	400	400	400	400	400
9M113	ATGM	600	600	600	600	600	600

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Maximum Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Range (m)	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
									0%	50%	100%
9M14	ATGM	120	11	3,000	0.0	0.1	3,410	+0°	0°	8°	8°
9M113	ATGM	205	25	3.000	0.0	0.1	4,860	+0°	0°	8°	8°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
4	XX (X+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	no

Machine guns

The BMP-1 comes equipped with a coaxial 7.62 mm PKT machine gun. This is only useful for clearing small obstacles or exposed crew in open-top vehicles.

PKT 7.62
Coaxial
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
250				700	N/A	N/A

Usage in the battles

The BMP-1 is quite distinctive due to its oddly-shaped hull. The vehicle is crewed by only three (no commander), but is very spacious, so shots from the side occasionally cause minimal or even no damage. However, with only 23 mm AT MOST protecting the tank, it's a safe bet that hull breaks will be plentiful, especially when facing enemies equipped with APFSDS or HEAT. The BMP-1 is equipped with a short-barreled 73 mm gun (an odd calibre) firing exclusively anti-tank grenades. The projectile drop is extreme, albeit not the worst in-game, and it can be used to great effect against many of the vehicles the BMP will face due to the consistent 300mm of penetration at range. The standard PG-9 ammunition has an explosive mass of about 1.25 kg. The trade-off, in this case, is the low velocity and relatively poor slope characteristics (the penetration drop in half if more than 60 degrees of slope). Finally, as standard, the BMP-1 is equipped with the 9M14 ATGM, capable of penetrating 400mm and carrying an explosive mass of 2.6 kg. It is WASD guided, and therefore somewhat tricky to use at first (and especially difficult to use in high packet-loss or high ping matches). An optional modification for the BMP-1 allows it to use turret-mounted smoke grenades as well as a next-generation missile, the 9M113. The BMP-1 (as of 1.77.2.149) is the earliest vehicle in-game to be able to use a SACLOS (mouse-guided) system for an ATGM. Not only is the missile nearly twice as fast as the 9M14, but it carries a notably larger explosive payload, and can penetrate up to 600 mm at 90 degrees at any range. As of 1.91, the BMP-1 can research NVD, which can help during night battles to help with visibility. NVD is available in commander, gunner, driver and outside viewports. Once purchased, the NVD modification also allows the use of a Infrared Spotlight to help illuminate targets if they are hard to see. However, it is mounted to the hull, and as such will require the hull to be rotated to illuminate anything.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	Airstrike
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	BMP-1P
IV	Transmission	Engine	ESS	Artillery Support	Improved optics	NVD

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Fairly mobile, both weapon systems are particularly effective against the lightly armoured vehicles it will encounter often such as the Leopard, OF-40, etc
• One of the earliest ATGM vehicles available and the earliest to receive mouse-guided (SACLOS) ATGMs (with the BMP-1P modification)
• Decent main gun HEAT round penetrating up to 300mm of armour at any range
• Amphibious ability which can allow it to reach positions that other vehicles struggle to
• Armour piercing high explosive rounds often won't detonate on penetration
• Solid shot rounds will cause very little internal damage, on occasion completely overpenetrating without doing any damage
• Functional even in uptiers
• All ammunition types are default and as such have no cost
• Night Vision allows effectiveness in night battles

Cons:

• Mediocre reverse speed, particularly for a light tank
• Default missiles are manually guided, upgraded missiles must be unlocked with the BMP-1P research
• Vulnerable to hull breaks, particularly from HEAT-FS rounds
• Chemical ammunition only, may struggle to damage vehicles with ERA
• All available ammunition is hyper-sensitive and will detonate on hitting light obstacles such as fences or bushes
• Somewhat large silhouette for a light tank
• Minimal gun depression
• Has no stabiliser, accurate shots on the move or in water are often not possible
• Only three crew members, two of whom sit extremely close together
• Vulnerable to heavy machine gun and light cannon fire, particularly from the sides or top
• Very vulnerable to aircraft and helicopters
• Bombs and artillery can deal significant damage, even when at a distance
• Infrared Spotlight mounted to hull, won't rotate with turret when NVD is on

History

Development

In the 1950’s, Soviet armored personnel carrier (APC) tactics consisted of lightly armored vehicles that would transport soldiers to combat zones, and then head back behind the lines to safety. During this time, the West German Bundeswehr was using the Schützenpanzer Lang and infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) tactics, where the vehicles would work with the infantry and tanks in order to support them, especially against lightly armored targets. The BMP was a Soviet IFV design created in the late 1950’s. Some of the requirements were the ability for all of the infantry carried to be able to fire from within the vehicle, which was unseen before in IFV designs. It was intended to support the infantry and combat enemy light vehicles. The design placed emphasis on speed and maneuverability, potent armament, and sufficient armament to protect against 23 mm autocannons over the frontal arc. There was a debate over how the vehicle should be wheeled or tracked, and a number of options were explored including hybrid designs with both. The design that was chosen was a tracked vehicle with the engine in the front and the crew compartment in the rear; it was designated the Object 764. A prototype was created in 1964, and the final design was chosen in 1965 - an improved model called the Object 765. In service the production model was called the BMP-1.

Design

The BMP-1 features a fully tracked hull, with a sharply angled glacis at the front, a centrally mounted turret, and a crew compartment in the rear of the hull, with doors for the infantry to mount and dismount the vehicle. The hull layout is as follows: the engine was in the front right section of the hull. The driver sat to the front left of the vehicle, the commander sat right behind the driver, and the gunner sat in the right side of the turret. The troop compartment located at the rear of the vehicle could seat 8 infantry soldiers. The ability to fire from inside the vehicle was provided by four firing ports on each side of the hull and one in the left door. There are also four hatches in the roof. The infantry sit on two benches with padding, back to back, facing the outer sides of the vehicle. The armor of the frontal arc is enough to generally protect against 20 mm autocannon fire, the side armor generally protects against 12.7 mm machine gun fire, and the roof and rear armor protects against small arms fire and shell fragments. In addition, the sloped glacis on the front of the hull also increased the chances of shells bouncing, because of the extreme angles. The protection level depended somewhat on the version of the BMP-1 in question, as different nations had differing levels of armor quality. The main armament consisted of a 73 mm 2A28 Grom smoothbore semi-automatic cannon, along with a 9M14 Malyutka anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). Secondary armament consisted of a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun. The engine provides 300 hp, and is a six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine. The suspension system used was a torsion bar suspension system. The BMP-1 is fully amphibious with little preparation. Before entering the water a trim vane has to be raised, which provides additional frontal armor when in the lowered position. It can achieve 65 kph (40 mph) on road and 8 kph (5 mph) in water.

Production and Service

Over 20,000 BMP-1's were produced in the Soviet Union alone, with many more produced in China and Czechoslovakia. The BMP-1 was widely exported and saw significant combat worldwide. BMP-1's participated in the Yom Kippur War, the Angolan Civil War, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and many other conflicts. It was well liked for its maneuverability, but it was found that the cannon lacked effective range and the 9M14 ATGM's were hard to control. During the Gulf War it was found that the 25 mm Bushmaster cannon found on the M2/M3 Bradley could consistently penetrate the frontal armor of the BMP-1, even at range.

BMP-1P Upgrade

The BMP-1P was an upgrade to the ATGM systems of the BMP-1. It replaced the 9M14 Malyutka missiles with 9M113 Konkurs or 9M111 missile. This increased the weight of the vehicle, leading to a slight decrease in maneuverability.

Media

The Shooting Range #63 - War Machines section at 04:49 discusses the BMP-1.

Read also

• [Devblog] BMP-1 - “Master of Adaptation”

Bibliography

• David B. (2015, December 1). BMP-1. Tank Encyclopedia. https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/USSR/soviet_BMP-1.php
• BMP-1. (2020, March 25). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BMP-1&oldid=947316322
  

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.