BMP-3
| This page is about the Soviet light tank BMP-3. For other uses, see BMP (Disambiguation). |
Contents
Description
The BMP-3 (Object 688M) was a Soviet IFV designed with the intent of fulfilling a dual role of transporting infantry and providing heavy firepower support on the battlefield. Its development began in the 1970s, when engineers at Kurganmashzavod first came up with the idea, and it continued through the 1980s. It entered service with the Soviet Army in 1987, becoming an integral part of their armoured units. One of the most notable differences between the BMP-3 and its predecessor, the BMP-2, is the weaponry. While the BMP-2 was armed with a 30 mm 2A42 autocannon and the 9M113 Konkurs ATGM, the BMP-3 boasted much more potent armament. Its 100 mm 2A70 semi-automatic cannon, in combination with a 30 mm 2A72 autocannon, gave it an edge in both anti-armour capabilities and fire support. Throughout its relatively brief service in the Soviet Union, the BMP-3 proved successful in its intended roles. It later served in the Russian military and was exported to a number of other nations.
The BMP-3 was introduced in Update 1.93 "Shark Attack" as a high-tier IFV. It uses its main cannon to fire ATGMs, in contrast to earlier BMP variants. However, there is the option to select HE shells for engaging lighter targets and the convenience of a quicker reload time compared to the ATGMs. Apart from that, the BMP-3 still retains the capabilities of earlier variants, notably the BMP-2.
General info
Survivability and armour
The BMP-3 is an Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), and has comparable armour to other IFVs. It uses special alloys in its construction, which are not equivalent to Rolled Homogeneous Armour (RHA, this is the type of armour that ammunition displays penetration against on stat cards). The front of the BMP-3 has about 50 mm of armour with an additional fuel tank behind this armour. This protects it against any machine gun and some small cannon rounds such as 20 mm, but it will be penetrated by any IFV autocannon that it might face. The front turret armour has similar levels of protection. The side armour is even worse, at only about 20 mm RHA effectiveness, it will be penetrated by .50 calibre ammunition.
The survivability of the BMP-3 is very low. It has only 3 crew members who are closely spaced together. This means that most penetrating rounds will destroy the BMP-3 in one shot. Additionally, the BMP-3 is subject to the overpressure mechanic, so it will often be destroyed instantly when a large-calibre HE round detonates next to it. There are some empty spaces in the BMP-3 like the fuel tank in the front or the area in the back above the engine (where infantry would sit), but these would only be hit when directly side on with an enemy.
Armour type:
- Alloy ABT-102 - Main
- High hardness rolled armour - Trim Vane and Turret Applique
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 60 mm (31°) + 12 mm + 10 mm Upper Glacis 60 mm (51°) + 10 mm Lower Glacis |
60 mm Upper Front 43 mm Upper Rear 43 mm Lower |
43 mm | 15 - 20 mm |
| Turret | 20 mm (47°) - 50 mm (42°) +16 mm Turret front 70 mm Gun mantlet |
50 mm + 16 mm Frontal side 43 mm Rear side |
43 mm | 18 mm |
| Cupola | 20 mm | 18 mm | ||
Notes:
- Turret Ring - 43 mm
- Fenders - 4 mm
- Tracks and Suspension - 10 mm
- There is a 100 mm thick log on the left side.
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 | 78 | 23 | 18.7 | 775 | 954 | 41.44 | 51.02 |
| Realistic | 71 | 21 | 442 | 500 | 23.64 | 26.74 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
| 30 mm 2A72 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 500 (250) | 330 | -6°/+60° | ±180° | Two-plane | 33.3 | 46.1 | 56.0 | 61.9 | 65.9 | 1.30 | 1.15 | 1.06 | 1.00 |
| Realistic | 20.8 | 24.5 | 29.8 | 32.9 | 35.0 | |||||||||
Ammunition
- 30 mm HE: HEF-I* · AP-T · HEF-I* · HEF-T*
- 30 mm APT: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEF-T*
- 30 mm APDS: APDS · APDS · APDS · APDS · HEF-T*
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | ||||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| HEF-T* | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | |
| AP-T | 65 | 63 | 53 | 44 | 36 | 29 | |
| HEF-I* | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | |
| APDS | 82 | 81 | 79 | 75 | 72 | 69 | |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HEF-T* | 960 | 0.39 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 17.86 | 79° | 80° | 81° | ||||
| AP-T | 970 | 0.4 | - | - | - | 47° | 60° | 65° | ||||
| HEF-I* | 960 | 0.39 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 75.46 | 79° | 80° | 81° | ||||
| APDS | 1,120 | 0.3 | - | - | - | 75° | 78° | 80° | ||||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Additional armament
| 100 mm 2A70 | Reloading rate HE(seconds) | Reloading rate ATGM(seconds) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Autoloader | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| 48 | N/A | N/A | Two-plane | 4.00 | 26.00 | 23.00 | 21.00 | 20.00 |
The BMP-3 can only take 8 ATGMs in total.
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| 3OF32 | HE | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 |
| 3OF70 | HE | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
| 9M117 | ATGM | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 |
| 9M117M1 | ATGM (tandem) | 750 | 750 | 750 | 750 | 750 | 750 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| 3OF32 | HE | 250 | 15.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| 3OF70 | HE | 355 | 13.41 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 3.54 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Missile details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | ||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| 9M117 | ATGM | 370 | 4,000 | 18.8 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 4.77 | 80° | 82° | 90° | ||
| 9M117M1 | ATGM (tandem) | 370 | 5,500 | 18.8 | 0.4 | 0.01 | 4.77 | 80° | 82° | 90° | ||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Machine guns
| 7.62 mm PKT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 2,000 (250) | 700 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
Stock:
When stock the BMP-3 will face many challenges. Many of the strongest tools the BMP-3 has available are locked behind modifications, most importantly, the Thermal sight and APDS 30 mm ammunition belt. Stock BMP-3 commanders have two options available to them: Stay in the back line and use the ATGM or try and brawl up close with the 30 mm. Unfortunately, the 30 mm only has 65 mm of penetration when stock, so up-close brawling is not an ideal strategy. Additionally, the ATGM reload is rather slow. These will be a challenge to overcome when spading this vehicle.
Spaded:
When spaded the BMP-3 has access to a variety of powerful tools. The tandem warhead ATGM has excellent speed and penetration, although it still has a slow reload. The tandem warhead can easily penetrate even vehicles protected by ERA bricks. The APDS belts on the 30 mm can easily penetrate the sides of most western MBTs. The thermals can even see through the ESS that the BMP-3 can lay down, so this may be used against vehicles without thermals. Despite these advantages, BMP-3 commanders should play carefully, as the ATGM reload still means that engaging more than one target at once will likely end in a quick trip back to the hangar. This is not helped by the fact that the BMP-3 has little in terms of armour and survivability. The two strategies that will be most effective for the BMP-3 are to either try and flank enemies and take them on one by one up close, or use tandem warhead ATGMs to engage at longer ranges. However, long range engagements will not result in many kills, because enemies may have a chance to move to cover before the ATGM has reloaded. Sometimes it would be better to use your better HE shell (3OF70) and fire them at enemy's that are hull down or completely covered by objects like rocks. This works perfect in maps with opposing sniper spots or when see the radar of a SPAA in their safe zone. The low muzzle velocity combined with laser rangefinder allows to make shots that are impossible to do for other vehicles. The BMP-3 has few upsides to comparable tanks (BMP-2M) and many severe downsides and requires a very passive type playstyle to use effectively.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High manoeuvrability
- Quick follow-up with 30 mm armament
- Amphibious
- Hydropneumatic suspension
- ATGM rounds with tandem warheads
- Generation 2 thermal sight for gunner
- High gun elevation (60°)
- 4 second autoloader when using HE
Cons:
- Large profile
- HE rounds have little penetration or damage
- HE rounds have low muzzle velocity
- Reload rate for ATGM is slower than HE rounds (23s)
- Lack of commander thermal sights causes tunnel vision
- Poor Survivability
History
Development
The Object 685 light tank design was created in 1975. It was an amphibious light tank armed with a 100 mm cannon. The Object 685 never received any production orders, but the chassis and engine from the Object 685 would become the basis of the Object 688 infantry fighting vehicle. The Object 688 would become the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle.
Design
The hull has a similar shape to the BMP-1 and BMP-2 but the internal layout is different. The engine was placed at the rear right side of the vehicle, the driver sat at the front center, two infantry behind him, then the two man turret, and then the crew compartment at the rear. To dismount the vehicle, the infantry had to climb over the engine and out the rear doors. The armour protection is against 30 mm autocannon rounds at the front and 12.7 mm machine gun rounds on the sides and rear, when add-on armour kits are added. There are ERA kits that can be equipped as well. Main armament consists of a 2A70 100 mm gun - which can fire ATGMs - and a co-axial 2A72 30 mm autocannon. Secondary armament consists of a co-axial 7.62 mm machine gun. The armament is housed in a round, centrally mounted, turret. Power is provided by a UTD-29 450 hp engine, while later in production it received a UTD-29M 500 hp engine. The BMP-3 is also amphibious, propelled by its spinning tracks.
Service and Production
Over 2,000 BMP-3's have been produced, seeing combat in several conflicts. The BMP-3 has seen significant export, and has many modifications and variants. It is intended to be replaced by the Kurganets-25 in service.
Devblog
In the late 70s, the Kurganmashzavod factory started developing a new infantry fighting vehicle to replace the BMP-1. The vehicle got a new experimental light tank chassis. The first models were supposed to be equipped with a 30 mm cannon as its primary weapon, as well as grenade launchers, machine guns, and ATGM launchers. The military considered the vehicle's armament to be insufficient and said that it offered no real advantage over the BMP-1. In order to correct the situation, the Tula-based engineers suggested a new turret with the following armament: a rifled 100 mm semi-automatic cannon (also an ATGM launcher), a 30 mm automatic cannon, and a PKT machine gun.
The vehicle successfully underwent testing in this state, and in 1987, was accepted into the Soviet Army with the designation BMP-3. Since then, this combat vehicle has been used by the Russian Army and over ten other countries, with especially large quantities being purchased by the United Arab Emirates where the vehicle was chosen over the Bradley and Warrior. The BMP-3 is constantly being upgraded and is still considered one of the best combat vehicles of its class in the world.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
References
- Bibliography
- David B. (2017, June 18). BMP-3. Tank Encyclopedia. https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/soviet/bmp-3.php
- BMP-3. (2020, April 19). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BMP-3&oldid=951891576
| USSR light tanks | |
|---|---|
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| T-50 | T-126 · T-50 |
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| PT-76 | PT-76B · PT-76-57 · Object 906 |
| BMP | BMP-1 · BMP-2 · BMP-2M · BMP-3 |
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