BMP-1
Contents
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-1 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 665 m/s and the HE round travelling at an abysmal 290 m/s.
73 mm 2A28 Cannon | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
Arcade | 40 | -4°/+30° | ±180° | N/A | 19.04 | 26.35 | 32.00 | 35.39 | 37.65 | 6.0 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 5.0 |
Realistic | 11.90 | 14.00 | 17.00 | 18.80 | 20.00 |
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 | ||
PG-9 | HEAT | 300 | 300 | 300 | 300 | 300 | 300 |
OG-9 | HE | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Shell details | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
PG-6 | HEAT | 665 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1,130 |
OG-9 | HE | 290 | 3.7 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 735 |
Ammo racks
Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
---|---|---|
40 | 1 (+39) | No |
The single ammunition rack consists of a shell barillet located around the turret basket.
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
9M14 ATGM / 9M113 ATGM | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
Arcade | 4 | -5°/+10° | -15°/+37° | N/A | 19.04 | 26.35 | 32.00 | 35.39 | 37.65 | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
Realistic | 11.90 | 14.00 | 17.00 | 18.80 | 20.00 |
Note: The vertical and horizontal traverse depend on the turret position and are only relevant to the 9M113 ATGM.
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 | ||
9M14 | ATGM | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 |
9M113 | ATGM | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 | 600 |
Shell details | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
9M14 | ATGM | 120 | 11 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 3,410 |
9M113 | ATGM | 205 | 25 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 4,860 |
Ammo racks
Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
---|---|---|---|
4 | 3 (+1) | 1 (+3) | No |
The missiles are listed from M1 to M4. M2 is the 1st rack. M3-M4 constitues the 2nd rack.
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 I, 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, effective against last-gen heavy tanks like the Conqueror, M103, etc
- Amphibious ability which can allow it to reach positions that other vehicles struggle to
- Functional even in uptiers, due to its piercing ATGM and HEAT
- 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 like the M60A1 RISE (P)
- 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. Will get seen and shot at easier
- Minimal gun depression makes it struggle in hills
- 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, reducing the vehicle's survivability
- Vulnerable to heavy machine gun and light cannon fire, particularly from the sides or top. SPAA like the Gepard are a big threat
- 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
- Videos
See also
- Same vehicle serving in other nations
- Similar Soviet vehicles
External links
USSR light tanks | |
---|---|
T-26 | T-26 · T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br.) · T-26-4 · T-26E |
BT | BT-5 · RBT-5 · BT-7 · BT-7 TD · BT-7M · BT-7A (F-32) |
T-50 | T-126 · T-50 |
T-70 | T-70 · T-80 |
PT-76 | PT-76B · PT-76-57 · Object 906 |
BMP | BMP-1 · BMP-2 · BMP-2M · BMP-3 |
BMD | BMD-4 |
2S25 | 2S25 · 2S25M |
Wheeled | BA-11 · BTR-80A |
Other | T-60 · Object 685 · 2S38 |
China | ▂Type 62 |