Soviet-era BMD series IFVs

This information was posted today on A. Khlopotov blog. Maybe it could be the standard for BMD-2 overhaul/modernization.

http://gurkhan.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/blog-post_3059.html

It certainly could be.

In essence the real improvements are in the electronics... the all weather day/night sensors, the new targeting and ballistics computers, and of course the new communications/command systems.

These things will allow them to train at night and in bad weather, and be a fully integrated part of the net centric team without the enormous initial expense of having to get rid of the existing BMD-1s and buy all new BMD-4s.

Of course there are some situations and roles where a BMD-4 is ideal and they are buying BMD-4s too.

Pretty soon the new vehicle families will be coming into service and each family will have standardised electronic suites for each role, which will include suitable sensors and weapons and electronics that will be standardised throughout the vehicle families. This means that the Armata MBT will have similar sensors and electronics as the 10 ton boomerang, though likely the armament might be different on the much lighter vehicle they will both perform the same role in different situations and therefore will have similar sensors and equipment.

The Armata MBT will be slogging it out in difficult places against very well equipped enemies, so a 125mm gun is needed, but for the light mobile brigades where the enemy wont be that well equipped the Boomerang-10 could probably be armed with the high velocity 57mm gun that Armata IFVs would be armed with that could deal with most land an air targets the Boomerang-10 might come across and perhaps a battery of 8 Kornet-EM missiles on the turret in case the enemy does get an armoured unit together, or to hit point targets at very long ranges... including enemy helicopters.

The point I am trying to make is that these electronics suites will take a little time to perfect and get right, but they will be just as suitable to VDV armoured vehicles and Naval Infantry vehicles as Army vehicles. Tank commanders will still want good all weather long range day and night vision and a good powerful gun that can take on anything they might come up against.

The VDV might be able to get away with a mix of Boomerang-10 for air dropping, and Boomerang-25 that are landed at improvised strips.

The biggest threat to an air landing is enemy air defences and the obvious solution to that threat is to make your landed troops fully mechanised and highly mobile so you can land them hundreds of kms from the target area where the enemy forces are weak or nonexistent and then drive them to their target... which might be an airfield that has fantastic air defences but only a small ground force protecting it. The air defences would be useless against a VDV ground assault and when captured the airfield can be used to land heavier vehicles including Armata based if needed.

Hi all
Can anyone confirm the crew/troop capacity of the BMD 2 I have read a few different numbers :
4 crew and 4 troopers - total 6 dismounted section
2 crew and 5 troopers - total 5 dismounted section
Thanks steve

steve501 wrote:Hi all
Can anyone confirm the crew/troop capacity of the BMD 2 I have read a few different numbers :
4 crew and 4 troopers - total 6 dismounted section
2 crew and 5 troopers - total 5 dismounted section
Thanks steve

Hopefully the person who answers this question would not base his/her answer on computer games and run-of-the-mill web sites. Some substantiation would be nice.

I have always used the second figure, even when during the time that it was fashionable to claim the 2+6 figure based on the parade setups.

steve501 wrote:Hi all
Can anyone confirm the crew/troop capacity of the BMD 2 I have read a few different numbers :
4 crew and 4 troopers - total 6 dismounted section
2 crew and 5 troopers - total 5 dismounted section
Thanks steve

Hi.
In BMD-1 2 crew and 5 troopers.

In BMD-2 3 crew and 4 troopers.

Экипаж машины состоит из семи человек: командира, механика-водителя, наводчика-оператора и четырех стрелков... В отделении управления размещены сиденья командира (у левого борта), механика-водителя (в центре) и стрелка-пулеметчика (у правого борта).
Google translate:
The crew consists of seven members: the commander, driver, gunner-operator and four shooters ... In the department of administration placed the commander's seat (at the left side), mechanic driver (center), and shooter-machinegunner (at the right side).
It's a quote from magazine "Armored Collection: BMD" (Бронеколлекция: Боевые Машины Десанта)

Spoiler:

Alex
I believe the commander also dismounts with the troops. I am trying to figure out the size of the platoon which if correct is :
3 x BMD 2 (6 crew and 15 dismounted troops) any thoughts
Cheers
Steve

Bonjour à tous,
Hi all,
I was wondering what's the device fitted on that BMD-2 (in place of the left driving light) ? A radio beacon to locate an airdropped vehicle ?

Thanks in advance.

Cplnew83 wrote:Bonjour à tous,
Hi all,
I was wondering what's the device fitted on that BMD-2 (in place of the left driving light) ? A radio beacon to locate an airdropped vehicle ?

Thanks in advance.

Looks comparable in size to Komar2 RB, but not sure.

When you zoom out on the picture you can read R-158(?) (which is a portable radio) but that doesn't look exactly like that.

KoTeMoRe wrote:When you zoom out on the picture you can read R-158(?) (which is a portable radio) but that doesn't look exactly like that.

The device is upside down (IMO), must be something like XX-Б (B).

Cplnew83 wrote:

KoTeMoRe wrote:When you zoom out on the picture you can read R-158(?) (which is a portable radio) but that doesn't look exactly like that.

The device is upside down (IMO), must be something like XX-Б (B).

I don't believe it is upside down as the Kulikov-style antenna emplacement is similar to the R-series in question, the mount of the antenna. It's actually not a 5 but a 6, that is the R-168(MP) radio marker dropped with the commanding BMD-2 of any given platoon.


http://eng.sozvezdie.su/catalog/r168mp_marker_transmitter/

Also Vitaly has actually answered to that question in its own photo-essay while he was covering a 137th GAR/106th GAD tactical exercise. It just didn't occur me to look for the actual author of the pictures.

http://www.vitalykuzmin.net/Military/137th-Guards-Airborne-Regiment/i-C32ckVL

Case closed.

Une bonne journée Ron.

KoTeMoRe wrote:
I don't believe it is upside down as the Kulikov-style antenna emplacement is similar to the R-series in question, the mount of the antenna. It's actually not a 5 but a 6, that is the R-168(MP) radio marker dropped with the commanding BMD-2 of any given platoon.


http://eng.sozvezdie.su/catalog/r168mp_marker_transmitter/

Also Vitaly has actually answered to that question in its own photo-essay while he was covering a 137th GAR/106th GAD tactical exercise. It just didn't occur me to look for the actual author of the pictures.

http://www.vitalykuzmin.net/Military/137th-Guards-Airborne-Regiment/i-C32ckVL

That's what I call a good answer ... Thanks a bunch for the search and the effort.
The receiver to locate the vehicle is the R-168PP

KoTeMoRe wrote:
Case closed.

Indeed

KoTeMoRe wrote:
Une bonne journée Ron.

Have a nice day, too.

Interesting look at the BMD-1/2 combat experience in the Donbass conflict.

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/2389417.html

franco wrote:Interesting look at the BMD-1/2 combat experience in the Donbass conflict.

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/2389417.html

More interesting is the fact Ukraine had no means to sustain these machines in a lengthy conflict...WTF.

KoTeMoRe wrote:

franco wrote:Interesting look at the BMD-1/2 combat experience in the Donbass conflict.

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/2389417.html

More interesting is the fact Ukraine had no means to sustain these machines in a lengthy conflict...WTF.

Good welders are so hard to find

franco wrote:

KoTeMoRe wrote:

franco wrote:Interesting look at the BMD-1/2 combat experience in the Donbass conflict.

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/2389417.html

More interesting is the fact Ukraine had no means to sustain these machines in a lengthy conflict...WTF.

Good welders are so hard to find

Ahahahahah.

No but seriously, from ORBAT they had +/- 250 machines anyway. That means at least twice the spare parts for the vehicles in any case. As per military regulation.

I get that the engines were hard to source or re-produce. But the rest?

Furthermore they say the machines were terribly under-armored. Yeah that's why they were VDV in the first place. Weight constraints.

While the vehicles are definitely irrelevant for most part in this era of warfare, they remain a threat when used properly and a good way not to walk. Ukrainian lack of professionalism does the rest.

It is planned to upgrade about 600 BMD-2 airborne combat vehicles.

As the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported on December 12, 2018, the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces) plan to begin a deep modernization of about 600 BMD-2 airborne combat vehicles, including new weapons, digital reconnaissance and control equipment. The beginning of active measures to modernize the BMD-2 to the level of BMD-2K-AU and BMD-2M is planned for 2021.

Modernized assault vehicles will be equipped not only with modern weapons, including a new anti-tank missile system, a modern digital reconnaissance, control and communications complex, an integrated automated control system at the tactical level, but also automatic target tracking for shooting various types of weapons during the day and night, on the move and afloat.

Combat vehicles that have undergone a deep modernization will remain airborne and will perform tasks as part of the paratrooper airborne units. BMD-2 has long established itself from the best side, paratroopers consider it resilient, highly passable and undemanding in the service of a combat vehicle. The combat vehicle has a 30 mm automatic 2A42 gun, two 7.62 mm machine guns and anti-tank weapons.

Russia testing paratroopers’ BMD-2M airborne assault vehicle with new combat module

The new module increases combat efficiency fivefold

MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. Russia’s BMD-2M airborne assault vehicle upgraded with a new combat module is undergoing state trials, a source in the defense industry told TASS on Wednesday.

"The KBP [the Instrument Design Bureau] is upgrading BMD-2 combat vehicles. During their overhaul, they are being equipped with the Bereg combat module unofficially dubbed ‘mini-Berezhok.’ Now the BMD-2M’s new combat compartment is undergoing state trials," the source said.

The new combat module will boost the BMD-2’s combat efficiency fivefold, the source added.

The new module features a one-seat turret and excludes the commander’s seat and sight compared to the Berezhok combat module with the similar armament. The fire control system is standardized with the similar systems of the Bakhcha and Berezhok combat modules, the source said.

"The [Bereg] module features a gunner’s sight combined with a stabilized field of view, an automatic target tracker and two stabilizer calculators," the source said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced in December 2018 that the Airborne Force was planning to launch a heavy upgrade of about 600 BMD-2 second-generation airborne assault combat vehicles by equipping them with new weapons and digital reconnaissance and control systems.

Active measures for the upgrade of BMD-2 airborne assault vehicles are set to begin in 2021. The airborne assault vehicles that will undergo a heavy upgrade will retain their air-droppable capacity. In 2017, the state hi-tech corporation Rostec and Russia’s Defense Ministry inked a contract on the upgrade of 540 BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and BMD-2 airborne assault vehicles under a new state armament program for 2018-2025. The contract was signed for 10 years.

https://tass.com/defense/1071166

Could be this...

So the BMD-2 with Berezhok turret is called BMD-2KA-U.

Planned BMD-3 family, back in 1990.

Hole wrote:So the BMD-2 with Berezhok turret is called BMD-2KA-U.

Have seen BMD-2KA-U mentioned several times over the past month or so concerning Airborne exercises, so they are being deployed.

BMD-2 will gain the second youth

December 21 2018

In 1985, the Soviet Army was adopted BMD-2 (airborne assault vehicle-2), which replaced the BMD-1. This tracked amphibious combat vehicle is designed for use in the composition of the airborne troops and can be landed both in a landing and a parachute way with military transport aircraft An-12, An-22 and Il-76. Currently, the Airborne Troops of Russia are still armed with 1000 BMD-2. In the near future, at least 600 of them will be seriously upgraded and receive a new combat module "Coast".

As the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of Russia previously reported, the BMD-2 airborne combat vehicles are in for a profound modernization. They will receive new weapons, modern digital communications and control. A more accurate weapon system, an anti-tank missile system, and increased universality will have to extend the life of this technology, which Russia inherited from the Soviet Union. The Russian army is not in a hurry to part with this legacy.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, it is planned to upgrade 600 BMD-2, the machines will be upgraded to BMD-2K-AU and BMD-2М. It is already known that the updated combat vehicles will receive not only a new anti-tank missile system, but also an integrated automated control system at the tactical level. In addition, a target tracking machine will appear on the BMD-2M, allowing you to fire with various types weapons at any time of the day or night, including from the move and afloat. After a deep modernization, the combat vehicles will remain airborne, still being part of the paratroops of the Airborne Forces. To begin the process of mass modernization of the armed BMD-2 plan with the 2021 year. The upgrade will affect about 600 airborne combat vehicles of this type, that is, a significant part of the fleet that is not yet covered by the modernization process.

It is worth noting that the BMD-2M version was first presented to the public in 2010 year, after which it regularly flashed at various exhibitions. If we talk about the version of the BMD-2K-AU, then this is a commander airborne combat vehicle, created on the basis of the version of the BMD-2K. It is distinguished by the presence of a modern complex of automation and communication equipment of the 3 type and is intended, first of all, for the commander of the paratroop battalion. This combat vehicle is able to provide the process of command and control of troops in automated and non-automated modes.

The reason for the mass modernization of the “twos” is the discrepancy between the BMD-2 and the requirements of modern combat, as well as the unsatisfactory condition of most of the existing samples, which was identified as part of a sudden test of the combat readiness of the Russian Armed Forces several years ago. Then the chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov noted that the age of many cars is 20-25 years, and sometimes even more, they are outdated morally and physically. In one of the divisions on the march, two BMD-2 units went out at once due to the deterioration of components and assemblies.

For the mass modernization of the Russian army is for two main reasons. Firstly, it is cheaper, and secondly, faster than the construction of new airborne combat vehicles. Considering the pace of saturation of the airborne forces with the new BMD-4M, the modernization option seems to be much more rational. According to the annual report of The Military Balance 2018, the Russian Airborne Forces are armed with 151 BMD-4M airborne combat vehicles. In this case, it is much easier to wait for the modernization of the 600 BMD-2 to the BMD-2M version than to wait for the full renewal of the fleet of airborne troops. In addition, the new combat module being installed significantly increases the combat capabilities of the machine created in the USSR, allowing it to be pulled up to the current military requirements for equipment of this class. Modernization will extend the life of these machines, not just as vehicles, but as full-fledged combat units on the modern battlefield. It is also worth noting that in terms of weight the BMD-4M is at the limit of the capabilities of the modern Russian military transport aviation. The mass of this combat vehicle grew to 14,2 tons (for the BMD-2 - 8,2 tons), so three BMD-76Ms are tightly placed in the IL-4, and the landing can only be located inside the military vehicles, Valery Gerasimov noted earlier.

Back in 2017, the Ministry of Defense revised its plans for the disposal of the fleet of armored vehicles in storage. In connection with the increased military training of the armed forces and the prevailing foreign policy situation, it was decided to “send under the knife” before 2020, not 10 thousands, but 4 thousands of different armored vehicles still Soviet-made. A part of the old Soviet technology, including the BMD-2, is waiting for modernization. Such equipment can still serve the country. An important role here is played by the economic component: the modernization of the budget of Russia is much cheaper than developing models of fundamentally new weapons and their subsequent mass production.

BMD-2, adopted in 1985 year, replaced BMD-1, the shortcomings of which manifested themselves in Afghanistan. Its armament was considered weak: the 73-mm 2А28 gun and the 7,62-mm PKT machine gun paired with it were ineffective against lightly armored enemy equipment at a distance of more than 500 meters. At the same time, the limited angle of pointing the gun in the vertical plane seriously interfered with fighting in mountainous terrain. The paratroopers often simply did not have the opportunity to direct the gun at the mojaheds seated in the mountains. In addition, the BMD-1 was characterized by insufficient maneuverability and poor booking.

The experience of real combat use led to the cessation of operation of the BMD-1. A new airborne assault vehicle received a reinforced single turret, which was created as part of the RCD "Budka", and the vehicle's armor protection was improved. The BMD-2 welded hull, made of armored aluminum alloy, provided crew protection against 12,7-mm armor-piercing bullets in a frontal projection and circular protection against 7,62-mm bullets. The main weapon of the updated BMD was the 30-mm 2А42 automatic cannon with 300 ammunition. The same artillery installation was in service with larger BMP-2. Gun armament supplemented paired with a gun and course 7,62-mm PKT machine guns. To effectively combat the enemy’s armored vehicles at a distance of up to 4000 meters, the “Competition” ATGM was used.

Naturally, over time, the shortcomings of this version also became apparent. For example, due to the imperfection of the fire control system, effective firing from a 30-mm automatic gun at night can be conducted only at a distance of up to one kilometer. Seriously limp and firing accuracy. And the capacity of anti-tank weapons over time became insufficient for the fight against modern basic combat tanks the enemy. All this initiated work on the creation of a new combat module for the BMD-2.

Such a module was created by specialists of Design Bureau of Instrument Engineering named after Academician A.G. Shipunova ”, the famous Tula KBP. The new combat module, designed to be installed on upgraded BMD-2M, received the designation "Coast". It is designed for installation on tracked and wheeled chassis of appropriate capacity, as well as on stationary objects and vessels. Module weight does not exceed 1800 kg. According to experts, the modernized Bereg single-seat combat unit, installed on the BMD-2 chassis, makes it possible to achieve superiority in combat potential over the regular BMD-2 in 2,6 times, and in firepower in general - immediately in 4,4 times.

The “Bereg” combat compartment includes a control system: a gunner's sight, a ballistic computer and a sensor system (wind sensor, roll sensor), an automatic object tracking system, a weapon stabilizer, an automation unit, an operator console. The armament complex is represented by: 30-mm 2А42 automatic cannon with 300 rounds of ammunition, 30-mm automatic grenade launcher with 300 rounds, 7,62-mm machine gun (2000 shots) and Cornet ATGM with tandem and thermo-barometer and tandem and thermo-barometer.

Thus, the task of increasing the firepower of the single-seater combat compartment and ensuring the characteristics of the combat vehicle, corresponding to the modern level of military equipment, was solved by introducing into the Bereg BW a unified automatic fire control system, including a target-tracking teletrovizivny machine, ballistic computer with a sensor system and an upgraded weapon stabilizer. Moreover, the staff combat department is now equipped with a launcher with two Kornet anti-tank guided missiles, which have their own vertical targeting drive.

The modernized Bereg coastal defense missile system with mounted launchers for Cornet missiles is characterized by the following features:

- a highly protected control system of the Kornet missile with a tele-orientation of the rocket in the laser beam was used;

- it is possible to fire the Kornet ATGM with a volley of two missiles in one laser beam (necessary for successfully overcoming the system of active defense of the enemy’s armored vehicles);

- the results of the ATGM launches are independent of the psychophysical state of the operator of the complex and the accuracy of target tracking is improved compared to operating in manual mode (in combat conditions) 3-6 times due to the implementation of a target-tracking telematvizionny machine;

- it is possible to fire the Kornet ATGM above the line of sight, which is necessary to prevent the enemy from detecting a missile on the trajectory of its flight;

- increased the effective range of the automatic gun 2А42 to 1800-2000 m, ATGM - to 8-10 km.

- increased armor penetration of targets for dynamic protection up to 1000 – 1300 mm due to the use of new ATGM “Kornet”;

- increased shooting efficiency and expanded areas of destruction of the automatic gun 2А42 on aerial targets (at the corners of the line of sight to 30 degrees) in automatic mode, including when using the automatic target tracking;

- Additional equipment 30-mm automatic grenade launcher AG-30M provides effective defeat enemy forces, sheltered behind the folds of the ground or in the trenches at a distance of up to 2100 m.

Thus, the composition of armaments and combat capabilities of the Bereg, a single combat compartment represented by KBP, allow the crew of the BMD-2M to confidently hit almost all types of targets in the tactical depth of the combat vehicle at any time of the day as well as afloat at a distance to 8-10 thousand meters (range of use of ATGM 9М133М-2 and UR 9М133ФМ-3 of the “Kornet” complex). This makes the new combat module a versatile tool that combines the capabilities of an anti-tank complex and an effective anti-aircraft weapon. The armament complex of the modernized BMD-2М allows the vehicle to effectively deal with tanks, lightly armored and unarmored vehicles, as well as enemy manpower. In addition, the BMD-2M was able to hit the low-flying attack helicopters of the enemy and various models of unmanned aerial vehicles.

NOTE: clarification of the previous 2 posts. There will be 2 BMD-2 upgrade types (BMD-2K-AU and BMD-2М). Have not seen any BMD-2M's yet, but BMD-2K-AU's are being mentioned every Airborne exercise lately.

The mass of this combat vehicle grew to 14,2 tons (for the BMD-2 - 8,2 tons), so three BMD-76Ms are tightly placed in the IL-4, and the landing can only be located inside the military vehicles, Valery Gerasimov noted earlier.

Suspect they transposed the numbers and it should say...

The mass of this combat vehicle grew to 14,2 tons (for the BMD-2 - 8,2 tons), so three BMD-4Ms are tightly placed in the IL-76, and the landing can only be located inside the military vehicles, Valery Gerasimov noted earlier.