Combat vehicles. Top ten armored personnel carriers according to Army Technology Best infantry fighting vehicles
MOSCOW, 18 Nov— RIA Novosti, Andrey Stanavov. Horses have been the main means of transportation for soldiers since time immemorial. And if they somehow survived the First World War, then the Second - with its planes, tanks and cannons - "wrote off" the cavalry completely. The horses were eventually left to the police and guards of honor, and the soldiers were transferred to armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. The advantages of the latter are high speed and cross-country ability, the ability to "float" across rivers and operate under the conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. Unlike armored personnel carriers, they can not only deliver infantry to the battlefield, but also support it with powerful rocket and cannon fire. RIA Novosti publishes a selection of the most popular infantry fighting vehicles of the armies of the countries of the world.
One of the most massive and well-deserved combat vehicles - the BMP-2 - is the "workhorse" of Soviet motorized rifles. Structurally simple and unpretentious in maintenance, the floating BMP-2 rescued its crew and troops more than once in the hot binds of the Afghan war and other conflicts.
In 1981, the chief designer of the BMP-2 Blagonravov, with a group of specialists, came to Afghanistan to see how his new car was being tested in combat conditions. In the troops he was greeted with enthusiasm. “We have a new infantry fighting vehicle with a thirty. This vehicle is what we need: spooks are afraid of it and call it “shaitan-arba,” one of the officers said at a meeting with the designer. It is believed that the command has finally decided to adopt the BMP-2 into service just after this episode.
The main feature of the BMP-2 is the weapon stabilization system in two planes. This favorably distinguished the "two" from foreign counterparts and made it possible to conduct aimed fire on the move. Armed with a rapid-fire 30-mm 2A42 automatic cannon with dual-belt selective power, a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun paired with it, and a Konkurs or Fagot anti-tank guided missile launcher.
The hull is welded from rolled sheets of durable steel armor, processed by a thermomechanical method. The six-cylinder diesel engine inherited from the BMP-1 accelerates the 14-ton vehicle to 65 kilometers per hour on the highway.
Inside fit seven paratroopers and three crew members. The powder gas suction system saves fighters from poisoning when firing from machine guns through loopholes. To prevent radioactive dust or gases from entering the machine, a filter-ventilation unit is provided that creates excess pressure inside. The BMP-2 and its numerous modernized versions are still in service with the armies of dozens of countries around the world.
From the creators of Tiger
The German BMP "Marder" is one of the most successful examples of armored vehicles in post-war Western Europe. Since the late 1960s, the German industry has produced more than two thousand such machines for the Bundeswehr. A strong steel hull made of rolled armor sheets welded at certain angles reliably covers three crew members and seven paratroopers from bullets and shrapnel. The BMP was developed by the Reinstahl-Henschel company, known for its Tiger tank.
In the first modifications, a Daimler-Benz multi-fuel turbocharged diesel engine with a capacity of 600 horsepower was installed. This was quite enough to accelerate the tracked vehicle on the highway to 75 kilometers per hour. The upgraded infantry fighting vehicles are already equipped with a 1000-horsepower unit.
The Marder's main weapon is a 20mm Mk20DM5 Rh202 automatic cannon with a rate of fire of up to 1,000 rounds per minute. High-explosive fragmentation shells are used to fire at infantry and vehicles, and armor-piercing sub-caliber shells are used to combat enemy infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. The latter, at a distance of up to one and a half kilometers, confidently pierce armor two fingers thick at an angle. To combat enemy manpower, there are two 7.62 mm MG3A1 machine guns: one is paired with a cannon, and the second is mounted on the stern.
"Marders" have been modernized many times. To increase their firepower, they were equipped with Milan anti-tank guided missile systems, and additional hinged armor and anti-mine screens were installed to enhance protection. The BMP received its baptism of fire in Afghanistan. The Puma, a new combat vehicle, has been developed to replace the Marder, which is already being supplied to the Bundeswehr.
Puff "Bradley"
The heavy infantry fighting vehicle M2 "Bradley" entered service with the US Army in 1981 and immediately gained popularity with the infantry. First of all, because of its unprecedentedly high armor protection for this type of vehicle. Its feature is spaced apart screens made of steel of different hardness. Such a "layer cake" confidently "holds" hits from 30-mm armor-piercing shells. To protect against cumulative RPG grenades, dynamic protection can be installed. The upgraded vehicles are additionally finished with Kevlar on the inside, which protects the crew of three and six paratroopers from armor fragments in battle.
At the same time, "Bradley" is quite "nimble" - thanks to a powerful turbodiesel, a 22-ton car "runs" along the highway at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour. An impressive set of weapons includes a 25 mm M242 cannon, a 7.62 mm M240C machine gun, a TOW anti-tank missile system and six M231 assault rifles on ball bearings in the troop compartment. Thus, in combat, the BMP instantly turns into a mobile checkpoint bristling with trunks. The TOW complex "works out" tanks at a distance of up to three kilometers.
The landing group can leave the Bradley through the top hatch or, which is valuable in battle, through the rear ramp, hiding from enemy fire with the body of the vehicle. In total, the Americans managed to "stamp" about seven thousand of these infantry fighting vehicles. They were successfully used in the Iraq war and other armed conflicts.
English "Warrior"
The British infantry fighting vehicle MCV-80 Warrior is a real knight in heavy armor made of rolled aluminum-magnesium-zinc alloy sheets. Combined protection covers the crew and troops from heavy machine-gun bullets and shrapnel. Reinforced "belly" can withstand the explosion of a 10-kilogram anti-tank mine, on the sides - anti-cumulative screens. However, this massive body kit does not prevent the BMP from accelerating to 75 kilometers per hour.
By analogy with the later versions of the American Bradleys, the habitable internal compartments of the Warrior are covered with a special material that holds fragments of armor flying off when hit. He was not deprived of weapons either: he is equipped with a 30-mm L21A1 automatic cannon, a coaxial machine gun, and a 94-mm LAW-80 grenade launcher. The BMP can accommodate three crew members and seven paratroopers.
For the British army, a total of more than a thousand "Warriors" were issued, many of them managed to take part in local armed conflicts. The car proved to be exceptionally indestructible. There is a case when she withstood the hit of a dozen and a half anti-tank grenades.
french character
Floating "Frenchwoman" AMX10P is one of the lightest infantry fighting vehicles in the world. Developed in the 1970s, the vehicle is welded from sheets of aluminum armor and is similar in layout to the Marder and the Soviet "two". The sheets withstand the hit of large-caliber machine-gun bullets, but most likely, the crew will not be saved from cannon armor-piercing shells and cumulative grenades.
The remote turret installation includes a 20 mm M693 automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm machine gun coaxial with it. The gun fires 700 fragmentation or armor-piercing shells per minute and is effective at a distance of up to one and a half kilometers. Some infantry fighting vehicles in service with the French army are equipped with Milan anti-tank guided missiles. A searchlight is installed to illuminate targets at night.
Interestingly, the French did not cut through the loopholes in the sides, limiting themselves to seven periscope observation blocks. The "heart" of the car - an eight-cylinder diesel engine HS-115 - does not differ in power and develops only 300 horsepower. However, it is enough to accelerate a 14-ton car to 65 kilometers per hour. Combat experience BMP AMX10R received in the early 1990s, during the war in the Persian Gulf. In total, about two thousand units were produced.
Horses have been the main means of transportation for soldiers since time immemorial. And if they somehow survived the First World War, then the Second - with its planes, tanks and cannons - “wrote off” the cavalry completely. The horses were eventually left to the police and guards of honor, and the soldiers were transferred to armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. The advantages of the latter are high speed and cross-country ability, the ability to “float” across rivers and operate under the conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear ones. Unlike armored personnel carriers, they can not only deliver infantry to the battlefield, but also support it with powerful rocket and cannon fire. RIA Novosti publishes a selection of the most popular infantry fighting vehicles of the armies of the countries of the world.
Soviet "two"
One of the most massive and well-deserved combat vehicles - the BMP-2 - is the "workhorse" of Soviet motorized rifles. Structurally simple and unpretentious in maintenance, the floating BMP-2 rescued its crew and troops more than once in the hot binds of the Afghan war and other conflicts.
Mechanic driver of the BMP-2 during the tactical exercises "West-2017"
In 1981, the chief designer of the BMP-2 Blagonravov, with a group of specialists, came to Afghanistan to see how his new car was being tested in combat conditions. In the troops he was greeted with enthusiasm. “We have a new infantry fighting vehicle with a thirty. This car is what you need: dushmans are afraid of it and call it “shaitan-arba,” one of the officers said at a meeting with the designer. It is believed that the command finally decided to accept the BMP-2 into service precisely after this episode.
The main feature of the BMP-2 is the weapon stabilization system in two planes. This favorably distinguished the "two" from foreign analogues and made it possible to conduct aimed fire on the move. From armament - a rapid-fire 30-mm automatic cannon 2A42 with a two-ribbon selective feed, a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun paired with it and a launcher for Konkurs or Fagot anti-tank guided missiles. The hull is welded from rolled sheets of durable steel armor, processed by a thermomechanical method. The six-cylinder diesel engine inherited from the BMP-1 accelerates the 14-ton vehicle to 65 kilometers per hour on the highway.
Infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-2)
Inside fit seven paratroopers and three crew members. The powder gas suction system saves fighters from poisoning when firing from machine guns through loopholes. To prevent radioactive dust or gases from entering the machine, a filter-ventilation unit is provided that creates excess pressure inside. The BMP-2 and its numerous modernized versions are still in service with the armies of dozens of countries around the world.
From the creators of "Tiger"
The German BMP "Marder" is one of the most successful examples of armored vehicles in post-war Western Europe. Since the late 1960s, the German industry has produced more than two thousand such machines for the Bundeswehr. A strong steel hull made of rolled armor sheets welded at certain angles reliably covers three crew members and seven paratroopers from bullets and shrapnel. The BMP was developed by the Reinstahl-Henschel company, known for its Tiger tank.
In the first modifications, a Daimler-Benz multi-fuel turbocharged diesel engine with a capacity of 600 horsepower was installed. This was quite enough to accelerate the tracked vehicle on the highway to 75 kilometers per hour. The upgraded infantry fighting vehicles are already equipped with a 1000-horsepower unit.
German infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) "Marder"
The Marder's main weapon is a 20mm Mk20DM5 Rh202 automatic cannon with a rate of fire of up to 1,000 rounds per minute. High-explosive fragmentation shells are used to fire at infantry and vehicles, and armor-piercing sub-caliber shells are used to combat enemy infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. The latter, at a distance of up to one and a half kilometers, confidently pierce armor two fingers thick at an angle. To combat enemy manpower, there are two 7.62 mm MG3A1 machine guns: one is paired with a cannon, and the second is mounted on the stern.
German infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) "Marder"
The "Marders" have been modernized many times. To increase their firepower, they were equipped with Milan anti-tank guided missile systems, and additional hinged armor and anti-mine screens were installed to enhance protection. The BMP received its baptism of fire in Afghanistan. The Puma was developed to replace the Marder - a new combat vehicle, which is already being supplied to the Bundeswehr.
Puff "Bradley"
The heavy BMP M2 Bradley entered service with the US Army in 1981 and immediately gained popularity with the infantry. First of all, because of its unprecedentedly high armor protection for this type of vehicle. Its feature is spaced apart screens made of steel of different hardness. Such a “layer cake” confidently “holds” hits from 30-mm armor-piercing shells. To protect against cumulative RPG grenades, dynamic protection can be installed. The upgraded vehicles are additionally finished with Kevlar on the inside, which protects the crew of three and six paratroopers from armor fragments in battle.
At the same time, the Bradley is quite “nimble” - thanks to a powerful turbodiesel, a 22-ton car “runs” along the highway at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour. An impressive set of weapons includes a 25 mm M242 cannon, a 7.62 mm M240C machine gun, a TOW anti-tank missile system and six M231 machine guns on ball-mounted mounts in the troop compartment. Thus, in combat, the BMP instantly turns into a mobile checkpoint bristling with trunks. The TOW complex "works out" tanks at a distance of up to three kilometers.
US Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) M2 Bradley
The landing group can leave the Bradley through the top hatch or, which is valuable in battle, through the rear ramp, hiding from enemy fire with the body of the vehicle. In total, the Americans managed to “stamp” about seven thousand of these infantry fighting vehicles. They were successfully used in the Iraq war and other armed conflicts.
US M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (IFV)
English "Warrior"
The British infantry fighting vehicle MCV-80 Warrior is a real knight in heavy armor made of rolled aluminum-magnesium-zinc alloy sheets. Combined protection covers the crew and troops from heavy machine-gun bullets and shrapnel. Reinforced "belly" withstands the explosion of a 10-kilogram anti-tank mine, on the sides - anti-cumulative screens. However, this massive body kit does not prevent the BMP from accelerating to 75 kilometers per hour.
By analogy with the later versions of the American Bradleys, the habitable internal compartments of the Warrior are covered with a special material that holds fragments of armor flying off when hit. He was not deprived of weapons either: he is equipped with a 30-mm L21A1 automatic cannon, a coaxial machine gun, and a 94-mm LAW-80 grenade launcher. The BMP can accommodate three crew members and seven paratroopers.
British infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) "Warrior"
For the British army, a total of more than a thousand "Warriors" were issued, many of them managed to take part in local armed conflicts. The car proved to be exceptionally indestructible. There is a case when she withstood the hit of a dozen and a half anti-tank grenades.
french character
The floating “Frenchwoman” AMX10P is one of the lightest infantry fighting vehicles in the world. Developed in the 1970s, the vehicle is welded from sheets of aluminum armor and is similar in layout to the Marder and the Soviet "two". The sheets withstand the hit of large-caliber machine-gun bullets, but most likely, the crew will not be saved from cannon armor-piercing shells and cumulative grenades.
French infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) AMX-10P The remote turret installation includes a 20 mm M693 automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm machine gun coaxial with it. The gun fires 700 fragmentation or armor-piercing shells per minute and is effective at a distance of up to one and a half kilometers. Some infantry fighting vehicles in service with the French army are equipped with Milan anti-tank guided missiles. A searchlight is installed to illuminate targets at night.
Interestingly, the French did not cut through the loopholes in the sides, limiting themselves to seven periscope observation blocks. The "heart" of the car - an eight-cylinder diesel engine HS-115 - does not differ in power and develops only 300 horsepower. However, it is enough to accelerate a 14-ton car to 65 kilometers per hour. Combat experience BMP AMX10R received in the early 1990s, during the war in the Persian Gulf. In total, about two thousand units were produced.
French infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) AMX-10P
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the completion of tests of the new BMP-3M Dragoon infantry fighting vehicle. This means that the model, which has undergone a deep modernization to the state of an almost new development, will soon be put into mass production.
According to the military press, the Americans have already included this infantry fighting vehicle in the list of the most powerful infantry vehicles, because the specific power of its engine is the largest in the world.
The most powerful in the world? Yes. And the best
Strictly speaking, American analysts from the "think tank" of the US military-industrial complex - RAND - included the Dragoon in the list of the four most powerful infantry fighting vehicles in the world. But in fact, there is nothing behind this, except for the pathetic barbaric manner of hiding US defeats under a pile of camouflage nets. Here, too, the American BMP M2 Bradley with engines from 500 to 660 horsepower, the French BMP VBCI with an engine of 550 hp were stuck to the Russian BMP. and the Italian BMP VCC-80 Dardo - with 512 hp.
The BMP-3M "Dragoon" is equipped with a multi-fuel supercharged gas turbine engine UTD-32 with a power (albeit at the stand, but this does not fundamentally change the picture) of 816 hp.
That is already - not one of the four, but the first of the most powerful.
In the same way, "Dragoon" wins the correspondence competition in terms of specific engine power (that is, power per unit mass) - 38 hp. per ton. Accordingly, the notorious American M2 Bradley with its ridiculous 19.74 hp/t is only in fourth place after the German "Puma" - 34.59 hp/t and the British FV510 "Warrior" - 23.5 hp. s./t.
This figure depends on the weight of the machine. The Dragoon has a chassis weight of 15.5 tons, that is, with all body kits - a maximum of 20 tons. Experts talk about 19 tons in the basic modification. Colleague "Bradley" initially pulled 23 tons, and in the modern modification M2A3 SSS reached 34 tons.
Another consequence of this: the Dragoon BMP swims well: it can walk on water for 7 hours at a speed of 10 km / h. The "colleague" overcomes water obstacles more slowly - 6 - 7.2 km / h, while the buoyancy margin is extremely small and is enhanced only by deploying additional watercraft in the form of canvas casings. The speed, respectively, is 70 and 66 km / h, the cruising range is 600 and 480 km.
In general, the Bradley does not pull like a car even against a competitor.
Does it pull like a war machine?
The district stage of the all-army competition "Suvorov Onslaught-2017" in the Khabarovsk Territory. Photo: Yuri Smityuk/TASS
An infantry fighting vehicle is not a tank. But…
An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) is similar to a small tank: caterpillars, armored hull, turret with a cannon. It differs from an armored personnel carrier (APC), which is on wheels, has a smaller gun, and a thinner turret. In general, an armored personnel carrier is a vehicle for transporting personnel, and an infantry fighting vehicle is for transporting and covering in battle. And even to break through the not too well-equipped enemy defenses.
Therefore, the BMP-3 became a good technical breakthrough 30 years ago, when it appeared in service. No wonder it was bought in a dozen countries. But the BMP-M3 "Dragoon" has become, one might say, a breakthrough in the square.
First, protection. Rolled aluminum armor spaced with steel screens. It can be reinforced with additional multi-layer armor, a dynamic protection complex, armor screens and gratings from shaped charges. This, of course, increases the mass and weight of the vehicle, but it even holds anti-tank grenades of the PG-7VL type. So it’s quite a tank, which, if it had been near Prokhorovka in 1943, a regiment of German Tigers would have done it alone. Bring only shells ...
With weapons - here General Rotmistrov would also give his soul for the same one that is on the Dragoon. These are two guns at once - 100 mm and 30 mm, as well as a machine gun of 7.62 caliber. All in one complex. The 100 mm gun can be replaced by a 125 mm gun. Let me remind you that the "Tiger" was a fierce enemy with an 88 mm cannon. The IFV has 40 rounds and 8 anti-tank missiles (ATGMs) for the large gun, 500 shells of various types for the 30mm gun, and 2,000 machine gun rounds. One of the ATGM modifications, the 9M117M1 Arkan missile with a tandem warhead, penetrates a homogeneous armor plate of 750 mm. That is, the same "Tigers" with their 100-mm armor, "Dragoons" with one shot could kill three at once. With modern tanks like the American M1A2 Abrams, however, a different proportion works: you need 2-3 Arcana to kill him. But in the ammunition of the BMP there are eight such missiles.
Sighting range - about two hundred armor-piercing tracer and armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles. The machine gun mows down the enemy's manpower at a speed of 800 rounds per minute at a distance of almost 2 kilometers, with about 2000 rounds of ammunition in the ammunition load. The maximum firing range, depending on the modifications, is up to 12 km, the aiming range (also depending on) is from 4.5 to 7 km.
And all this - against the backdrop of a developed fire control system (FCS) "Vityaz" - with a weapon stabilizer, a rangefinder, a ballistic computer, sensors for roll, speed and heading angle, a sight-guidance device and other devices. For example, for aiming a projectile along a laser beam or a radio beam. Vertical aiming angles from minus 6 to plus 60 degrees make it possible to hit targets on the upper floors of buildings and in the mountains, and even fire at low-flying low-flying air targets.
But the most interesting "trick" at the same time is that the fighting compartment of the "Dragoon" ... is lifeless. However, this, of course, is said for a beautiful word, but in fact it is really not populated. Unmanned module, officially speaking. And the crew of 3 people sits in the hull, protected not only by armor, but also by the engine moved forward, like a normal car. He receives combat information on displays, shoots almost from the keyboard - in a sense, modern war has nevertheless begun to resemble old computer games ...
And "Armata"?
Yes, but after all, vehicles on the Armata platform have really begun to enter the troops - not only the T-14 tank, which has become famous, but also the T-15 infantry fighting vehicle. Is the wastefulness of the Soviet Union repeating itself, which produced a mass of duplicating types and types of weapons?
Military experts confidently answer: no. These machines have a different purpose, a different battlefield. The heavy T-15 is intended more for combat as part of tank formations. This is a vehicle for transporting tank troops - on armor, as in the Great Patriotic War, fighters in modern combat cannot be driven. But the BMP-3M is lighter, it is a medium-class machine in terms of characteristics. This means that it is more maneuverable and, accordingly, more suitable for supporting attacks by infantry units.
In total, the car provides space for 6 paratroopers, who will drive in almost automobile conditions. Even with air conditioning.
But the main thing remains, of course, not to drive well, but to fight well, to carry out a combat mission. And in this sense, we can say with confidence: Russian designers have made a good car that will help the fighters perform it much more efficiently than their potential opponents. Because it turns out the BMP-3M is not only the most powerful, but also the best combat vehicle in the world.
Among foreigners, of course.
This section contains information about various types of combat vehicles, both domestic and foreign. Any modern army is armed with a large number of military equipment that performs a variety of functions. We have collected information about both existing military combat equipment and promising combat vehicles of the world.
Modern military equipment includes not only tanks. An increasingly important role in the course of military conflicts is played by lightly armored vehicles: infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and armored personnel carriers (APCs). Infantry fighting vehicles have more serious armor protection and serve not only to transport fighters, but also to support them in battle. The main function of armored personnel carriers is to deliver soldiers to the battlefield, their firepower and armor are weaker than those of infantry fighting vehicles.
Typically, infantry fighting vehicles are tracked vehicles, and armored personnel carriers are wheeled. The mass of an infantry fighting vehicle is greater than that of an armored personnel carrier, and the cost is higher. Modern infantry fighting vehicles are equipped with perfect aiming devices, weapon stabilization systems, and anti-tank weapons.
In this section, you can get acquainted with materials about the latest trends in the development of such equipment in other countries. You will also find information about existing armored personnel carriers in Russia and about new armored personnel carriers, on which the domestic military-industrial complex is only working. A lot of materials are devoted to infantry fighting vehicles, modern Russian infantry fighting vehicles and interesting foreign vehicles.
Another common type of military equipment are armored vehicles. Initially, they were intended to defeat the enemy and did not have a troop compartment. For the first time these machines appeared on the battlefield at the beginning of the last century. Since then, the tasks they perform have been greatly expanded. Modern armored vehicles can be used both as armored personnel carriers and for direct combat support or reconnaissance and police missions.
Armored vehicles are usually created on the basis of serial civilian vehicles, both cars and trucks. New armored vehicles, which have appeared in large numbers in different countries in recent years, have good armor protection and powerful weapons. They are highly maneuverable and have mine protection.
In recent years, several interesting Russian armored vehicles have been put into mass production, you can learn about them in this section. Russian armored vehicles meet all modern standards that exist for this type of military equipment, in the future they will no doubt seriously strengthen the ground units of the Russian army.
The site also contains materials on other types of military equipment: self-propelled artillery mounts, reconnaissance vehicles, special military equipment for airborne units.
We paid a lot of attention to the legendary vehicles of the past, especially the military equipment of the Second World War period.
Many materials are devoted to road transport, which is used for army needs. Any military operation is, first of all, a logistical task, which is largely solved with the help of vehicles.
In addition to machines that are directly involved in hostilities, there are many more types of special equipment that perform special functions. Such vehicles are much less known than tanks and armored personnel carriers, but their importance cannot be underestimated. They perform engineering functions, are engaged in chemical and radiation reconnaissance, evacuate damaged military equipment, provide communications and perform other functions.
MOSCOW, 18 Nov— RIA Novosti, Andrey Stanavov. Horses have been the main means of transportation for soldiers since time immemorial. And if they somehow survived the First World War, then the Second - with its planes, tanks and cannons - "wrote off" the cavalry completely. The horses were eventually left to the police and guards of honor, and the soldiers were transferred to armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. The advantages of the latter are high speed and cross-country ability, the ability to "float" across rivers and operate under the conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. Unlike armored personnel carriers, they can not only deliver infantry to the battlefield, but also support it with powerful rocket and cannon fire. RIA Novosti publishes a selection of the most popular infantry fighting vehicles of the armies of the countries of the world.
One of the most massive and well-deserved combat vehicles - the BMP-2 - is the "workhorse" of Soviet motorized rifles. Structurally simple and unpretentious in maintenance, the floating BMP-2 rescued its crew and troops more than once in the hot binds of the Afghan war and other conflicts.
In 1981, the chief designer of the BMP-2 Blagonravov, with a group of specialists, came to Afghanistan to see how his new car was being tested in combat conditions. In the troops he was greeted with enthusiasm. “We have a new infantry fighting vehicle with a thirty. This vehicle is what we need: spooks are afraid of it and call it “shaitan-arba,” one of the officers said at a meeting with the designer. It is believed that the command has finally decided to adopt the BMP-2 into service just after this episode.
The main feature of the BMP-2 is the weapon stabilization system in two planes. This favorably distinguished the "two" from foreign counterparts and made it possible to conduct aimed fire on the move. Armed with a rapid-fire 30-mm 2A42 automatic cannon with dual-belt selective power, a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun paired with it, and a Konkurs or Fagot anti-tank guided missile launcher.
The hull is welded from rolled sheets of durable steel armor, processed by a thermomechanical method. The six-cylinder diesel engine inherited from the BMP-1 accelerates the 14-ton vehicle to 65 kilometers per hour on the highway.
Inside fit seven paratroopers and three crew members. The powder gas suction system saves fighters from poisoning when firing from machine guns through loopholes. To prevent radioactive dust or gases from entering the machine, a filter-ventilation unit is provided that creates excess pressure inside. The BMP-2 and its numerous modernized versions are still in service with the armies of dozens of countries around the world.
From the creators of Tiger
The German BMP "Marder" is one of the most successful examples of armored vehicles in post-war Western Europe. Since the late 1960s, the German industry has produced more than two thousand such machines for the Bundeswehr. A strong steel hull made of rolled armor sheets welded at certain angles reliably covers three crew members and seven paratroopers from bullets and shrapnel. The BMP was developed by the Reinstahl-Henschel company, known for its Tiger tank.
In the first modifications, a Daimler-Benz multi-fuel turbocharged diesel engine with a capacity of 600 horsepower was installed. This was quite enough to accelerate the tracked vehicle on the highway to 75 kilometers per hour. The upgraded infantry fighting vehicles are already equipped with a 1000-horsepower unit.
The Marder's main weapon is a 20mm Mk20DM5 Rh202 automatic cannon with a rate of fire of up to 1,000 rounds per minute. High-explosive fragmentation shells are used to fire at infantry and vehicles, and armor-piercing sub-caliber shells are used to combat enemy infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. The latter, at a distance of up to one and a half kilometers, confidently pierce armor two fingers thick at an angle. To combat enemy manpower, there are two 7.62 mm MG3A1 machine guns: one is paired with a cannon, and the second is mounted on the stern.
"Marders" have been modernized many times. To increase their firepower, they were equipped with Milan anti-tank guided missile systems, and additional hinged armor and anti-mine screens were installed to enhance protection. The BMP received its baptism of fire in Afghanistan. The Puma, a new combat vehicle, has been developed to replace the Marder, which is already being supplied to the Bundeswehr.
Puff "Bradley"
The heavy infantry fighting vehicle M2 "Bradley" entered service with the US Army in 1981 and immediately gained popularity with the infantry. First of all, because of its unprecedentedly high armor protection for this type of vehicle. Its feature is spaced apart screens made of steel of different hardness. Such a "layer cake" confidently "holds" hits from 30-mm armor-piercing shells. To protect against cumulative RPG grenades, dynamic protection can be installed. The upgraded vehicles are additionally finished with Kevlar on the inside, which protects the crew of three and six paratroopers from armor fragments in battle.
At the same time, "Bradley" is quite "nimble" - thanks to a powerful turbodiesel, a 22-ton car "runs" along the highway at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour. An impressive set of weapons includes a 25 mm M242 cannon, a 7.62 mm M240C machine gun, a TOW anti-tank missile system and six M231 assault rifles on ball bearings in the troop compartment. Thus, in combat, the BMP instantly turns into a mobile checkpoint bristling with trunks. The TOW complex "works out" tanks at a distance of up to three kilometers.
The landing group can leave the Bradley through the top hatch or, which is valuable in battle, through the rear ramp, hiding from enemy fire with the body of the vehicle. In total, the Americans managed to "stamp" about seven thousand of these infantry fighting vehicles. They were successfully used in the Iraq war and other armed conflicts.
English "Warrior"
The British infantry fighting vehicle MCV-80 Warrior is a real knight in heavy armor made of rolled aluminum-magnesium-zinc alloy sheets. Combined protection covers the crew and troops from heavy machine-gun bullets and shrapnel. Reinforced "belly" can withstand the explosion of a 10-kilogram anti-tank mine, on the sides - anti-cumulative screens. However, this massive body kit does not prevent the BMP from accelerating to 75 kilometers per hour.
By analogy with the later versions of the American Bradleys, the habitable internal compartments of the Warrior are covered with a special material that holds fragments of armor flying off when hit. He was not deprived of weapons either: he is equipped with a 30-mm L21A1 automatic cannon, a coaxial machine gun, and a 94-mm LAW-80 grenade launcher. The BMP can accommodate three crew members and seven paratroopers.
For the British army, a total of more than a thousand "Warriors" were issued, many of them managed to take part in local armed conflicts. The car proved to be exceptionally indestructible. There is a case when she withstood the hit of a dozen and a half anti-tank grenades.
french character
Floating "Frenchwoman" AMX10P is one of the lightest infantry fighting vehicles in the world. Developed in the 1970s, the vehicle is welded from sheets of aluminum armor and is similar in layout to the Marder and the Soviet "two". The sheets withstand the hit of large-caliber machine-gun bullets, but most likely, the crew will not be saved from cannon armor-piercing shells and cumulative grenades.
The remote turret installation includes a 20 mm M693 automatic cannon and a 7.62 mm machine gun coaxial with it. The gun fires 700 fragmentation or armor-piercing shells per minute and is effective at a distance of up to one and a half kilometers. Some infantry fighting vehicles in service with the French army are equipped with Milan anti-tank guided missiles. A searchlight is installed to illuminate targets at night.
Interestingly, the French did not cut through the loopholes in the sides, limiting themselves to seven periscope observation blocks. The "heart" of the car - an eight-cylinder diesel engine HS-115 - does not differ in power and develops only 300 horsepower. However, it is enough to accelerate a 14-ton car to 65 kilometers per hour. Combat experience BMP AMX10R received in the early 1990s, during the war in the Persian Gulf. In total, about two thousand units were produced.