BMP-23/30
Notes:
Though the Bulgarians used the BMP-1 IFV for the 1970s and most of the
1980s, they opted to go a different route instead of converting to the BMP-2.
Instead of simply buying or license-producing BMP-2s, they opted to
produce a new IFV based on the MT-LB chassis instead of the BMP-2.
This allowed for armor sloping on the sides as well as the front, and
give the crew and passengers a bit more room and amenities, as well as
benefitting from the MT-LB’s better cross-country performance and suspension.
The Bulgarians also mixed in components of the 2S1 Gvodzdika, such as the
more powerful engine, and this made up for the generally heavier weight of the
BMP-23. The BMP-23 series appears
to be used only by Bulgaria; recent deployments include IFOR, KFOR, and a
deployment to Iraq. The BMP-23 was first seen in a parade in 1980.
The BMP-23
Though armor is
still considered poor, it is much better than its MT-LB base.
Armor is simple cast steel, with moderately-sloped sides and belly
reinforcement. An automatic fire
detection and suppression system is fitted, for the engine, fuel tanks, and
ammunition storage as well as for the crew compartments, and these have manual
pull-handle backups. On each side
of the vehicle are three firing ports, and both of the rear doors also has a
firing port. The forward firing port on each side will accept a PK machinegun as
well as an AK-type assault rifle; this is also true of the rear firing ports.
The engine is mounted well forward in the front of the hull, which helps protect
the crewmembers and passengers. 6 smoke grenade launchers are located on the
turret roof in a single cluster.
The turret is
large for a vehicle of its class, as it is based more on the 2S1 than the BMP-2,
and mounts a 23mm autocannon with a coaxial machinegun.
Originally, the BMP-23 was also armed with an AT-3 ATGM launcher, but
later an AT-4 and even later an AT-5 launcher was mounted instead. (Technically,
these later vehicles are designated BMP-23A, and they also have their smoke
grenade launchers split into clusters of three on either side of the turret.)
The ATGM is aimed and guided by the commander, who must have his head,
shoulders, and chest outside the hatch to accomplish this, as the ATGM launcher
is mounted beside the commander’s hatch. The turret is mounted fairly well back
on the hull, and it a two-man turret; the driver is well forward in the hull on
the right side. Behind him and to
the left is a rectangular hatch which primarily for loading ammunition for the
vehicle. The gunner and has
magnified day and night vision devices, and the driver can replace his forward
vision block with a night vision block.
The commander has no night vision devices, except for an IR searchlight
which he can use in conjunction with night vision goggles.
The passengers have seats down the middle of the compartment, with a
separate seat facing to the rear. Two small roof hatches are found in the
passenger compartment. The fuel
tank is found in the floor of the interior of the passenger compartment,
something that would not give me the warm fuzzies.
The large size of the passenger compartment allow the troops to carry a
lot of ammunition and weapons, basically everything an infantry squad might
possibly need, as well as rations, water, and boiling pots and plates.
The engine is a
315-horsepower (some sources say 302 horsepower) YaMZ-238N diesel engine, with a
semiautomatic transmission. The
BMP-23 is amphibious with little preparation, propelled in the water by its
tracks, though a bilge pump must be turned on (requiring only a flip of a
switch) and a trim vane must be extended at the front.
The trim vane keeps the driver from seeing through his vision blocks, so
the driver must be head out of the vehicle or must install an extended-height
vision block. Other devices carried
by the BMP-23 include a heater, an inertial navigation system, a collective NBC
system, a chemical sniffer, a radiation meter, and the ability to lay a smoke
screen by injecting diesel into its exhaust.
The BRM-23
The BRM-23 is an
armored reconnaissance variant of the standard BMP-23.
As such, it mostly conforms to the same specifications as the BMP-23, but
is equipped with a number of specialist devices to suit its role.
Like most such vehicles, the crew of the BRM-23 may find themselves as
much as 100 kilometers in front of the main body of vehicles, acting as their
eyes and ears and conducting route reconnaissance.
Though not strictly an IFV or APC, it is included here for completeness.
The crew of the
BRM-23 consists of the commander, gunner, and driver, plus a dedicated
communications specialist and navigator.
Up to two other scouts may be carried as the mission and space inside
permit. Additional equipment
include a hand-held laser rangefinder that can also function as a designator and
can be removed from the vehicle and mounted on a tripod, an extra hand-held
passive IR device which can also be removed from the vehicle and placed on a
tripod, an inertial navigation system which includes mapping computers and a
radio modem to allow the BRM-23 to transmit its findings back to higher
headquarters at a range of up to 120 km, numerous pivoting periscopes with
magnification (one at each regular crew station), and artillery aiming circle
mounted as part of the commander’s cupola. The BRM-23 has two additional
medium-range, two additional long-range radios (one of which has the radio
modem), and one additional short-range radio, which is used primarily to
communicate with the short-range hand radios carried by the crewmembers. Mine
detectors are mounted in the front hull, and one which is hand-held is also
carried. More capable chemical and
radiation detectors are carried, as well as a detector which has a rudimentary
ability to detect biological agents.
The BRM-23 has an NBC overpressure system.
The number of firing ports are reduced; two are found on the right side
and one on the left side, with one in the right rear door.
Both the commander and the gunner have night vision devices. At the rear
of the BRM-23 is a large folding aerial that provides short-range ground
surveillance radar as well as radar and radio detection.
Recently, a GPS system has begun to be fitted to the BRM-23 fleet, but
large-scale deployment has been beset by budgetary problems.
The BMP-30
Hull-wise, the
BMP-30 is virtually identical to the BMP-23; however, the turret is a
slightly-enlarged version of the BMP-2’s turret, armed with a 30mm autocannon.
The BMP-30 version was first observed by the West in 1982, and apparently
supplements rather than replaces the BMP-23.
The new autocannon is much-better stabilized and has better fire control
equipment than the BMP-23, as well as firing a more effective round.
Both the commander and gunner have night vision devices, but range is
limited to 400 meters. The ATGM
used on the BMP-30 is either an AT-4 or AT-5; the AT-3 is not used with the
BMP-30. The smoke grenade launchers
are moved to either side of the turret, with three on each side. The roadwheels
are lighter models, and the entire suspension, though offering a smoother ride,
is likewise lighter than the BMP-23s suspension. Otherwise, the specifications
of the BMP-23 apply to the BMP-30.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
BMP-23 |
$103,993 |
D, A |
2 tons |
15.2 tons |
3+7 |
9 |
Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification
(G) |
Shielded |
BRM-23 |
$423,993 |
D, A |
600 kg |
15.7 tons |
5+2 |
12 |
Passive IR (D, G, C), Image
Intensification (G, C) |
Shielded |
BMP-30 |
$135,704 |
D, A |
2 tons |
15 tons |
3+7 |
9 |
Passive IR (D, G, C), Image
Intensification (G, C) |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
BMP-23 |
135/95 |
33/20/2 |
560 |
158 |
Trtd |
T3 |
TF6
TS6 TR4
HF8 HS5
HR3* |
BRM-23 |
131/92 |
32/19/2 |
560 |
163 |
Trtd |
T3 |
TF6
TS6 TR4
HF8 HS5
HR3* |
BMP-30 |
136/95 |
33/20/2 |
560 |
156 |
Trtd |
T3 |
TF10
TS6 TR6
HF8 HS5
HR3* |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
BMP-23/BRM-23 |
+1 |
Fair |
23mm 2A14 Autocannon, PKT, AT-3, AT-4,
or AT-5 Launcher |
600x23mm, 2000x7.62mm, 4xAT-3, AT-4, or
AT-5 ATGM |
BMP-30 |
+1 |
Fair |
30mm 2A46 Autocannon, PKT, AT-4 or AT-5
Launcher |
1000x30mm, 2000x7.62mm, 4xAT-4 or AT-5
ATGM |
*Floor and deck (turret and
hull) armor is 3.