BMP-1 IFV
Both sides of the Cold War had to deal with the threat of operating on a nuclear battlefield, and both came to the same conclusion: the infantry needed to be enclosed inside a vehicle that could protect them from radiation, to say nothing of bad weather and grenades. The American solution was the "battle taxi" concept, in which troops would ride into battle in M113 APCs, dismount, and fight, while the M113 pulled back, giving limited support with its single .50 caliber machine gun.
The Soviets came to a different conclusion for the same problem: the infantry would only dismount when they reached the actual fighting line; until then, they would fight from inside the APC. Once the infantry were deployed, the APC would remain in support, equipped with not only a machine gun, but a gun capable of engaging enemy tanks. The result was the Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty (Infantry Fighting Vehicle), known better by its acronym, BMP.
When the BMP-1 was unveiled in 1967, it stunned the West. This was not a "battle taxi," but an actual armored fighting vehicle, capable of engaging combat on its own as well as act as a troop carrier. The enclosed turret carried a 73mm gun capable of engaging tanks, while it also carried a launching rail for the 9M14 Malyutka (AT-3 Sagger) wire-guided antitank missile. The infantry were given full protection in a nuclear and/or chemical battlefield through a NBC overpressure system, and had firing ports to fire their weapons from inside the vehicle. The BMP was typically robust and reliable. It was far and away better than the M113, and Western nations hurried to come up with their own actual IFVs--which would lead to the development of vehicles such as the M2 Bradley and Marder.
That would be a decade in the future, and in the meantime, the BMP-1 entered service with not just the Soviet Red Army, but with client states around the world. Its combat debut came in the Yom Kippur (October) War of 1973, and results were mixed. Both the Syrians and Egyptians liked the maneuverability and speed of the BMP, but found them cramped and unbearably hot in the desert. The 73mm was reliable, but the gunner needed to be uncomfortably close to a target to use it, which usually ended in the BMP's destruction at the hands of Israeli Pattons and Centurions; the Sagger missile was better and accounted for many Israeli tanks, but the missile was slow, hard to control (especially with the Israelis instantly opening fire on the origin of the missile's smoke trail), and almost impossible to reload in combat. Lack of maintenance also caused many BMPs to break down.
In Afghanistan, Soviet BMP-1s found themselves dealing with a counterinsurgency campaign. Though the BMP gave a decent account of itself, it was found to be vulnerable to mines: the fuel tanks and ammunition stowage were right next to the infantry department, and a mine detonation would usually cause either or both to explode, leading to the death of the crew. Soviet BMP crews began putting sandbags or improvised armor beneath their vehicles, while the infantry rode atop the BMP; wooden or steel slat armor was added to better defeat heavy machinegun or RPG fire. (Ironically, the solutions arrived at by Soviet troops were exactly those of their American counterparts in Vietnam with the M113, for the same reason.) By the time of the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) in 1991, Iraqi BMP crews faced much better equipped American foes, and the BMPs were no match for the M2/M3 Bradley, which had been inspired by the very vehicle it was now engaging.
The Soviets recognized the issues with the BMP-1, and began introducing the improved BMP-2 in the 1980s, which replaced the 73mm and Sagger missiles with better-ranged 30mm autocannons and improved 9M113 Konkurs antitank missiles. Some BMP-1s were upgraded to carry the latter, and a few had their 73mm guns replaced by grenade launchers. Despite its age and the appearance of the BMP-2, BMP-1s remain in service around the world.
This well-worn BMP-1 is likely an ex-Iraqi example, and is equipped with a searchlight; the empty Sagger launch rail is just above the main gun. It's on display at the Tucson Military Museum, where we saw it in June 2025.
BMP-1 IFV
Both sides of the Cold War had to deal with the threat of operating on a nuclear battlefield, and both came to the same conclusion: the infantry needed to be enclosed inside a vehicle that could protect them from radiation, to say nothing of bad weather and grenades. The American solution was the "battle taxi" concept, in which troops would ride into battle in M113 APCs, dismount, and fight, while the M113 pulled back, giving limited support with its single .50 caliber machine gun.
The Soviets came to a different conclusion for the same problem: the infantry would only dismount when they reached the actual fighting line; until then, they would fight from inside the APC. Once the infantry were deployed, the APC would remain in support, equipped with not only a machine gun, but a gun capable of engaging enemy tanks. The result was the Boyevaya Mashina Pyekhoty (Infantry Fighting Vehicle), known better by its acronym, BMP.
When the BMP-1 was unveiled in 1967, it stunned the West. This was not a "battle taxi," but an actual armored fighting vehicle, capable of engaging combat on its own as well as act as a troop carrier. The enclosed turret carried a 73mm gun capable of engaging tanks, while it also carried a launching rail for the 9M14 Malyutka (AT-3 Sagger) wire-guided antitank missile. The infantry were given full protection in a nuclear and/or chemical battlefield through a NBC overpressure system, and had firing ports to fire their weapons from inside the vehicle. The BMP was typically robust and reliable. It was far and away better than the M113, and Western nations hurried to come up with their own actual IFVs--which would lead to the development of vehicles such as the M2 Bradley and Marder.
That would be a decade in the future, and in the meantime, the BMP-1 entered service with not just the Soviet Red Army, but with client states around the world. Its combat debut came in the Yom Kippur (October) War of 1973, and results were mixed. Both the Syrians and Egyptians liked the maneuverability and speed of the BMP, but found them cramped and unbearably hot in the desert. The 73mm was reliable, but the gunner needed to be uncomfortably close to a target to use it, which usually ended in the BMP's destruction at the hands of Israeli Pattons and Centurions; the Sagger missile was better and accounted for many Israeli tanks, but the missile was slow, hard to control (especially with the Israelis instantly opening fire on the origin of the missile's smoke trail), and almost impossible to reload in combat. Lack of maintenance also caused many BMPs to break down.
In Afghanistan, Soviet BMP-1s found themselves dealing with a counterinsurgency campaign. Though the BMP gave a decent account of itself, it was found to be vulnerable to mines: the fuel tanks and ammunition stowage were right next to the infantry department, and a mine detonation would usually cause either or both to explode, leading to the death of the crew. Soviet BMP crews began putting sandbags or improvised armor beneath their vehicles, while the infantry rode atop the BMP; wooden or steel slat armor was added to better defeat heavy machinegun or RPG fire. (Ironically, the solutions arrived at by Soviet troops were exactly those of their American counterparts in Vietnam with the M113, for the same reason.) By the time of the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) in 1991, Iraqi BMP crews faced much better equipped American foes, and the BMPs were no match for the M2/M3 Bradley, which had been inspired by the very vehicle it was now engaging.
The Soviets recognized the issues with the BMP-1, and began introducing the improved BMP-2 in the 1980s, which replaced the 73mm and Sagger missiles with better-ranged 30mm autocannons and improved 9M113 Konkurs antitank missiles. Some BMP-1s were upgraded to carry the latter, and a few had their 73mm guns replaced by grenade launchers. Despite its age and the appearance of the BMP-2, BMP-1s remain in service around the world.
This well-worn BMP-1 is likely an ex-Iraqi example, and is equipped with a searchlight; the empty Sagger launch rail is just above the main gun. It's on display at the Tucson Military Museum, where we saw it in June 2025.