According to the Russian Defense Ministry, in February 2022, the motorized rifle units of the Eastern Military District will receive new models of equipment
Accordingly, the infantry fighting vehicle BMP-1AM "Basurmanin" will replace the outdated BMP-1s
The modernization of the Soviet-made BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle has been completed
The advantages of the new version BMP-1AM “Basurmanin” have been confirmed through state trials
After the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union still led the world in the production of tanks, but lagged behind Western countries in armored vehicles
However, instead of racing to mass produce armored personnel carriers
the Soviet defense-industrial complex developed a new type of vehicle that was responsible for rapidly transporting infantry units to the battlefield
The world's first infantry fighting vehicle BMP-1, designed by Pavel Isakov
performed the same functions as an armored personnel carrier but was better armed
The first prototype of the BMP-1 was built in 1966
The vehicle weighs 12.6 tons, is 6.7 meters long, 2.9 meters wide, and 2 meters high
The crew of 3 includes commander, driver and gunner plus 8 armed soldiers in the passenger compartment
From 1966-1983, the Soviet defense industry produced a total of about 20,000 vehicles
A large amount was exported to China, Mongolia, Middle East countries, Europe and Africa
Currently, Soviet-made vehicles are in service with the Syrian army
In Russia, the BMP-1 is still active in service
According to experts, the most important part in the BMP-1 is the armored compartment
If not physically damaged, it can serve at least 50 years
As a result, with relatively modest costs to upgrade, the army has a highly effective combat vehicles
The BMP-1AM version is considered one of the best options for upgrading the BMP-1
The BMP-1AM was first shown in 2018
In the same year, Uralvagonzavod announced the development of a large-scale modernization program for the existing BMP-1 fleet to the BMP-1AM level
According to open sources, the units and formations of the Russian army have several hundred BMP-1s, and several thousand more are in storage
The BMP-1AM was called the "budget replacement" for the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle
The outdated 73mm gun "Thunder", which no longer meets modern requirements for combating NATO military equipment
is being replaced by new weapons
The vehicle receives a unified fighting compartment from the BTR-82A with a 30mm 2A72 automatic cannon, a 7.62mm PKTM machine gun
The BMP is equipped with a fire control system with a combined all-day anti-aircraft sight TKN-4GA-01
a two-plane weapon stabilizer and anti-tank guided weapons ATGM 9K115 "Metis"
The basic UTD-20 engine has been replaced by economical UTD-20S1 with the same 300 HP power
The total weight increases to 14.2 tons, but the maximum road speed (65 km/h) and the range (550 km) remain the same
BMP-1AM is now equal in firepower to BTR-82A and BMP-2
The modern combat module provides a better view for the commander and pointer
New fire controls with a night sight ensure precision fire
The maximum elevation angle increased to 74 degrees and the vehicle can fire at ground and air targets
and effectively operate in urban combat when it is necessary to fire at top floors
Metis 9K115 antitank missile system is used to fight armored targets
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, in February 2022, the BMP-1AM "Basurmanin" will be assigned to motorized rifle units in the Amur region
The exact number of these new infantry fighting vehicles has yet to be determined, but is expected to be very large
In addition, steps to modernize the entire fleet of infantry fighting vehicles are being planned