Although there are plans to mass produce and equip new-generation infantry fighting vehicles such as the T-15 Armata, Kurganets-25 and Bumerang
In addition to owning a lot of BMP-3 and BMD-4
the Russian army still plans to upgrade a large number of BMP-2s to continue to extend its life in the next few decades
Even most recently, Indian Ministry of Defense has placed an order for 156 BMP 2/2k Sarath for an estimated INR 1,094 crore ($145.7 million).
This shows the intense vitality of this Russian infantry fighting vehicle
It can be considered that the BMP-2 is a continuation of the BMP-1
a combat vehicle that immediately after its birth became revolutionary and was exported to more than 40 countries
The BMP-2 made its debut around the late 1970s and entered service with the Soviet Army in 1980
The BMP-2 was produced in extremely large numbers, with the Soviet Army alone estimated to have received around 20,000 vehicles
The BMP-2 has a weight of about 14.3 tons, a length of 6.7m, a width of 3.15m, and a height of 2.45m
It was operated by a crew of 3: commander, gunner, and driver
The rear passenger compartment can accommodate up to 7 armed soldiers
The design of the BMP-2 is quite similar to the BMP-1
The driver remained at the front-left of the hull with the powerpack to his immediate right
The commander, however, was moved from his hull placement to the new two-man turret, joining the gunner
This arrangement now provided a better communications arrangement between gunner and commander
Four firing ports were allotted to the left hull side with three along the right
which allowed passengers to defend the vehicle with personal weapons as necessary
The BMP-2 was fitted with a new two-man turret
The most obvious improvement being the replacement of the BMP-1's non-stabilized 73 mm low velocity gun
by a more versatile and effective fully-stabilized dual-fed 30 mm cannon
The previous gun had a maximum range of only 1,300 m
Also it could not be used against air targets. The new 30 mm cannon proved to be a successful weapon
It fires HE-FRAG, HE and armor-piercing rounds
It can engage armored targets at a range of 1,500 m, ground targets at a range of 4,000 m and helicopters at a range of up to 2,500 m
There is also a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun
Some BMP-2 IFVs are additionally fitted with a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher
The BMP-2's armor is broadly similar to the original BMP-1
Welded steel armor provides all-round protection against 12.7 mm rounds
Front arc of this IFV offers partial protection against 20 mm ammunition
Vehicle is also fitted with NBC protection and automatic fire suppression systems
The BMP-1 and BMP-2 share the same chassis and have almost identical road performance
The BMP-2 is heavier, but also has a more powerful engine to compensate
The vehicle is equipped with a diesel engine UTD-20/3 with 300 hp
It can reach a maximum road speed of 65 km/h and has a range of 600 km
The BMP-2 is amphibious with little preparation, using hydrodynamic fairings to convert track momentum into water jets
It can swim at a speed of 7 km/h
Since its launch, the vehicle was utilized across many major and minor conflicts
The type fought in the Soviet-Afghan War, the Iran-Iraq War, the Georgian Civil War, the Gulf War of 1991
the 1st and 2nd Chechen Wars, the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq
More recently, the BMP-2 has featured in the 2008 South Ossetian War between Russia and Georgia
as well as the ongoing Syrian Civil War which began in 2011