According to a video published on Twitter on December 18, 2022, the Ukrainian army uses a new type of tracked armored IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) based on a tracked chassis of a Soviet-made BMP-1 IFV fitted with a 30mm cannon turret of a BMD-2, a Russian-made airborne tracked armored vehicle.
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Ukrainian army BMP-1 tracked IFV fitted with a two-man turret of BMD-2 IFV armed with one 30mm 2A42 automatic cannon. (Picture source Video footage Twitter)
The Ukrainian army continues to design and develop new types of combat vehicles using captured Russian military equipment. In fact, according to open source information, Ukrainian soldiers would have been captured around 100 Russian army BMP-1 IFVs as well as more than 50 BMD-2s, an airborne tracked armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).
The original BMP-1 is armed with one a 73 mm Model 2A28 smoothbore, low-pressure, short-recoil gun. The big issue for the BMP-1 cannon, after each round is fired the gun must return to an elevation of +3º 30' for reloading reducing the rate of fire. The vehicle also carries only 40 rounds. The ammunition is the same as that used in the SPG-9 man-portable anti-tank gun and has a limited firing range of only 1,300 m.
The weapon system mounted on the BMD-2 consists of a two-man turret which is armed with a 30 mm 2A42 dual-feed stabilized cannon and one 7.62 mm PKT machine gun mounted coaxially to the right of the main gun. The main armament is stabilized in both vertical and horizontal planes.
The 30 mm 2A42 cannon is also used on the Russian-made BMP-2 tracked armored IFV and has an elevation of +75º and a depression of -5º. The turret carries 300 rounds of 30 mm and 2,980 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.
Close-view of BMP-1 turret armed with one 73mm cannon. (Picture source Army Recognition)
The 2A42 cannon can be used to hit manpower, unprotected and armored vehicle and can be also used against aerial targets due to the elevation of the cannon while the 73mm cannon of the BMP-1 has an elevation from +33° to -4°.
The 2A42 offers many advantages over the 73 mm gun. In fact, it was designed to be integrated into a limited volume of the fighting compartment. Due to the long 80-caliber barrel, the 2A42 gun gives the projectile a high initial velocity, which also gives an increased range of fire against various targets. It also provides high accuracy.
The 2A42 cannon is equipped with an original receiver that provides simultaneous feeding of two tapes from different sides. It can fire a wide range of 30mm ammunition including high-explosive fragmentation rounds and armor-piercing shells with penetration of at least 18-25 mm of armor at a distance of 1 km. The cannon has an effective firing range of 4 km against land targets and up to 2.5 km to engage aerial targets.
To conclude, we can say that the use of the 2A42mm gun mounted on the BMP-1 chassis offers more engagement capabilities on different types of targets while offering a large interior volume for the infantrymen and maintaining mobility in the road and off-road conditions. The vehicle can run at a maximum road speed of 65 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 600 km.
Close view of the two-man BMD-2 turret armed with one 30mm automatic cannon. (Picture source Army Recognition).
