Extremely remarkable in its characteristics, the Russian infantry fighting vehicle BMP-3 was at one time poorly represented in the arsenal of the Russian army. But the course of the special operation in Ukraine showed that it could become the real weapon of victory – especially in the confrontation with Western counterparts, competitors, such as the American Bradley and the German Marder. It is no coincidence that Russian military factories have recently been intensively “riveting” the BMP-3.
Western armored vehicles traditionally have increased security. The NATO military wanted (and got) confidence that the 30-mm automatic cannon projectiles, which are considered the most common in the Russian army, the BMP-2, will not harm their equipment and soldiers. This came at the expense of the relatively large weight of Bradley and Marder – 23 and 28 tons, respectively.
In the Russian BMP-3, it is “shrink” up to 18 tons – for the sake of being able to parachute the car and transport the Mi-26 helicopter on the external sling. In addition, the Russian armored vehicle can swim – unlike the “American” and “German”. Such a small weight gives a huge head start in mobility. Where the Marder is guaranteed to sit on its belly during the thaw, the BMP-3 will pass, as they say, “without choking.”
