BMD-3

BMD-3
A BMD-3 at the 2009 Omsk "VTVT" exhibition
Type	Infantry fighting vehicle
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1990–present
Used by	Angola Russia
Production history
Designed	1980s
Manufacturer	Volgograd tractor factory
Produced	1985–1997
Number built	143
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	12.9 t (14.2 short tons; 12.7 long tons)
Length	6.36 m (20 ft 10 in) (gun forward) 6 m (19 ft 8 in) (chassis)
Width	3.13 m (10 ft 3 in)
Height	2.45 m (8 ft 0 in) (maximum) 2.17 m (7 ft 1 in) (minimum)
Crew	3
Passengers	5
Armor	Turret: Steel Hull: Aluminum alloy
Main armament	30 mm 2A42 autocannon
Secondary armament	30 mm AGS-17 grenade launcher 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun 5.45 mm RPK-74 machine gun 9M113 Konkurs ATGM
Engine	2V-06-2 water-cooled diesel engine 450 hp (331 kW)
Power/weight	34.9 hp/tonne (25.7 kW/tonne)
Suspension	Hydropneumatic suspension
Operational range	500 km (310 mi) (on paved roads)
Speed	70 km/h (43 mph) (on paved roads) 45 km/h (28 mph) (on rough terrain) 10 km/h (6.2 mph) (in water)

The BMD-3 (Boyevaya Mashina Desanta, Russian "Боевая Машина Десанта", literally "Combat Vehicle of the Airborne") is an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) originating from the former Soviet Union. This armored fighting vehicle is one of the lightest in its class and is intended to be a fire support platform for use by airborne and air assault units. The primary armament is a 30 mm 2A42 autocannon capable of firing different types of ammunition which include high-explosive and armor-piecing. The BMD-3 possesses multiple secondary weapons such as the 9M113 Konkurs missile and the AGS-17 grenade launcher to defeat a wide range of targets from enemy infantry to other armored fighting vehicles.

Designed in the 1980s, the vehicle was manufactured by the Volgograd tractor factory under the industrial index Object 950. The BMD-3 entered service with the VDV in 1990 with only 137 vehicles being produced due to the economic depression. The operators of the BMD-3 are Angola and Russia. As of 2013, 123 BMD-3s and 60 BMD-4s are in service with the Russian Airborne Troops.

Since the foundation of the VDV, Soviet engineers continuously sought to provide them with sufficient firepower. Experience from World War II revealed that the "winged infantry" should be at least en par with the conventional infantry in terms of firepower, protection and mobility. However, a degree of military-transport aviation capability to airlift airborne troops to landing zones at the time of their creation impeded the solution of this problem. The adoption of the An-8 and An-12 military-transport aircraft, industrial achievements, and new approaches to military doctrines created technical and economic preconditions for the development of armament and hardware versions that could be air portable. In 1969, the BMD-1 entered service and was equally combat-efficient as the BMP-1.