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BMP-30: Bulgaria's Improved IFV
History:
Following the adoption of the BMP-23 by Bulgaria as a replacement for the BMP-1, it soon became apparent that the 23mm 2A14 autocannon just wasn’t going to be enough as a main armament. Not only that, but the 9M14 ATGM was quickly becoming outdated. It was determined that an upgrade solution needed to happen, and there was one candidate which had been in the sights of the Bulgarian military for a while. Parallel to Bulgaria’s development, the USSR had also seen the BMP-1 become outmoded, resulting in the creation of the much more advanced BMP-2. With its 30mm 2A42 autocannon and 9M113 Konkurs ATGM, it was a vast improvement over the original and changed the world of IFV design. Upon comparing their own design with the Soviet equivalent, a possible upgrade path was noted.
Bulgaria managed to acquire several BMP-2 turrets, mounting them in place of original BMP-23 turrets, creating an up-gunned and overall improved vehicle. This was dubbed the BMP-30, reflecting the new main gun, and it was tested for full-scale production. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints it was not pursued, with only the first 10 pre-production examples having been built. That said, they went into service alongside the standard BMP-23s, with the BMP-23A upgrade coming along as a more cost-effective solution to their issues.
NOTE: Forecast International’s report on the BMP-23 family of vehicles claims that upwards of 130 serial production BMP-30s may have been produced. Whether or not this is true is unclear, as all other sources indicate it did not go into serial production.
Description:
The BMP-30 is identical in all aspects to the BMP-23 aside from the turret. Instead of the angular, welded turret made domestically by Bulgaria, it now features the complete turret of the BMP-2, giving it access to all its weapons and features. This includes the 30mm 2A42 autocannon, 9M113 Konkurs ATGM, six smoke grenade launchers, passive NVDs, and larger IR spotlight. Using curved plates instead of flat ones improves the likelihood of ricochets, and the turret itself is overall shorter, making it a smaller target.
Aside from that, the rest is the same. It still uses the same modified 2S1 chassis, the same hull armor, the same crew of 3, and the same engine. It functions essentially like a larger, slower, and less cramped BMP-2.
Specifications:
Spoiler
Main Armament: 30mm 2A42 autocannon, 9M113 Konkurs ATGM
Secondary Armament: 7.62mm PKT machine gun
Armor: 23mm RHA frontally, 20mm RHA sides
Ammo Count: 500 30mm rounds, 2000 7.62mm rounds, 4 missiles
Engine: YaMZ-288V V8 Diesel, 315HP
Transmission: Manual, 6 forward/1 reverse
Top Speed: 62 km/h (38 mph) on land, 6 km/h (3.7 mph) in water
Gun Movement: -4/+74°
Sights: Gunner’s sight: 6x, Commander’s sight: 5x
Crew: 3 (driver, gunner, commander)
Smoke: ESS and 6x smoke launchers
NVDs: Passive IR for gunner and commander, IR spotlight
