BWP-40 The Polish Frankenstein

Colerend · August 31, 2023, 7:09am

Would you like to see this in-game?

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Should it be a Tech Tree/Premium/Event/Squadron vehicle?

Tech Tree
Premium
Event
Squadron
I said no

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Battle Rating ?

8.7
9.0
9.3
9.7
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Where should it be ?

Future Polish Tech Tree
Russian Tech Tree (specify why)
Swedish Tech Tree (specify why)
Other
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General Information

At the beginning of the 1990’s, after the foundation of the democratic government, Poland made attempts to modernize it’s aging fleet of BWP-1’s which were quite outdated by that time. Most of those attempts consisted of replacing the original turret. One of such prototypes was the BWP-40 equipped with the turret of the Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicle. The prototype was created thanks to the cooperation of the Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy Maszyn Ziemnych i Transportowych, Huta Stalowa Wola and Bofors Weapons Systems. The development of the CV90 turret forced the termination of the commander’s hatch (the commander’s position was transferred to the turret) and two of the four upper hatches for the troop compartment. The installation of a new, heavier turret caused a deterioration in the traction properties and practically deprived it of the ability to swim (the vehicle floated on water, but the buoyancy reserve was minimal). The operational range was almost halved compared to the BWP-1. After testing, it was decided that the turret of the CV90 was too heavy for BWP-1 and the plans to rebuild BWP-1’s to the BWP-40 standard were abandoned.
Armament + Equipment
Main: 40 mm L/70B Bofors (duh)
The turret system that was used provided the vehicle with maximum autonomy in conducting combat operations. Thanks to this, the vehicle could fight armored targets at a distance of 2000m and air targets up to 4000m.
Observation system included a UTAAS(Universal Tank and Anti-Aircraft System) with a day and night sight, a thermal imaging camera and a laser rangefinder. The gun used modern APFSDS-T ammunition, as well as programmable HE ammunition with a proximity fuse. The autocannon weights 665 kg (including a full 24-round magazine). The ammunition in the magazine is divided into three parts, in each of which there could be cartridges with different type of shells. In addition, above the autocannon there is a drum containing 48 rounds. The angle of fire in the vertical plane is from -8 to +35°. The turret traverse speed was 57°/s and vertical aiming speed was 28.5°/s. The BWP-40 prototype was not equipped with any other type of armament other than the autocannon.

Ammunition:
APFSDS (slpprj m/90 probably)
MP-T
TP-T
HE-VT (sources are conflicted on BWP-40 having access to this round)

Specifications

Crew: 3(commander, gunner, driver) + 4 soldiers in the back
Engine: UTD-20 with 300HP at 2600RPM
Transmission: mechanical
Mass: 15 400kg (15,4 tonnes)
Length: 6735 mm
Width: 2940 mm
Height: 2570 mm
Ground clearance: 370 mm
Max Speed: 65 km/h
Range: 350 km (on road)