BMP-1D: Soviet-Afghan War Modifications
A BMP-1D with additional armor.
A BMP-1D with an AGS-17 grenade launcher mounted on the roof of the vehicle.
Artists representation of the vehicle.
The 30mm AGS-17 grenade launcher that’s been mounted on the BMP-1D.
Disclaimer: I apologize for the quality of the images, they’re very limited.
- A modification of the BMP-1 to suit the needs of the environment in Afghanistan. The vehicle features additional armor that was placed around the vehicle, acting as spaced armor. The 9M14 Malyutka anti-tank was removed from the vehicle due to the lack of heavy vehicle threats. In some cases the vehicle had field modifications such as weapon mods such as the welding of a 30mm AGS-17 grenade launcher to the top of the vehicle.
- This vehicle is brought up because in this update, we’ll see the second vehicle that was developed specifically for Afghanistan. The first is the BMP-2 with the ‘BMP-2D’ modification which adds additional armor around the vehicle. The second is the upcoming ZSU-23-4M2 which was designed to escort Soviet units around Afghanistan and provide suppressing fire. Since air threats were non-existent, the vehicle was modified to carry additional ammunition and have the RADAR components removed from the vehicle.
- In-game:
- The vehicle would be a unique and historical addition to the game and could fill a BR gap above the BTR-80A. The BMP-1D would feature more armor and could even have the AGS-17, offering a unique option in Rank V. It is worth noting again that the 9M14 Malyutka ATGM launcher was removed.
- Estimated BR: 7.0
Historical Photos/Information of Vehicles in Afghanistan
- Multiple photos of T-62M’s, T-55A’s, BMP-2D’s, BMP-1D’s, etc. that made up the core of the Soviet armored force and a diagram of unit assignments. Despite having more modern main battle tanks, due to the conditions in Afghanistan, the T-62 and later the T-62M were the spearhead of the force. This conflict marked the debut of the T-62M which US intelligence hadn’t seen before and designated it as the “T-62E”. Anyways many of these vehicles mentioned above featured field mods such as lattice/slat armor additions to protect the vehicles against weapons such as RPG’s and more. Tanks were at a severe disadvantage in Afghanistan due to the mountainous terrain that made ambushing armored convoys a real threat.
- Some armored vehicles and aircraft that were used in the war:
- T-62M
- T-62
- T-55A
- BMP-1(D)
- BMP-2(D)
- BMD-1
- BMD-2
- ASU-85
- 2S1 Gvozdika
- 2S3M Akatsiya
- 2S9 Nona-S
- BTR-ZD
- ZSU-23-4M2
- ZSU-23-4M1
- Mi-8TV
- Mi-24D
- Mi-24V
- Mi-24P
- MiG-21bis
- MiG-23M
- MiG-23MLD
- Su-17M4
- Su-22M3
- Su-25
- YaK-38
- Feel free to add more vehicles to the list. It is worth noting that some sources have the T-64 and T-55M/T-55AM listed but there is no image proof or documentation of this.
- The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DNR) also had there share of vehicles used which includes some of those listed above and the T-34-85M, T-54B, PT-76, ZSU-57-2, and more.
- Additional Note:
- It’s even more interesting to think that a lot of these vehicles are still in use today, with some undergoing significant upgrades despite being several decades old. This can be seen directly with the ZSU-23-4 and its ability to not only engage short range aircraft, but to target a new generation of threats seen in drones and cruise missiles. It just goes to show the robustness of the equipment and that even a legacy weapon in the right hands can change the course of the battlefield.
