The development was conducted in the ChTZ KB1972 ("Facility 769") and in KB KMZ in 1974. BMP-2 was created on the basis of BMP-1 to further enhance the combat characteristics of the latter. Faced with the combat inadequacies of their BMP-1 armored personnel carrier in the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and later in Afghanistan, the Soviets produced a new model - the BMP-2. The BMP-1 was highly vulnerable to fire from heavy infantry weapons, medium antiarmor weapons, and artillery fire. Each side of the troop compartment has three firing ports with associated roof-mounted periscopes. Given the enlarged turret, there are two roof hatches in the rear fighting compartment, rather than the four of the BMP-1, and the the BMP-2 accommodates one less passenger. The ATGM launcher on top of the turret can employ either AT-4 SPIGOT or AT-5 SPANDREL missiles, though the AT-5 Spandrel canister is normally mounted. The new two-man turret mounts a 30-mm automatic gun with a long thin tube and double-baffle muzzle brake that can be used against aircraft and helicopters.
The BMP-2, fielded in the early 1980's, is an improved version of the BMP-1 incorporating major armament changes. Craftsmen of the Special Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering (SKBM) managed to create a reliable and unpretentious machine that can operate effectively in any climate - in deserts, in the mountains, and on the plains. The BMP-2 infantry combat vehicle, which has been in service since 1980, fought in Afghanistan, participated in all conflicts in the territory of the former USSR, in countless wars in Africa and the Middle East.
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