Country of origin |
Ukraine |
Entered service |
- |
Crew |
3 men |
Personnel |
10 men |
Dimensions and weight |
Weight (without add-on armor) |
28.5 t |
Length |
6.2 m |
Width |
3.21
m |
Height |
1.95 m |
Armament |
Machine guns |
1 x 12.7 mm (150 rounds) |
Mobility |
Engine |
5TDF diesel |
Engine power |
700 hp |
Maximum road speed |
70 km/h |
Range |
600 km |
Maneuverability |
Gradient |
60% |
Side slope |
40% |
Vertical step |
0.8 m |
Trench |
2.7 m |
Fording |
1.4 m |
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The BMP-55
heavy armored personnel carrier was developed by Morozov Machine
Building Design Bureau as a private venture. It is also referred as
the AFV-55. Development commenced in 2000. Vehicle was
publicly revealed in 2007. In 2009 this vehicle was trialed. It is
claimed that in 2009 this heavy armored personnel carrier was ready
for production. However as of 2014 it received no production orders.
The
Ukrainian BMP-55 is based on refurbished hulls of
T-55 medium tanks.
This vehicle was developed for export customers, as there are no
T-55 tanks in service with Ukrainian Army. However many of T-55
tanks are in service and in storage with various countries around
the world. Today even upgraded T-55 tanks pose little threat to
modern main battle tanks. So Ukrainian manufacturer offers to
convert these ageing tanks into heavy infantry fighting vehicles.
Since the late 1980s Israel operates
Achzarit heavy APCs that are also converted form T-54 and
T-55 tanks. Similar conversions are also proposed by Russia (BTR-T)
and India (Tarmour).
However there were no production orders for the Ukrainian BMP-55,
Russian BTR-T and Indian Tarmour. Only the Israeli
Achzarit was
produced in quantity.
The main
role of heavy armored personnel carrier is to carry troops on the
battlefield under enemy fire. Sometimes these machines are referred
as battlefield taxi. Vehicles of this class have a much higher level
of protection than conventional APCs. These are invulnerable to
heavy machine gun fire and in some cases withstand hits from
anti-tank weapons.
Regarding
general configuration the BMP-55 follows conversion process adopted
by the Jordanian
Temsah heavy
APC. The T-55 tank has engine and transmission at the rear. It
became an issue when designers tried to make a troop compartment at
the rear. A simple solution was found to swap front end of the
vehicle with the rear. So the vehicle drives backward comparing with
the original T-55. Turret was removed and free space was converted
into the troop compartment.
Protection
of the BMP-55 was improved. Vehicle has a low profile hull. Front
mounted engine provides additional protection for the crew and
dismounts. Explosive reactive armor was added. Front arc withstands
hits from 90 mm armor-piercing projectiles. Sides can withstand hits
from RPG-7 grenade launcher. Rear end of the vehicle provides
protection against 14.5 mm armor-piercing rounds. The BMP-55
withstands mine blasts equivalent to 10 kg of TNT anywhere under the
hull. Vehicle also withstands explosions of 155 mm high explosive
rounds at 25 meters.
This heavy
APC is armed with remotely controlled 12.7 mm machine gun. Anti-tank
missiles can be fitted. Also other weapon options are also
available.
The BMP-55
has a crew of three and can carry up to 10 troops. Troops enter and
leave the vehicle via rear doors. Also there are roof hatches for
observation, firing and emergency exit.
Original
engine of the T-55 was replace by a 5TDF multi-fuel diesel engine,
developing 700 hp. The same engine was used on the
T-64 main
battle tank. This engine has compact dimensions and has high
power output due to its opposed design. However this engine has a
short service life and proved to be unreliable.
Alongside the BMP-55
the Ukrainian Morozov Machine Building
Design Bureau also developed another
BMPV-64
heavy armored personnel carrier. It is converted in a similar
way from the T-64 MBT. This vehicle also received no production
orders.
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