RTS stands for " Регулятор Tемпературы Стекла" (Regulyator Temperatur' Stekla), which literally means "Glass Temperature Regulator". In non-combat situations the commander may opt to peek out of his hatch instead.Īs usual, all of the periscopes are heated with the RTS-27 heating system to prevent fogging.
#FRONTLINE SOLVER ISU DRIVER#
It is useful for directing the driver when buttoned up. To top it all off, there is a TNPT-1 rear view periscope mounted in the hatch to give the commander immediate rearward awareness. It would, of course, be much better to have two more periscopes like on the cupolas of T-54 and T-62 tanks. It is not as convenient as being able to glance in whichever direction at leisure, but the overall effect is similar, and at least the commander of a BMP-2 has a greater field of view than a 160 degree frontal arc. However, it must be mentioned that the cupola rotates, so unlike the gunner seated beside him and the commander of a Marder 1, the commander of a BMP-2 can spin the cupola around to see all 360 degrees around him.
The commander of the Marder 1, for instance, is furnished with a generous array of five periscopes covering 160 degrees frontally. Not only is that less than what the gunner gets, it's also much less than what the commander's NATO counterparts get. The commander of the BMP-2 is only given a miserly two (!) general vision periscopes to supplement his ubiquitous TKN-3B. Since then, no new BMP-2s have been supplied to the Russian Army, but KMZ still engages in the production of spares and routinely carries out overhaul and modernization work for existing vehicles. In 2005-2006, the Russian Army received its last batch of approximately 40 new-built BMP-2s. Small orders of BMP-2s and BMP-3s were delivered to the Russian Army, but the volume of deliveries was small due to the economic situation of the Russian Federation at the time. From 1988 to 1991, the production of the BMP-2 ran in parallel with the BMP-3, and in the 1990's, most of the production capacity of the KMZ plant had been redirected towards producing the BMP-3 to fulfill export contracts. These production numbers ensured that many Soviet motorized infantry units were equipped with fully armoured and highly mobile troops transports with more firepower than before. At the peak of production in 1989, between 1,800 to 1,900 units exited factory gates every year - triple the maximum annual rate of production of the M2 Bradley.
However, the BMP-2 never got past the lack of a modern thermal imaging system like the M2 Bradley's ISU (Integrated Sighting Unit), and it only got worse as time went on, as the BMP-2 stagnated technologically while its contemporaries continually evolved.įrom 1980 to 1989, the factory now known as Kurganmashzavod produced a total of 14,000 BMP-2 models of all types. The modifications resulted in an almost entirely different vehicle with greatly expanded capabilities. The most obvious difference between the BMP-2 and its predecessor is, of course, the new turret, now armed with a deadly 30mm autocannon. Even the hull was structurally different due to the use of a new steel. It is so heavily modified that the only similarities are in the general layout and the powertrain. The BMP-2 is a product improved BMP-1, but it is not quite the same thing as its predecessor. While that is technically true, the sentiment behind such an accusation points to an incorrect mindset. This iteration of the BMP family is technically excellent in the application of available technologies and features, especially when compared to its predecessor, the BMP-1, but some view the BMP-2 is nothing more than a "rehash" of the old and obsolete BMP-1 design.