The Ministry of Defense decided to re-equip the 4th Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division with BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, which have greater firepower, security and better running characteristics. On April 26, Izvestia was told about this by sources in the Ministry of Defense.
The division – in its armament there are more than 200 T-80 tanks with gas turbine engines – BMP-3 will begin to arrive next year, the military department said.
In terms of maneuverability, experts say, the new equipment is not inferior to the T-80 tanks with gas turbine engines in service with the division.
It is noted that the BMP-3 is close to light tanks in its characteristics. She carries on board an impressive arsenal – a 100 mm 2A40 cannon, which also serves as an ATGM launcher, a 30 mm 2A42 automatic cannon, as well as three 7.62 mm machine guns: two course and one coaxial with a gun. The predecessor of the BMP-3, which is currently in the park of the Kantemirovsk division, is armed only with a 30-mm automatic cannon and a machine gun.
According to a military expert, reserve colonel Sergei Suvorov, the BMP-3 has a significant advantage over the BMP-2, especially in its ability to overcome water obstacles.
Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article: With a new move: the “jet division” will be strengthened by the latest BMP-3