Vietnam's No. 1 combat vehicle gets a power boost

Along with improving the fuel filter layer on the BMP-1, Vietnam has increased the firepower of the BMP-1 by upgrading armor-piercing ammunition.

Developed by the Soviet Union, the BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle is still in service with the armies of many countries, including Vietnam. The BMP-1's firepower is quite strong with a 73mm 2A28 smoothbore gun with 40 PR-15B armor-piercing rounds.

According to public information, the 73mm PR-15B anti-tank round has a maximum range of 1,300m, a muzzle velocity of 400m/s, is ignited by electricity, and is used to destroy tanks, armored vehicles, bunkers and many other types of targets.

Vietnamese soldiers load PR-15B ammunition into BMP-1 vehicle.

The projectile is stabilized by wings with a maximum speed of 665m/s. The propellant has a separate structure and is only attached to the projectile when fired. The projectile is made of steel and filled with A-IX-1 explosive; the engine and tail fin are made of aluminum. The tail fin system is used to stabilize the projectile on the flight path; the engine uses propellant.

The bullet's fuse is a piezoelectric head-bottom instant-detonation type fuse, similar to the BP-7 fuse installed on the B41 anti-tank bullet and has the same operating principle as the B41 anti-tank bullet, except that the initial charge of the 73mm bullet is similar to that of an artillery shell...

However, due to the long time of production and harsh climate and environmental conditions in our country, most of the 73mm anti-tank ammunition has degraded to level 3 or level 4, and many batches of ammunition have degraded to near level 5.

This is a type of ammunition with good combat performance and a large quantity, so the General Department of Engineering has surveyed and decided to study repair, extend the life, and continue to maintain equipment to avoid waste.

However, this type of ammunition has a complex structure and operating principle. When we received aid, the ammunition did not have a maintenance, repair, or upgrade process, so it was very difficult to upgrade and repair.

Vietnam upgrades PR-15B ammunition itself.

Assigned by the General Department of Engineering (GDET), Workshop 265 (Department of Armaments, GDET) has made efforts to overcome difficulties, creatively researched, and completely mastered the medium repair technology process for 73mm anti-tank ammunition (PR-15B), helping to increase the service life of a large number of anti-tank ammunition for BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles.

Along with the successful preservation and upgrading of anti-tank ammunition for the BMP-1, there are currently many comprehensive foreign upgrade packages that are considered suitable for this Vietnamese combat vehicle. Among them is the upgrade package to the Israeli BMP-M2 EXCALIBUR standard.

In addition to upgrading firepower, Vietnam also improved its own fuel filter to increase the operational capability of the BMP-1 combat vehicle.

According to Baodatviet