The BMP-3 is a very powerful vehicle of its class, an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), which was built in the Soviet-era and still used today by the Russian’s and other countries where the vehicle was exported to. It has a crew of three, gunner, driver and commander. It can also carry an additional 7 passengers. The vehicle is a series of updates from the BMP-1 and BMP-2. The latest of the BMP family of vehicles is the BMP-4.
Armaments
The BMP-3 is armed with a ‘2A70 100 mm rifled gun’ which fires ‘100mm high explosive frag shells’ (40 HE-frag shells), like the T-90 it fires an ATGM (Anti-tank guided missile) through the tube of the main barrel. This munition again, the same as the T-90 and various other class of armour fires the 9M117 ATGM. It can carry 8 of these in its breach. It is also armed with an auto cannon which has an extremely fast rate of fire of 350-400 RPM and it carries 500 of these 30mm rounds (HE/AP). There is more, it also has a coaxial machine gun which its specification is a 7.62 mm which the BMP carries 2,000 rounds of this munition. The passengers of this vehicle also have two internal weapons where they can fire 7.62 mm weaponry at a 180° degrees. If there is a definition for “heavily-armed” this is a defining vehicle which is exactly that.
Armour/Protection
The front of the vehicle has 35 mm of spaced armour, which is essentially tiles of armour spaced out between the front of vehicle, the rest of the vehicle is all aluminium materials. It can also be fitted with ‘Explosive Reactive Armour’ (ERA) for further protection. ERA essentially makes the weapon that is fired against the target explode on impact as opposed to the penetrator of the weapon penetrating the vehicle itself. For further protection of the vehicle it carries 5 RPG-18, RP-7, two hand held anti-air launchers (Igla or Strela-3), and 10 grenades (F1 grenades).
The BMP is powerful, but in Russian arsenal, much more powerful type of armoury.
But it is old as well. I think they have updated it with modern optics etc.