BMP-3 is a Soviet (now Russian) tracked infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), the latest model in the BMP family.

BMP stands for "boevaya mashina pehoty", which translates in English as "infantry combat vehicle".

BMP-3 was the successor of BMP-2 and BMP-1 and it entered service with the Soviet Red Army in 1987.

Manufactured by Kurganmashzavod, more than 2,000 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles have been built so far.

BMP-3 is an amphibious IFV with a mass of 18.7 tonnes (18.4 long tons; 20.6 short tons). It has a length of 7.14 m (23 ft 5 in), a width of 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in), and a height of 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in).

The crew is made up of three (3) persons including the commander, the gunner, and the driver. It can carry seven (7) troopers and has another two additional seats.

The BMP-3 armor is made of aluminum alloy and steel with a thickness of +35 mm on the front side. It offers all-around protection against small arms calibers up to 12.7 mm.

The BMP-3 armament varies depending on the model.

One BMP-3 variant is equipped with a 2K23 turret fitted with a 100 mm 2A70 gun/missile launcher.

The 2A70 cannon is able to fire both shells and the 9M117 Bastion anti-tank guided missile.

BMP-3 also can be equipped with a 30 mm 2A72 autocannon and a 7.62mm PKT machine gun.

It can also use the Bakhcha-U turret which can be fitted with the 2A70 or 2A72 cannons, a PKMT machine gun, and a new fire control system.

B05Ya01 Berezhok turret with a 2A42 cannon, an AGS-30 grenade launcher, Kornet-EM AT missiles, and PKT machine gun can also be mounted on the BMP-3.

Another variant is equipped with the AU-220M Baikal remote weapon station turret with a 57 mm BM-57 autocannon and a 7.62 mm PKMT machine gun.

As secondary armament, BMP-3 is armed with two 7.62 mm PKT machine guns.

The Russian BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle is powered by a 500 hp (375 kW) UTD-29M diesel engine and has a power-to-weight ratio of 27 hp/tonne.

Using a torsion bar suspension, BMP-3 has an operational range of 600 km (370 mi) and a maximum speed of 72 km/h (45 mph) on-road and 45 km/h (28 mph) off-road.

In water, it can reach a speed of 10 km/h (6.2 mph).