BMP-1 Variants - Variants - Poland

Poland

• BWP-1 (BWP-1 stands for Bojowy Wóz Piechoty-1 – "Infantry Fighting Vehicle – 1") – The Polish designation for a Soviet BMP-1 (Ob'yekt 765Sp2 and later Ob'yekt 765Sp3).
  • BWP-1 fitted with a 7.62 mm PK machine gun on top of the mantlet of the 73 mm 2A28 Grom low pressure smoothbore short-recoil semi-automatic gun. It is used by the Polish detachment of KFOR.
  • BWP-1 fitted with a 7.62 mm PK machine gun on top of the turret. It is also used by the Polish detachment of KFOR.
  • BWP-1 fitted with a 7.62 mm PK machine gun on the front of the hull. It too, is used by the Polish detachment of KFOR.
  • BWP-1 experimentally fitted with the Dragar turret with chamfered sides, front and rear.
  • BWP-1M "Puma 1" (BWP-1M stands for Bojowy Wóz Piechoty-1 Modernizacja – "Infantry Fighting Vehicle – 1 Modernization") – Polish modernization of the BWP-1. It has an anti-slip covering which helps the crew when walking on the armor, an independent system for heating the crew compartment, engine and fuel compartments, fire and explosion protection systems, knives for crew members to fight-off infantry trying to disable the vehicle while it is driving with its top hatches opened, a way clearing system, a night vision device for the driver, an electrical system adjusted to connect to a firing simulator, a new integrated NBC protection system, a system designed to provide the occupants with protection against the light pulse of a close-range nuclear explosion, a new day/night sight, a socket enabling a quick diagnostic check of the engine, a covering over the protruding sharp edges of periscopes, doors and hatches, which increases the driving comfort, elastomer bumpers and shock absorbers which increase the service life of the suspension, six 81 mm shrapnel grenade launchers on the sides of the turret (three on each side), facing forwards, an on-board terminal, an integrated intercom enabling communication between crew members, signalling alarms, phonic external communication of the crew via an on-board radio, on-board systems control, a phonic external wire-communication, full data transmission in radio networks, wire networks and between on-board systems and satellite navigation, an integrated ultra-short wave on-board radio with frequency hopping, external lights which enables driving on public roads, flotation side-skirts which increase displacement of the vehicle while moving in the water and its resistance to splinters as well as bullets and small caliber missiles, a laser radiation warning system, a power unit module enabling its quick replacement in the field (around 60 minutes), using regular resources available to repair sub-units, a modernised vision device for the commander, rubber track pads enabling driving on public roads without destroying the road surface, a LITEF navigation system and two rear-view mirrors. Later Puma vehicles featured a slightly improved UTD-20 engine which could be removed in the field in 45 minutes. In 2005 Puma vehicles received a new Iveco engine.
    • BWP-1M "Puma 1" experimentally fitted with the Delco turret armed with a 25 mm autocannon.
    • BWP-1M "Puma 1" experimentally fitted with the Israeli-developed OWS-25 one-man Overhead Weapon System, armed with a 25 mm autocannon, an ATGM launcher for two ATGMs, a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun and six smoke grenade launchers.
    • BWP-1M "Puma 1" fitted with the Italian TC-25 Hitfist turret.
    • BWP-1M "Puma 1" experimentally fitted with the United Defence turret with a chamfered front.
    • BWP-1 "Puma E-8" (BWP-1 stands for Bojowy Wóz Piechoty-1 – "Infantry Fighting Vehicle – 1") – Is a Polish modernization of the BWP-1 with all the improvements from the BWP-1M except it has thirteen 81 mm shrapnel grenade launchers instead of six (three on the left hand side of the turret, four on the right, three on the left hand side of the hull and three on the right) and a slab-sided one-man E-8 turret armed with a 30 mm autocanon. It has a large ammunition drum with an outboard machine gun mount on the right hand side of the main armament. It also has wire cutters installed on the top of each side of the hull.
    • BWP-1 "Puma RCWS-30" (BWP-1 stands for Bojowy Wóz Piechoty-1 – "Infantry Fighting Vehicle – 1") – It is a Polish modernization of the BWP-1 with all the improvements from the BWP-1M except the 81 mm shrapnel grenade launchers. It is fitted with the Israeli Samson RCWS-30 unmanned weapons station. RCWS stands for Remote – Controlled Weapon Station. It is armed with a 30 mm autocannon and a 7.62 mm RAFAEL machine gun. The autocannon can be elevated or depressed between −20° and +60°. The weapons station can turn with a speed of 1 rad/s. It also has day–night sights and an electric stabilization system. The vehicle is equipped with a SSP-1 OBRA passive protection system against laser irradiation. The turret slightly increases the overall height of the vehicle to 2.45 m.
    • BWP-1 "Puma MW-30" (BWP-1 stands for Bojowy Wóz Piechoty-1 – "Infantry Fighting Vehicle – 1") is a Polish modernization of the BWP-1 with all the improvements from the BWP-1M except the 81 mm shrapnel grenade launchers. It is fitted with an unmanned MW-30 turret. The new turret weighs 1.5 tonnes and is armed with a 30 mm MK 44 autocannon which fires 30 × 173 mm ammunition and the 7.62 mm UKM-2000C machine gun. The turret is also equipped with six smoke grenade launchers. The turret can operate safely in temperatures from −40 °C to +50 °C.
  • BWP-40 (BWP-40 stands for Bojowy Wóz Piechoty-40 – "Infantry Fighting Vehicle – 40") – It is a Polish BWP-1/CV9040 hybrid. It combines a CV9040 turret with a BWP-1 hull. It was designed in the early 1990s. The only prototype was finished by 1993.
  • BWP-95 (BWP-95 stands for Bojowy Wóz Piechoty-95 – "Infantry Fighting Vehicle – 95") – It is a BWP-1 fitted with an overhead mount armed with a 23 mm cannon and a recoilless rifle. It has a heavy machine gun mount with slab mantlet fitted to the turret front. There are also MB smoke grenade launchers on each side of the turret. To increase the vehicle's protection ERA was fitted to the turret front, hull front and sides. The vehicle never got past the prototype stage.
  • BWP-1D – The Polish designation for the Soviet BMP-1K.
  • BWR-1S (BWR-1S stands for Bojowy Wóz Rozpoznawczy-1 Svatawa – "Reconnaissance Fighting Vehicle – 1 Svatava") – The Polish designation for the Czechoslovak BPzV "Svatava".
  • BWR-1D (BWR-1D stands for Bojowy Wóz Rozpoznawczy-1 Dowodzenie – "Reconnaissance Fighting Vehicle – 1 Command") – Polish designation for the Soviet BRM-1K. It is also known as the BWR-1K.
  • ZWDSz-2 (ZWDSz stands for Zautomatyzowany Wóz Dowódczo Sztabowy-2 – Automated Staff Command Vehicle) – Modernised MP-31, fitted with new equipment, including TRC 9500 (VHF) and RF-5200 (HF) radios, a TDR-20K computer; AP-82, AP-92 and CAT-U telephones and a RK-128/2 generator. The telescopic mast was removed.