Ukraine state enterprise “Zhytomyr Armored Plant”, which is part of Ukroboronprom State Concern, has successfully overhauled and modernized the BMP-2 and BREM-2 batches and shipped them to the Ukrainian Army. The BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles have undergone major repairs and received advanced capabilities, including new sighting and targeting devices, IR LED headlights and a GPS navigator. Specialists of the enterprise have recovered the working capacity of units and aggregates of combat vehicles, installed modernized surveillance devices and fire control systems, checked and adjusted the operation of weapons, etc. As it was reported earlier, in addition to the recovery of armored vehicles, this year the Zhytomyr Armored Plant, based on the results of the qualification tests, began serial production of hulls for the BTR-4E.
“We are proud of our employees, doing their job in a timely and professional manner, with passion and fire in their eyes. We have once again proved that Zhytomyr Armored Plant is one of the best enterprises in the Ukrainian defense industry. And the quantity and quality of the repaired BMP-2 and BREM-2 are the case in point. We have no doubts about our capabilities and potential for the future,” Hennadiy Hrashchenkov, the director of the plant.
The BMP-2 (Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty, infantry combat vehicle) is a second-generation, amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following on from the BMP-1 of the 1960s. In 2005 Ukrainian armed forces have a total of 1,434 BMP-2 IFVs. The main armament is a turret with a stabilized 30 mm 2A42 autocannon with dual ammunition feeds, which provide a choice of 3UBR6 AP-T and 3UOR6 HE-T / 3UOF8 HE-I ammunition and 9M113 Konkurs ATGM. In addition to the main weapons, it can carry a man-portable surface-to-air missile launcher and two missiles, and an RPG launcher, and five rounds.
The BREM-2 (Bronirovannaya Remonto-evakuatsionnaya Mashina – armored maintenance-recovery vehicle). Late BREM-2 ARVs have flotation sides-skirts/mudguards from the BMP-2. The turret has been removed and replaced by an armored plate. The vehicle is fitted with a load platform with a capacity of 1.5 tonnes, a crane with a 1.5-tonne capacity (7 tonnes with the additional outfit), which is placed on top of the hull, and a pulling winch with a 6.5-tonne capacity (19.5 tonnes with block pulley), which is placed inside. Its primary role is the repair and recovery of IFVs from the BMP family of vehicles under field conditions.
