BMD Company

The BMD-1 and BMD-2 share many characteristics with the motor rifles' BMP-1 and BMP-1, utilising the same turrets and armament on a smaller, lighter and air-droppable chassis.

Entering service in 1970 in its BMD-1 variant, the BMD was developed to equip Soviet airborne divisions with an armoured vehicle capable of serving as both a combat vehicle and a transport vehicle. Each of the 7 Soviet airborne divisions was equipped with 330 BMDs. This demonstrates that the intended use was twofold.

The development was done precisely according to the logic of the light tank with transport capacity. The crew consisted of three members who all sat side by side at the front. In the centre sat the driver, on his left the commander and the machine gunner on his right who operates both bow machine guns. The transport capacity was quite small and up to 4 men could fit inside. A curious fact is that it was only possible to access the transport compartment from a hatch positioned on the roof.

The reduced load capacity compared to a BMP which could carry up to 9, that is double, derives largely from the small size of the vehicle. A BMD-1 was 5.41m long against the 6.74m of the BMP-1. The width and height remained exactly the same. The armour of the hull is slightly reduced compared to that of the BMP, while that of the turret has been kept unchanged. All these modifications were, as you can imagine, aimed at reducing weight in view of airborne operations. Compared to the 12.6t of a BMP, a BMD weighs only 7.5t. This is a reduction of 40% which, however, does not correspond to a proportional reduction in engine performance.

The BMP engine could develop a power of 300hp (224KW) while a BMD of 240hp (180KW), i.e. a reduction of 20%. The better power-to-weight ratio made the combat vehicle in force to the airborne departments much faster than that in force to the mechanized counterpart. The armament, on the other hand, is actually unchanged. The BMD in its BMP-1 version is equipped with a 73mm 2nd 28 cannon as its primary weapon and two front-mounted pivoting machine guns, a coaxial and a fearsome AT-3S Sagger counter-tank guided missile as secondary weaponry.

The BMD-2 version instead took up the armament of the BMP-2 as it was driven by the same needs. The Soviet-Afghan war had in fact highlighted the low effectiveness of BMP-1 and BMD-1, limited by disproportionate firepower compared to the threat to be faced and by a low angle of elevation of the main gun. In addition, the single crewman had to take care not only of the 73m cannon but also of the management of the AT-3 Sagger missiles. For this, a new turret with the 30mm 2 ° 42 cannon (coupled with a machine gun) with an electromechanical stabilization system was created. The missiles have been replaced with the AT-5 Spandrel, AT-5B Spandrel B and AT-4 Spigot, with increased performance and improved ease of aiming. All these changes generate in the BMD-2 version a slight weight increase which is increased up to 8.225kg. Overall this is a successful combat vehicle that continues to be engaged, albeit with some upgrades, even after the fall of the Soviet Union.

BMD Company Contains:
- Plastic BMD-1 or BMD-2 Transports x5
- Tank commander sprue x1
- VDV decal sheet x1

Note: Models supplied unassembled and unpainted. Plastic parts.
Scale: 15mm.