Ukraine deploys revamped BMP‑1TS to bolster front line near Pokrowsk
A very rare Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle, BMP-1TS, has been spotted near Pokrowsk. We present the performance of this interesting modernisation of old vehicles, of which Ukraine has about a dozen units.
The situation near Pokrowsk is difficult, and in recent weeks, units that have been fighting there for months have been reinforced with new forces. This has led to the appearance of interesting vehicles on the front line, one of which is the intriguing modernisation of a 60-year-old infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) BMP-1.
In the photos below, you can see one of the dozen or so BMP-1TS IFVs produced. Despite the weak armour, they have a modern turret with powerful armament, making them still a dangerous opponent.
BMP-1TS - how to make something useful from scrap at low cost
In Ukraine, after Russia annexed Crimea and parts of Donbas, work began or accelerated significantly on designing new weapons and improving those already in use.
One example of the latter category was the work on modernising the archaic BMP-1, which involved applying a new turret with stronger armament and a better fire control system. The fruits of these efforts were first shown in 2021, and Zhytomyr Armored Vehicle Factory reportedly produced about a dozen vehicles until the full-scale war with Russia broke out.
The heart of the modernisation is the unmanned turret BM-5 Spisa weighing only 1,500 kilograms. However, it contains a powerful set of armaments consisting of a ZTM-1 automatic cannon with a 30 mm calibre and a rate of fire of up to 330 rounds per minute, an AG-17 automatic grenade launcher with a 30 mm calibre, a 7.26x54R mm calibre machine gun, and a launcher for two Barrier anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).
These last ones enable striking tanks at a distance of up to 8 kilometres and can penetrate at least 80 centimetres of steel armour protected by reactive armour. A laser beam guides the missiles. In addition, a drone jammer creates an interference bubble with a diameter of about 400-500 metres, which FPV drones cease to operate, and is mounted on the turret. The only exceptions are drones operating via cable or those using computer vision supported by artificial intelligence, but these solutions are difficult for the Russians to access.
All this, combined with a two-person stabilisation system and the Kazhan-3K15 fire control system with a thermal camera and laser rangefinder, creates a very lethal combination. Unfortunately, the BMP-1 hull itself has not been changed, so the side armour protects only against hand-held firearms and artillery shrapnel.
For this reason, large-calibre machine guns like the DSzK, Browning M2, or NSV pose a significant threat to the crew, which is not an issue for Western designs like the M2A2 Bradley or Marder 1A3.
