Mechanization of the Pacific Fleet naval Infantry

On December 24, the Russian news agency Izvestia reported that the Pacific Naval Infantry will receive BMP-3F Infantry Fighting Vehicles. These vehicles will be used to equip a battalion in both the 40th Brigade, based at Kamchatka, and the 155th Brigade, based in Primorye. Adding BMP-3F IFVs to the Naval Infantry further increases the firepower and mobility of the Naval Infantry and brings them closer in terms of combat capabilities to the the level of the Chinese and US amphibious forces.

The BMP-3F, an amphibious version of the BMP-3, presents a major increase in the combat capabilities of the Pacific Fleet Naval Infantry. The vehicle is better armored then the BTR-82A that is currently in use and has better firepower with both a low-velocity 2A70 100 mm rifled gun, capable of firing anti-tank missiles, and a 2A72 30 mm dual feed autocannon mounted in the turret. For comparison, the BTR-82A only has the 2A72 30 mm gun. The secondary armament for both vehicles is a 7.62mm machine gun. 

BMP-3F - notice the snorkel for the air intake and bow plate for breaking waves

The additional firepower and armor protection compared to the BTR-82A increases the combat power of the Naval Infantry both during the landing on and the defense of the beachhead. Armed with a 100mm gun, the marines are better able to engage enemy firing positions, entrenchments and armored vehicles during amphibious operations. The BMP-3F also offers better mobility due to the fact that it is a tracked vehicle which is another advantage when operating on sandy beaches. Given the rural areas of the Eastern Military District, the additional mobility is also an advantage when deploying troops in remote regions with little to no infrastructure.

Naval Infantry brigades usually consist of two to three motorized battalions, augmented by an air assault battalion, artillery, air defense and main battle tanks. Transforming a motorized battalion into a mechanized one increases the versatility of the Naval infantry as a rapid reaction force and allows it to create tactical groups tailor-made to the situation. At the same time, it complicates logistics and maintenance within the brigade as an additional weapon system and spare parts enter service. It is unclear if the current logistic and maintenance units in both brigades will expand accordingly to cope with this additional complexity.

The BMP-3F was originally intended for export, with Indonesia being the sole country placing orders for a total of 76 vehicles in 2009, 2012 and 2019. The Russian Ministry of Defense tested the vehicle in 2010 but concluded that these vehicles were not needed for its own forces. It is unclear why the Russian Ministry of Defense turned the vehicle down in 2010. It is possible that the Russian Ministry of Defense was looking into another direction as a capability gap existed with US and Chinese amphibious forces who field tracked vehicles in their marine units.

Allegedly, around 2013, Russia started the development of a new amphibious vehicle, the BMMP, that was to operate from the two Mistral class amphibious landing vessels that were under construction in France. The cancellation of the contract, due to Russia's involvement in the War in Donbass, deprived these vehicles from the launch platform they were intended to operate from.

Internal design of the BMMP

Development of the BMMP continued however and by April 2018 by the UralVagonZavod company announced a design for the BMMP. The vehicle was intended to be able to traverse several kilometers in the water, allowing the Russian Navy to conduct over the horizon landings and was reportedly based on the BMD-4M air transportable IFV already in service with the Russian airborne units. The vehicle was influenced by vehicles developed for the USMC such as the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. Its 100mm canon would give it similar firepower compared to the ZBD-05/ZTD-05 in use by the Chinese armed forces. Not much is known about the BMMP program but the cost of developing the vehicle was seen as too high for a specialized niche vehicle that could only be used in the Naval Infantry. Given Russia's economic situation, cost efficiency is a main driver in the the Armed Forces.

US and Chinese designs played a key in developing the BMMP

Using the BMP-3F as a replacement for the BMMP makes sense since it maintains the same level of firepower as the BMMP, namely a 100mm canon, mobility and armor protection. The vehicle is already designed and in production so high development costs are no longer an issue. Logistics and spare parts also become easier to manage as the BMP-3 is in service with the army. At the same time, without LPD vessels, the Russian Navy lacks the type of vessels needed for an over the horizon landing and as such, the BMMP no longer made any sense.

Testing of the BMP-3F once again took place during the Kavkaz-2020 exercise. A landing exercise at the Opuk training ground in Dagestan was deemed as successful, paving the way to assign the vehicle to the Naval Infantry. The vehicle however is limited to operations at sea state three as it is initially designed to operate in calm waters such as rivers and lakes.

Future developments

It is unclear why the 40th and 155th Brigades were the first to receive these vehicles. In recent years, the two brigades already received several modern vehicles such as the BTR-82A, the T-80BV main battle tanks and modernized BMP-2M IFVs. Allocating the BMP-3F to these units for reinforces the trend that the Pacific Fleet Naval Infantry is being rapidly modernized.

Either Russia expects that the Pacific Fleet Naval Infantry will become more involved in combat operations in the near future, or the remote location of both units make them more suited to be used for testing new equipment and organizations. The latter seems to be the safer assumption when compared to the tasks assigned to the other Naval Infantry Brigades. Naval Infantry attached to the Northern Fleet is focused on operating in the Artic Region and continuously in training for this role. The Baltic Fleet is continuously training for the defense of Kaliningrad or offensive operations in the Baltic Sea, the same holds true for the Black Sea Fleet Naval Infantry stationed in the Crimea. The Naval Infantry of the Caspian Flotilla is more focused in counter-insurgency operations in the Dagestan Region.

This only leaves the Pacific Fleet Naval Infantry as the unit that can be spared to test out new equipment and organizations. It is therefore expected that both mechanized battalions will be thoroughly tested so that the lessons learned can be rapidly thought to the other, more active, brigades.

At this point is also remains unclear of the Naval Infantry will continue to operate only a single mechanized battalion in BMP-3F IFVs or if all motorized battalions will be replaced in the near future. Given the increase in firepower, mobility and armor protection, as well as the high readiness and rapid reaction capabilities of the Naval Infantry, it can be expected that over time all motorized battalion will be transformed in mechanized ones.