Production History
The BMP went into production with the Soviet Army in 1966. The first series (the Ob'yekt 765 Sp1, "specification 1"), was produced until 1969 but was replaced by the improved production model, the BMP-1 (the Ob'yekt 765 Sp2), it was produced from 1969 until 1973. It was replaced by the Ob'yekt 765 Sp3 which was a modernized, 200 kg heavier version. This model was produced from 1973 to 1979. A number of improvements were made to the reliability of the chassis, the engine and transmission during mass production. The last version of the BMP-1 IFV (BMP-1P, Ob'yekt 765 Sp4), was armed with a more powerful ATGM launcher 9P135M-1 for the ATGM "Konkurs"/"Fagot" It was produced from 1979 to 1983. The main manufacturer of the BMP-1 and its different variants was the Kurgan Machine Building Works (Kurganskiy Mashinostroitelyniy Zavod) but PRP-3 artillery reconnaissance vehicles were produced by the Chelyabinsk Tractor Works (ChTZ) and PRP-4/PRP-4M artillery reconnaissance vehicles were produced by the Rubtsovsk Engineering Works (RMZ). Upgrades of the BMP-1 were performed by KMZ as well as by tank repair workshops of the Ministry of Defence during scheduled and major overhauls. More than 20,000 BMP-1s and vehicles based on it were built in the USSR.
BMP-1s were produced under license by Czechoslovakia (BVP-1), Romania (MLI-84) and India. Since 1986 the People's Republic of China has produced its own unlicensed copy called the Type 86 (WZ 501). The number of Type 86 IFVs and vehicles based on it is around 3,000 It is still in service with the People's Liberation Army. From 1997, Iran produced its own modification of the BMP-1, the Boragh, it resembles the Chinese WZ 503.
Czechoslovak BVP-1s were produced by ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom.
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