BMP-2 vs BMP-3: how to tell them apart

Two infantry fighting vehicles that are easy to mix up at a glance. Here is what tells them apart.

BMP-2

Infantry fighting vehicle, Soviet Union. In service since 1980

What gives it away

Low hull with a long pointed nose, two-man turret with a long thin 30 mm cannon and a missile launcher on the turret roof.

Used by

Russia, Ukraine, India and many others

BMP-3

Infantry fighting vehicle, Soviet Union. In service since 1987

What gives it away

Wide flat hull, turret with a 100 mm gun and a 30 mm cannon side by side, six road wheels.

Used by

Russia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait

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