In Iraq, the existing BMP-1 fleet continues to be improved. Some of the armored vehicles in the troops received paired ZU-23-2s instead of a combat compartment with a 73-mm 2A28 "Thunder" smoothbore gun and a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun.
These "slingshots" have a number of advantages, for example, they can bring down up to 2000 shells per minute on the enemy. Moreover, the distance to the target is 2500 meters, both the enemy's manpower and enemy self-propelled guns, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, armed vehicles and other equipment are effectively affected.
These guns are installed in rotating turrets with an open top, recently they were equipped with thermal imaging cameras, which significantly improved the ability to detect the enemy in poor visibility conditions.
Similar artillery installations are also used on the BTR-50 tracked armored personnel carriers available in Iraq.
Another direction of modernization of the "kopecks" was the installation of a modified habitable module with a 23-mm 2A14 gun and a new sighting system on them.
Both versions of the improved infantry fighting vehicles have proven themselves well in various operations against terrorist groups of organizations banned in Russia. Currently, they are actively used in the brigades of the People's Militia Forces, recently they were demonstrated at a military parade.
Alexey Moiseev
