IBV-75 & IBV-81 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

IBV-75 Fighting Vehicle
IBV-75 and IBV-75/96 vehicles, pictured with dummy training missiles
Place of origin	Elatia
Service history
In service	1975-present
Used by	Elatian Army
Production history
Designed	1973-75
Produced	1975-present
Specifications
Weight	13.3 tonnes
Length	6.74m
Width	2.97 m
Height	1.9 m
Crew	3
Passengers	7-8
Armor	Welded steel
Main armament	73mm smoothbore gun or 30mm autocannon
Secondary armament	7mm co-axial machine gun, TDM-3 anti-tank missile
Engine	6-cylinder diesel 300 bhp
Transmission	Torsion bars with hydraulic shock absorbers
Operational range	600km on roads
Speed	65 kph on roads

The IBV-75 is an Elatian infantry fighting vehicle, which was placed into service in the mid-70's with the Elatian Army.

Elatia's disastrous showing in the Second Elatian-Enyaman War involved many factors, but one was the significant inadequacy of mechanised infantry tactics. Using licensed versions of Jheng Type-63 tracked APC and the indigenous TTP-64 wheeled APC, Elatian mechanised forces were completely outmatched in the field. Later in the year, the Elatian Army obtained samples of the Suvarovan BMP-1 and decided to put a pirated version into production on an urgent basis.

IBV-75 design

The IBV-75 is by and large a straightforward copy of the BMP-1. It is armed with a 73mm smoothbore gun which could perforate the frontal armour of all main battle tanks of the 1970's, although it is only accurate up to around 500m. Beyond that, it relies on the wire-guided, MCLOS TDM-73 anti-tank missile, a local pirated copy of the AT-3 Sagger. Its major difference with the BMP-1 is its lack of an autoloader - Elatian authorities regarded this gadget to be dangerous, overcomplicated and on the whole unneessary, as the gun's rate of fire is actually slightly higher when loaded by hand. The frontal aspect of the vehicle is resistant towards 23mm autocannons, although its flanks are only proof against small arms and shrapnel.

Despite the later acquisition of the IBV-82 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (a BMP-2 copy), the IBV-75 remains by far the most common infantry fighting vehicle of the Elatian Army. This is primarily because of the significant impact of the Elatian Great Famine of 1984-1988 upon armoured vehicle production. Subsequently, during the period of economic recovery in the 1990's, the great reduction in the size of the army meant that priority went to maintaining a measure of combat effectiveness in the few remaining standing units, rather than equipment modernisation.

Nevertheless, a measure updating did occur in the interim. The IBV-75B upgrade of 1980 added smoke grenade dispensers on the flanks of the turret. Fire control was also updated with an infrared searchlight and nightsight.

IBV-75/96

The TDM-73D missile

The IBV-75/96 was a refurbished and upgraded version of the IBV-75. The program was embarked upon in the mid-1990's, in order to ensure that the old IBV-75 fleet can perform more or less up to the standards of the IBV-82 which populate the elite mechanised infantry units. It features a new, one-man turret, armed with a 3D-stabilised 30mm autocannon, which significantly increased the engagement range of the vehicle, especially against helicopters. Fire control has also been significantly updated, and the vehicle is now equipped with laser range-finder and thermal imaging sight.

Its major weakness, in comparison with the IBV-82, is its inability to mount heavier anti-tank missiles. Nevertheless, even on this front, some improvements did occur. In the 1990's, the TDM-73D entered service. This was a significant revamping of the old Sagger missile. Whilst it is backwards compatible with the old launcher system, the new missile features a heavy tandem warhead capable of penetrating 1,000mm of RHA behind explosive-reactive armour. Its speed was increased to 220m/s with the use of a new rocket motor. The cost of these features is a reduction in range to 2,500m, which was regarded as an acceptable compromise.

As of 2015, the IBV-75/96 is the most common infantry fighting vehicle in Elatian service. It equips all the regular mechanised infantry battalions of the standing army (excepting those of the Prophet's Guard), as well as most of those in the Ready Reserve.

Variants

The IBV-75 design is prolific in Elatian service and has spawned a number of variants. The most important of these include the following:

MO-75

The MO-75 self-propelled mortar

The MO-75 is a self-propelled mortar variant, equipped with a 120mm tube which fires through a hatch in the raised roof of the passenger compartment.

MK-75

The MK-75 self-propelled gun

The MK-75 is a 105mm self-propelled gun which equipped the artillery complements of tank regiments. Following the 'brigadisation' reform of the Elatian Army in the 2000's, most of these vehicles have been placed into storage.

TC-75

The TC-75 tank destroyer

The TC-75 tank destroyer entered service in the early-1980's to equip division-level anti-tank units and now serve at the brigade-level. It is armed with a twin-rail launcher for anti-tank missiles, together with an under-armour autoloader feeding from a magazine with eight spare rounds. Originally designed for the AT-6 Spiral, it is now typically armed with the new TDM-99 anti-tank missile. All vehicles in service have been upgraded with thermal imaging.

ADV-75

File:BMP1A1-OST.jpg

The ADV-75 air defence vehicle

The ADV-75 was developed in the late-70's to equip the regimental air defence battalions of second line and low-readiness units as a cheap SPAAG substitute. Its primary armament is a twin-23mm mount bolted to the open roof of the vehicle. There is also space in the passenger compartment for a pair of MANPADS teams plus spare missiles. The high elevation angle of the anti-air gun makes these vehicles useful as fire support platforms in urban combat, although the gun crew is very vulnerable owing to the lack of armour protection.

RBV-75

The RBV-75 is a dedicated reconaissance version of the IBV-75. It is equipped with an enhanced communications suite, as well as space for dismounted scouts in the rear. The RBV-75B version, which carries the platoon commander, is equipped with a ground-surveillance radar, which is stored in a slot at the back of the turret. It pops up when needed and is retracted when it is not. All versions of the RBV have been upgraded with thermal imaging equipment in recent years.