1/ Updated BMD count. Let's how the Russian airborne IFVs in storage are looking after more than two years of peer warfare.
2/ First, the actual figures. After recounting prewar stocks, @HighMarsed and I found 637 BMDs or BMD-based support vehicles in Russian military depots. Now the number has been reduced to just 244 units, just over a third of the initial number, of which at least 58 are not actual combat vehicles.
3/ Two months ago I did a BMD thread where, will not disclosing numbers, I did provide some useful data. I recommend checking that one, as it already contains a lot of info also published in this thread:
4/ With that said, let's talk about the subject at hand. Only two storage bases hold actual BMDs: the 2544th and the 3018th/6018th.
5/ Let's see first the 2544th, as most BMDs were and still are stored there: in 2021 there were 514 BMDs there, mostly BMD-1s but possibly also some BTR-Ds (footage is too blurry to tell them apart).
6/ Now only 139 remain, possibly some are broken but I can't tell from @Vishun_military's footage. Unfortunately, I can't post pictures of said footage as I don't own it, so you'll have to believe me. Some could be broken too, but I can't prove it.
7/ Then there's the 3018/6018th. There were 65 BMD-1s there in 2021. Here too it's possible that there were also other types of BMDs, but I also can't tell for sure.
8/ Again, unfortunately I can't post Vishun's footage as the 6018th also didn't feature in their recent article. However, there are just 47 BMDs left, of which at least 8 are visually broken.
9/ Finally, while not actual AFVs, @ModernMicroArmy recently found 58 BMD 1V119 artillery fire command vehicles at the 120th arsenal while looking at a picture from HighmMarsed's thread on SPM 2S9 Nonas in storage.
10/ It makes sense that they're stored alongside 2S9s, considering they're designed to direct fire from said self-propelled mortars. And they also have been occasionally used in Ukraine by Russian forces.
11/ My reasoning to include them in the BMD count.
12/ Anyway, back to the main topic, stored BMDs were mostly BMD-1s, the oldest type which, according to TMB2021, most had been retired and there were mostly in storage. They probably have been slowly refurbished to BMD-2s, mostly at the 144th BTRZ.
13/
14/ It's also worth noting that, although it looks like BMDs will also go extinct in storage by this year, BMD-4s and BTR-MDMs are in active production, manufactured by Kurganmashzavod, that also produces other armored vehicles such as BMP-3s.
15/ Vishun's estimates on their recent BMP article that the rate of production and refurbishment of BMDs in probably close to 150-300 units per year nowadays.
16/ So, in conclusion, considering that the VDV left their vulnerable airdroppable IFVs long ago for more conventional armor such as BMPs and tanks, the probable reduction in BMDs in the field once stocks are depleted and refurbishment is deduced from production lines, it won't be felt in the battlefield.
17/ IMHO for at least one year BMDs are actually delivered to cannon fodder formations that don't require survivable armor to carry out their assaults.
18/ And that's it from BMDs, hopefully I can deliver another thread today!
Also hopefully this time links actually show up, unlike in the MT-LB thread.
/19 As usual I always have to make a typo, the date of the 2544th footage is 02.12.2023.
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