The BMP-1 was the first Soviet mass-produced infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), developed in the early 1960s which also marked the beginning of a whole new class of armoured vehicle. After the end of WW2, Soviet high command envisioned all potential future conflicts to involve chemical, nuclear and/or biological weapons. This meant that the armoured vehicles that would participate in such conflicts would have to be outfitted with specific equipment to protect their crews from nuclear blasts, radiation and other hazards caused by the usage of the aforementioned weapons of mass destruction. Starting as early as late models of the T-54/55, Soviet vehicles started to be equipped with such equipment. However, one type of combat vehicle was seen as particularly vulnerable, the APC. Vehicles like the BTR-152, ordinary armoured troop transports, were often open-topped vehicles with insufficient sealing to prevent the leaking of hazardous particles into the fighting compartment. The answer to this was the development of a hybrid vehicle that could perform both APC and light tank roles - the IFV.

The resulting design was the BMP-1. It was a fast, lightly armoured, amphibious IFV capable of transporting eight soldiers into battle alongside its three crew, whilst offering good protection against small arms and fragmentation. The BMP-1 was armed with a 73mm smoothbore gun, assisted by an autoloading mechanism, as well as an ATGM launcher on top of the cannon barrel, intended for taking out targets at long range. According to combat doctrine, the IFV unlike APC’s was designed not only to deploy troops on the battlefield, but also to support MBT’s and infantry in combat.

Around 20,000 BMP-1 units were manufactured in the USSR alone, between 1966-1982. Since its introduction in 1966, the BMP-1 has seen service with many countries over the world, including East Germany, Finland, China, Poland, Afghanistan and others. However, the service life of the BMP-1 has still not ended, as armies of some nations still actively use modernized versions of the BMP-1 to this day.