Artillery

100 mm 2A70 gun-launcher

Also known as
  • 2A70
  • 100 mm 2A70
  • 2A70 gun
  • 2A70 gun-launcher
  • 2A70 100 mm gun-launcher
  • GRAU 2A70
  • Basnya gun-launcher

The 100 mm 2A70 is a Soviet/Russian low-pressure rifled gun-launcher designed for BMP-3-family turret systems, combining autoloaded high-explosive fire with manually loaded tube-launched guided missiles. Open reporting from the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War links Russian BMP-3 direct and indirect fire support to the 2A70's 100 mm gun role.

100 mm 2A70 gun-launcher, 100 mm low-pressure rifled gun-launcher, Artillery
Image source: 100 mm 2A70 gun.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union / Russia
Built in
Russia
Type
100 mm low-pressure rifled gun-launcher
Service note
Late Cold War and post-Soviet infantry fighting vehicle armament
Designer
KBP Instrument Design Bureau
Designed
1980s
Produced
Mid-1980s-present in public reference data

Specifications

Caliber
100 mm
Weapon type
Low-pressure rifled gun-launcher
Primary vehicle fit
BMP-3 family 2K23 / Basnya armament system
Ammunition role
High-explosive fragmentation projectiles and 9M117-family gun-launched guided missiles
Rate of fire
8-10 rounds per minute; Rosoboronexport lists a 10 rpm autoloader rate
Gun weight
332 kg in Army Guide and WeaponSystems.net reference data
BMP-3 HE load
22 rounds in the autoloader plus 18 rounds in non-mechanized stowage
BMP-3 guided load
8 anti-tank guided missile rounds
Loading
HE fragmentation projectiles autoloaded; guided projectiles manually loaded in Army Guide
Muzzle velocity
250 m/s for 3UOF17-class HE; 355 m/s for 3UOF19-class HE in WeaponSystems.net data
Conventional HE range
4,000 m for regular HE-Frag shells; extended-range public references list up to 6,500 m
Carrier Platforms

Public references place the 2A70 inside BMP-3-family and Bakhcha turret installations rather than as a stand-alone field gun.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
BMP-3, Tracked amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesBMP-3Tracked amphibious infantry fighting vehicle

Rosoboronexport identifies the BMP-3 main weapon as the 2A70 100 mm semiautomatic rifled gun-launcher, with 22 autoloader HE rounds, 18 additional HE rounds, and eight ATGM rounds.

Sources: Rosoboronexport BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

BMD-4/BMD-4M, Airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesBMD-4/BMD-4MAirborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle

Army Guide describes the BMD-4M Bakhcha turret as using the same BMP-3 weapons and lists a 100 mm 2A70 gun with 34 high-explosive rounds.

Sources: BMD-4M Sadovnitsa - Army Guide

Ammunition Fired

The 2A70's defining feature is that the same rifled 100 mm tube fires conventional HE-Frag rounds and launches 9M117-family guided missiles.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
3UOF17 100 mm high-explosive round, 100 mm HE-Frag unitary round, Munitions3UOF17 100 mm high-explosive round100 mm high-explosive fragmentation round

Army Guide says the 2A70 fires the 3UOF17 HE fragmentation projectile, while WeaponSystems.net lists the 3UOF17/3OF32 class at 250 m/s and 0.3-4.0 km range.

Sources: Army Guide 2A70, Weaponsystems.net 2A70

3UBK10M-3 / 9M117M laser-guided anti-tank round, 100 mm laser-guided anti-tank round, Munitions3UBK10M-3 / 9M117M laser-guided anti-tank round100 mm laser-guided anti-tank round

Army Guide identifies the 3UBK10M-3 round with the 9M117M missile as the manually loaded guided projectile for the BMP-3's Basnya weapon system.

Sources: Army Guide 2A70

3UBK23-3 / 9M117M1-3 Arkan guided round, 100 mm laser-guided anti-tank missile, Munitions3UBK23-3 / 9M117M1-3 Arkan guided round100 mm extended-range guided round

WeaponSystems.net identifies Arkan as an extended-range 9M117-family model used against main battle tanks, and the BMD-4M Army Guide page lists Arkan among the Bakhcha turret's guided missiles.

Sources: Weaponsystems.net 2A70, BMD-4M Sadovnitsa - Army Guide

Co-mounted Cannon
Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
2A72 30 mm automatic cannon, 30 mm dual-feed automatic cannon, Artillery2A72 30 mm automatic cannon30 mm coaxial automatic cannon

Army Guide describes the BMP-3 2K23 weapon system as the 100 mm 2A70 with a 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon and a PKT machine gun on a common elevation mounting.

Sources: Army Guide 2A70

Gun-Launcher Layout

The 2A70 is a vehicle weapon built around a mixed ammunition concept: autoloaded 100 mm high-explosive rounds for infantry-support fire and manually loaded guided missile rounds for anti-armor use. In BMP-3 and BMD-4M installations it works with the 30 mm 2A72 and coaxial machine gun rather than replacing those faster-firing weapons.

HE fire

Rosoboronexport lists 22 BMP-3 HE-Frag rounds in the 2A70 autoloader and 18 more rounds in non-mechanized stowage.

Guided rounds

Army Guide identifies the Basnya guided-round path through the 3UBK10M-3 round and 9M117M missile, with eight guided projectiles carried on BMP-3.

Turret grouping

The 2K23/Bakhcha-style grouping pairs the 2A70 with a 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon and coaxial machine gun on a common stabilized mount.

Timeline

100 mm 2A70 gun-launcher Key Events

  1. Developed for the BMP-3 armament suite

    WeaponSystems.net describes the 2A70 as a 1980s Soviet development for the BMP-3's 2K23 combat module.

    Sources: Weaponsystems.net 2A70

  2. Adopted with the BMP-3 family

    WeaponSystems.net dates first BMP-3 adoption of the 2A70 to 1987, placing the gun-launcher in late Cold War Soviet infantry-fighting-vehicle service.

    Sources: Weaponsystems.net 2A70

  3. BMD-4M documentation shows shared BMP-3-family armament

    Army Guide describes the BMD-4M Bakhcha turret as almost completely unified with BMP-3 armament and lists the 100 mm 2A70, 30 mm 2A72, PKT machine gun, and Arkan guided missiles.

    Sources: BMD-4M Sadovnitsa - Army Guide

  4. Russian BMP-3 indirect fire role reported in Ukraine

    Army Recognition reported Russian BMP-3 use from direct and indirect fire positions in the Kupyansk direction and attributed the indirect-fire role to the vehicle's 2A70 100 mm gun.

    Sources: Russia's BMP-3 role in Ukraine is shifting to indirect fire support vehicle

Media

100 mm 2A70 gun-launcher Images

100 mm 2A70 gun-launcher, 100 mm low-pressure rifled gun-launcher, Artillery - view 1
Source: 100 mm 2A70 gun.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
2A72 30 mm automatic cannon, 30 mm dual-feed automatic cannon, ArtilleryArtillery2A72 30 mm automatic cannon30 mm dual-feed automatic cannonThe 2A72 is a Russian 30x165 mm dual-feed automatic cannon designed by KBP Instrument Design Bureau and manufactured by Tulamashzavod Joint Stock Company. It is a lighter, recoil-operated 2A42-family gun used as a coaxial cannon on BMP-3 and BMD-4M-type turrets and as the main weapon on 30 mm BTR-80A/BTR-82A installations, with direct open-source reporting tying BTR-82A 2A72 fire to fighting near Latakia during the 2011 Syrian Civil War.
BMD-4/BMD-4M, Airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesBMD-4/BMD-4MAirborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicleThe BMD-4/BMD-4M is a Russian airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle built for VDV units, combining a light parachutable tracked chassis with the Bakhcha-U turret's 100 mm 2A70 gun-launcher, 30 mm 2A72 autocannon, and coaxial machine gun. In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War it appears as a Russian airborne assault vehicle, with visually documented losses at Hostomel and later BMD-4M deliveries showing factory add-on armor, slat armor, and Nakidka signature-reduction kits shaped by the Ukraine battlefield.
BMP-3 675-sb3KDZ, Up-armored tracked infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesBMP-3 675-sb3KDZUp-armored tracked infantry fighting vehicleThe BMP-3 675-sb3KDZ is a Russian BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle fitted with additional screen and protection elements associated with the 675-sb3KDZ/688M-SB3KDZ naming used in open-source Ukraine-war loss tracking. Defense reporting documented a Russian BMP-3 with the rare kit destroyed near Vuhledar in 2023 and later used that image while discussing Russian BMP-3s employed for direct and indirect fire support in Ukraine. Baseline sources identify the Kurganmashzavod-built vehicle's 100 mm gun-launcher, 30 mm cannon, amphibious mobility, and troop-carrying role.

Sources

Rosoboronexport BMP-3 Infantry Fighting VehiclePublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export page supporting the BMP-3 armament suite, 2A70 100 mm semiautomatic rifled gun-launcher identity, HE-Frag/guided-missile firing role, 10 rpm autoloader rate, HE ammunition load, and ATGM ammunition load. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Army Guide 2A70Publisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports 2A70 identity, KBP manufacturer attribution, BMP-3 2K23 armament-system context, 100 mm caliber, and listed rate of fire. | Accessed: 2026-07-13BMP-3 FASPublisher: FAS | Note: Supports the BMP-3 armament context, including the 2A70 100 mm gun as the gun-launched ATGM launcher. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Weaponsystems.net 2A70Publisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports the low-pressure cannon description and the 2A70's role firing HE-fragmentation shells and 9M117-family guided missiles. | Accessed: 2026-07-13BMD-4M Sadovnitsa - Army GuidePublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports the BMD-4M/Bakhcha turret relationship, shared BMP-3-family weapons and ammunition, 100 mm 2A70 gun fit, 34 high-explosive rounds, 30 mm 2A72 fit, and Arkan guided-missile carriage. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Russia's BMP-3 role in Ukraine is shifting to indirect fire support vehiclePublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context: Russian BMP-3 crews in the Kupyansk direction used direct and indirect fire positions, and the article attributes the indirect-fire role to the BMP-3's 2A70 100 mm gun. | Accessed: 2026-07-13100 mm 2A70 gun.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the primary photograph of a 100 mm 2A70 gun at the Motovilikha Plants museum in Perm. | Accessed: 2026-07-13100 mm 2A70 gun 2.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the secondary gallery photograph of a 100 mm 2A70 gun at the Motovilikha Plants museum in Perm. | Accessed: 2026-07-13