Munitions

BP-540 HEAT projectile

Also known as
  • BP-540
  • БП-540
  • Russian 152mm BP-540 projectile
  • BP-540 HEAT-FS
  • BP-540 HEAT-SS

BP-540 is a Soviet 152 mm spin-stabilized HEAT projectile for direct-fire anti-armor work from legacy gun-howitzers. Public references tie it to the D-1, D-20, and 2S3 Akatsiya ammunition families, and conflict-specific open sources identify it among 152 mm projectiles present or fired during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

BP-540 HEAT projectile, 152 mm HEAT-T / HEAT-FS projectile, Munitions
Image source: BP-540 152mm Russian HEAT-T Projectile - Inert Products LLC

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
152 mm HEAT-T / HEAT-FS projectile
Service note
Soviet-era ammunition
Produced
Soviet-era production

Specifications

Caliber
152 mm
Projectile class
High-explosive anti-tank tracer projectile
D-20 / 2S3 projectile weight
27.0 kg
D-1 projectile weight
27.44 kg
D-20 / 2S3 muzzle velocity
655 m/s
D-1 muzzle velocity
560 m/s
D-20 direct-fire range
1,000 m
D-1 listed range
3,000 m
Platform fit
D-1, D-20, and 2S3 ammunition references
Stabilization
Spin-stabilized
Fired By

Public ammunition references list BP-540 as a direct-fire HEAT projectile for several Soviet 152 mm gun-howitzer families.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
152 mm D-1 gun-howitzer, Towed 152 mm howitzer, Artillery152 mm D-1 gun-howitzerTowed 152 mm gun-howitzer

The D-1 ammunition table lists BP-540 as a 152 mm HEAT projectile and notes a special charge for that projectile.

Sources: 152 mm howitzer M1943 (D-1)

D-20, 152 mm towed gun-howitzer, ArtilleryD-20Towed 152 mm gun-howitzer

The D-20 ammunition table lists BP-540 as a 152 mm HEAT round with a 27 kg projectile weight and a 1,000 m direct-fire range.

Sources: D-20 / M-55 152-mm Towed Gun-Howitzer

2S3 Akatsiya, 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, Artillery2S3 AkatsiyaSelf-propelled 152 mm gun-howitzer

FAS lists BP-540 in the 2S3 ammunition table, while Army Recognition describes BP-540 HEAT-FS / HEAT-SS among projectile types fired by the 2S3 Akatsiya.

Sources: 2S3 M-1973 Akatsiya (Acacia) 152-mm Self-Propelled Gun-Howitzer, Analysis: Russian and Ukrainian Artillery Vehicles and Weapons in Ukraine Conflict

Attribution limit

The conflict-specific sources support BP-540 presence or firing in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, but they do not identify a recovered lot, exact gun crew, or firing unit for the projectile.

Sources: BP-540 152mm Russian HEAT-T Projectile - Inert Products LLC, Analysis: Russian and Ukrainian Artillery Vehicles and Weapons in Ukraine Conflict

Compatibility And Sourcing Limits

BP-540 is best documented as a compatibility item across Soviet 152 mm gun-howitzer families, with conflict evidence that is direct but not unit-specific.

ScopeWhat the source supportsLimit
CompatibilityD-1, D-20, and 2S3 references list BP-540 in 152 mm ammunition context.Open tables do not prove every operator kept BP-540 in active stocks.
Conflict usePublic Ukraine-war sources identify BP-540 as used or fired in the conflict.Available open sources do not tie the projectile to a named firing unit, recovered lot, or single side.
MediaThe exact projectile image is credited through the Inert Products/CAT-UXO provenance chain.No additional exact-projectile public-domain gallery image was found during this pass.
Timeline

BP-540 HEAT projectile Key Events

  1. Documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War source record

    Inert Products describes BP-540 as used in the 2022 Ukraine-Russia conflict, and Army Recognition lists BP-540 HEAT-FS / HEAT-SS among projectile types fired by 2S3 Akatsiya artillery in its Ukraine-conflict artillery survey.

    Sources: BP-540 152mm Russian HEAT-T Projectile - Inert Products LLC, Analysis: Russian and Ukrainian Artillery Vehicles and Weapons in Ukraine Conflict

Related Weapon Systems
120 mm high-explosive anti-tank ammunition, 120 mm high-explosive anti-tank ammunition for rifled gun-mortars, MunitionsMunitions120 mm high-explosive anti-tank ammunition120 mm high-explosive anti-tank ammunition for rifled gun-mortars120 mm high-explosive anti-tank ammunition is the direct-fire anti-armor round class used by Soviet and Russian rifled gun-mortars in the Nona family. Forecast International identifies the 2S23 Nona-SVK's 2A60 weapon as firing HEAT ammunition for direct-fire applications, while specialist munition references identify the 3VBK14/3BK19 round as a documented 120 mm HEAT-FS-T load for armored-target engagements.
152 mm D-1 gun-howitzer, Towed 152 mm howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery152 mm D-1 gun-howitzerTowed 152 mm howitzerThe 152 mm D-1 gun-howitzer is a Soviet towed heavy howitzer that put a short 152.4 mm ordnance on a lighter split-trail carriage. Its modern record is mostly residual-use evidence: Russia drew D-1 guns from stocks during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, while open loss records tie the same World War II-era system to Armenian/Artsakh equipment in 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh and Syrian government artillery losses in the 2011 Syrian Civil War.
152 mm ML-20, 152 mm towed gun-howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery152 mm ML-20152 mm towed gun-howitzerThe 152 mm ML-20 is a Soviet heavy towed gun-howitzer designed at Plant No. 172 in Motovilikha under F. F. Petrov and adopted in 1937. It combined a 152.4 mm barrel, split-trail carriage, large muzzle brake, separate-loading ammunition, and a 17.2 km high-explosive range in a weapon built for corps and army artillery. Its modern catalog relevance comes from residual stock use: Ukrainian reporting in October 2025 documented Russian forces towing and losing an ML-20 in Donetsk region during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources

BP-540 152mm Russian HEAT-T Projectile - Inert Products LLCPublisher: Inert Products LLC | Note: Supports the BP-540 designation, the HEAT-T spin-stabilized direct-fire description, the primary image provenance on this page, and direct 2014 Russia-Ukraine War conflict-use context by stating that BP-540 has been used in the 2022 Ukraine-Russia conflict. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Analysis: Russian and Ukrainian Artillery Vehicles and Weapons in Ukraine ConflictPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War conflict context by listing BP-540 HEAT-FS / HEAT-SS among projectile types fired by 2S3 Akatsiya artillery in its survey of Russian and Ukrainian artillery vehicles and weapons in the conflict. | Accessed: 2026-06-29152 mm howitzer M1943 (D-1)Publisher: Wikipedia | Note: Starting reference for the D-1 ammunition table listing BP-540 as a 152 mm HEAT projectile and noting the special charge associated with it. | Accessed: 2026-06-29D-20 / M-55 152-mm Towed Gun-HowitzerPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports BP-540 as a 152-mm HEAT round for the D-20 family and gives the direct-fire 1,000 m range and 27.00 kg projectile weight listed in the ammunition table. | Accessed: 2026-06-292S3 M-1973 Akatsiya (Acacia) 152-mm Self-Propelled Gun-HowitzerPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports BP-540 as a 152-mm HEAT round listed in the 2S3 ammunition table and the shared D-20-derived ammunition family. | Accessed: 2026-06-29