Classic line…I have that visual in my head now and can’t get rid of it.
The fire power on the BMP-3 turret is impressive, but as Forbin mentioned, the Russian vehicles tend to be lighter armored using the assumption that it is: cheaper to manufacture; it will not last long in a conflict (most APC taken out by ATGW) and since quantity has a quality of its own you can go in guns blazing and “hopefully” overwhelm your enemy.
Back to bottling my Grenache
BMP-3 is not lighter because of cheaper manufacture, actually quite opposite in comperision with similiar counterparts of foreign countries, it is lighter because russia established the mechanized troops doctrine of fast and easy deployment by air, sea and land of such forces and for that they need to be light enough to be amphibious which almost non foreign IFV has, to be light enough to fit more than one in cargo transporter and have capability to be airdroppable similiar to BMD's with not many preperations and not to specialized measurements like rocket parachutes that are initiated 5 m above ground to ensure a "soft" landing.
The BMP-2 already is very well protected with addaptive armor, protecting it from 30x165mm API rounds at point blank ranges from sides and without armor from front, too.
Here video of Addaptive ERA Kontakt-5 special made for BMP's, protecting them from 30mm API rounds and not initiating detonation of ERA for such calibres.
At 04.55
This solution is made to ensure the doctrine is not undermined by over sized and weighted IFV's which comprimise its usefullness.
