Despite having been a pioneer of airborne warfare in the pre-war years, the Soviet Union fell behind its Western rivals during World War II. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union amassed a large force of airborne troops and the BMD-1 airborne combat vehicle was designed to provide them with an armored personnel carrier light enough to be dropped by parachute but capable of dealing with enemy tanks. The BMD-1 was able to be carried by the An-12 transport and carried the same turret as its contemporary, the BMP-1 AFV, despite being significantly smaller and lighter. The turret was armed with a 73-mm 2A28 gun plus a launcher for AT-3 missiles. The BMD-1 was also fully amphibious. Soon after its entry into Red Army service, The BMD-1 equipped most Soviet airborne divisions but was also widely exported to client states as well as former Soviet republics. It saw extensive action in the Afghanistan War, where they were used in the initial push to secure key airfields such as Kabul airport and Bagram airfield. Combat history has also included the recent South Ossetia war, and has been part of Russian peacekeeping contingents in the former Yugoslavia (KFOR and SFOR).

The initial BMD (Boyevaya Mashina Desanta) was eventually designated BMP-1 (Ob’yekt 915) in its definitive production run. Replacement of the AT-3 anti-tank missile launcher for AT-4 or AT-5s resulted in the BMP-1P, which entered service in the late 1970s. A 6-wheel armored multi-purpose transporter was also developed, this lacking the turret as well as having a modified chassis.