Multiple prototypes of a tank support combat vehicle were created prior to the design of the current BMPT.

The main requirements for this new machine were to possess large firepower, high angles of elevation and depression, and protection equivalent to that of an MBT.

When using conventional armor during urban engagements, Russian forces suffered heavy losses in manpower and equipment, including the destruction of an entire mechanized brigade during the First Battle of Grozny.

While these losses cannot be entirely blamed on technology, it became clear that a dedicated anti-personnel fighting vehicle would provide valuable assistance in an urban environment.

This vehicle was slightly different from the current design, being armed with only a single 2A42 30 mm gun and with four 9M133 Kornet missiles located on one side of the turret.

[8] This results from the complexity of fighting in urban terrain and the need for a versatile anti-personnel platform that can engage multiple targets at once and on different height levels.

The introduction of such a vehicle makes urban fighting less stressful on MBTs and can relieve them of some of the workload so that they can concentrate on their main objective of engaging other tanks and hardened targets.

[6] These features significantly help increase the combat effectiveness of tank units and decrease their losses from enemy close-combat assets.

[9] The armament includes an unmanned turret[10] armed with: The BMPT uses the Ataka missile to defeat heavily armored vehicles like tanks (shaped charge), infantry (thermobaric warhead) or aircraft (continuous rod).

The original 9M120 Ataka missile is 130 mm in diameter and features a tandem warhead capable of defeating explosive reactive armor (ERA).

The anti-personnel variant (9M120F) contains a thermobaric warhead and yields a blast effect of 9.5 kg in TNT equivalence.

[12][13] This missile's average speed for all variants is 400 m/s when reaching a target located 5.8 km from the launcher for a flight time of 14.5 seconds.

[6] A pair of either AGS-17D or AGS-30 grenade launchers[15] are carried, one located on each side of the BMPT, and operated by a single crew member.

[6] The Terminator possesses a System 902A automatic smoke grenade launcher on both sides of the turret which serves as camouflage and provides protection against guided weapons.

Certain measures were taken to ensure this like placing the fuel tanks in a sealed housing compartment and fastening the seats towards the roof in case of a mine penetration.

[9] There are additional fuel tanks located in the rear of the hull in an armored compartment on the left fender.

The maximum speed of the vehicle is 60 km/h over highways and a cruising range of 550 km with external fuel tanks.

[11] The rear of the driver's compartment, at the front of the vehicle, has been raised, providing greater internal volume.

[20] The two automatic grenade launchers are removed along with its operators, reducing the crew to three;[20][19] the number of munitions for the Ataka missiles, 2A42 autocannons, and PKTM machine gun remains unchanged.

[22][23] Although the weight of the new BMPT is reduced by four metric tonnes, its level of protection isn't lower than that of its predecessor.

BMPT ("Terminator 3") – is a new design model of Tank Support Fighting Vehicle based on the Armata Universal Combat Platform with a crew of 3 or 4.

It will have an automatic gun turret RCWS and in the future may have integrated air defense systems and be fully unmanned.

[24] Armata is powered by a new generation 1,500 hp multifuel diesel engine coupled with a hydro-mechanical automatic transmission (unlike the two predecessors), with a maximum road speed of 65–70 km/h (40–43 mph), an operational range of 550 km (340 mi), and a power-to-weight ratio of over 30 hp/tonne.

[5][27] In late May 2022, footage emerged of 2 BMPTs in action with Russian tanks during an offensive on Lysychansk, the armored group took positions on a hill and began shelling a highway below but was forced to retreat due to Ukrainian artillery fire.

[29] In July 2023, the Russian 3rd Army Corps released footage of a Terminator using its 30mm autocannon and Ataka anti-tank missiles at night.

[31] A third one was hit by a crowdfunded kamikaze drone in September 2023; a BREM-1 armoured recovery vehicle attempting to recover the BMPT was also reportedly destroyed.

[32][33][34] According to journalist and military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko, a BMPT Terminator was reportedly either destroyed or damaged in the Kurakhove direction in late October 2024, if true marking the first loss of such a vehicle in a year.