Santa Barbara BMR-PM
Notes: The
BMR-PM is a mortar-carrier variant of the BMR-600 armored personnel carrier.
Externally very similar to the BMR-600 in appearance, the PM is very
different internally. The PM comes
in two versions, the BMR-PM-81 with an 81mm mortar, and the BMR-PM-120 with a
120mm mortar. Upgraded versions
include the BMR-PM81-M1 and the BMR-PM120-M1. The BMR-PM supplements modified
M-113s mortar carriers in the Spanish Army.
The BMR-600 is also in service with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Peru; I have
not been able to determine whether any of those countries uses the BMR-PM.
In both cases,
the BMR-PM is mounted on an integral turntable in the floor of the compartment
which fires over the rear and allows a 45-degree traverse in either direction.
They fire through large hatches on the rear deck; this replaces hatches that may
be on a BMR-600’s rear deck. The
interior fighting compartment is taken up by the usual mortar and ammunition,
along with legacy equipment.
Outside, on the sides of the rear hull, are a ground baseplate, bipod, and
aiming stakes.
The driver of
the BMR-PM is on the front left in a separate cabin which projects forward of
the glacis plate. The driver has a
large bullet-resistant windshield with armored shutters to his front and smaller
windows to each side. The driver
has a hatch atop his position, and in this hatch is a port for a night vision
block. The commander is directly
behind him; he mans an RWS with an M-2HB and has all-around vision blocks.
To the rear of this on the deck are two more hatches, opening right and
left. At the rear of the troop
compartment is a powered ramp with a door in it.
There is one firing port on each side of the hull near the front of the
fighting compartment, and two in the rear in the ramp.
The firing ports allow the crew to fight from the inside. The two other
firing ports normally on this chassis are plated over; ammunition storage and
radios cover their position.
The BMR-PM uses
a Pegaso 9157/8 306-horsepower diesel engine, coupled to an automatic
transmission. The BMR-PM has 6x6
drive, and all wheels have independent suspension making it quite adept
off-road. The transmission further
has a limited-slip differential, and the tires are run-flat.
The BMR-PM has a winch at the rear which can be led out the front, and
has a 4.5-ton capacity with 50 meters of cable.
The BMR-PM-M1 upgraded
version have new Scania DS9 61A 24S 310-horsepower turbocharged diesel engines,
which run cleaner and are easier to service, and smaller in size.
They are fitted with additional appliqué armor and air conditioning
units. They have been made amphibious, and have had waterjets installed at the
rear to help in this capacity. The
BMR-PM-M1 also has a number of automotive and electrical system upgrades and
fixes, and has been equipped with puncture-resistant, run-flat tires. They have
a new Dragar-derived one-man turret with heavier armament.
Radiation shielding has been fitted.
The driver’s steering wheel is adjustable for height, and the BMR-PM-M1
has an automatic fire detection and suppression system, as well as self-sealing
fuel tanks. Three smoke grenade
launchers have been added to either side of the turret.
The BMT-PM-M1 is equipped with a GPS/Inertial Navigation/mapping computer
cluster, as well as an MBC and a more general use computer used to store target
information, positions of friendly and enemy forces as well as target
information. Unfortunately, the BMR-PM81-M1 (and the 120-M1) are even more
jam-packed than the standard BMR-PM.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
BMR-PM81 |
$330,503 |
D, A |
500 kg |
14.83 tons |
5 |
9 |
Passive IR (D) |
Enclosed |
BMR-PM120 |
$419,397 |
D, A |
500 kg |
15.14 tons |
5 |
13 |
Passive IR (D) |
Enclosed |
BMR-PM81-M1 |
$701,494 |
D, A |
550 kg |
16.43 tons |
5 |
13 |
Passive IR (D,
C), Image Intensification (C) |
Shielded |
BMR-PM120-M1 |
$703,171 |
D, A |
550 kg |
16.49 tons |
5 |
13 |
Passive IR (D,
C), Image Intensification (C) |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
BMR-PM81 |
175/89 |
49/25 |
400 |
113 |
CiH |
W(4) |
TF2 TS2
TR2 HF8
HS4 HR4 |
BMR-PM120 |
173/87 |
48/24 |
400 |
115 |
CiH |
W(4) |
TF2 TS2
TR2 HF8
HS4 HR4 |
BMR-PM81-M1 |
164/83 |
46/23/4 |
400 |
115 |
Trtd |
W(5) |
TF4 TS4
TR3 HF10Sp
HS6 HR4* |
BMR-PM120-M1 |
164/82 |
46/23/4 |
400 |
115 |
Trtd |
W(5) |
TF4 TS4
TR3 HF10Sp
HS6 HR4* |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
||
BMR-PM81 |
None |
None |
81mm EXPAL Model LL Mortar, MG-3 (C) or M-2HB (C) |
107x81mm, 1800x7.62mm or 1100x.50 |
||
BMR-PM120 |
None |
None |
120mm EXPAL M120-15 Mortar, MG-3 (C) or M-2HB (C) |
72x120mm, 1800x7.62mm or 1100x.50 |
||
BMR-PM81-M1 |
+2** |
None |
|
107x81mm, 375x40mm Grenades, 2100x7.62mm |
||
BMR-PM120-M1 |
+2** |
None |
120mm EXPAL M-120-15 Mortar,
LAG-40 AGL, MG-3 |
72x120mm, 375x40mm Grenades, 2100x7.62mm |
*Roof AV is 3; Floor AV is 4.
**The Fire control bonus does not apply to the mortar.