Santa Barbara BLR

     Notes:  This is a wheeled armored personnel carrier in use by the Spanish Marines and Guardia Civil (National Guard).  It was developed to be a low-cost armored carrier which could do border patrol duties, internal security, airport security, and amphibious operations.  Though the Spanish Marines employ them, more are used by police units operating in rural areas than anywhere else.  The only export customer so far has been Ecuador.  Though several variants have been proposed and discussed over the years, but only a basic APC version and an internal security have been produced, and there are no plans for upgrading the BLR.  Production of the BLR ceased in the mid-1990s, but the vehicle is still used by Spain (and Ecuador) pending the arrival of more up-to-date vehicles.

     The BLR is a vehicle with a large, box-shaped hull and a small cupola with a machinegun mount. The driver is in the front right with two large bullet-resistant windshields to his front, and smaller bullet-resistant windows to his sides on the angle of where the front meets the sides.  Armored shutters can be lowered over the windshields, with vision slits in them. The driver has conventional controls, and though he has no vehicle-mounted night vision, the commander and driver usually have night vision goggles at their position (not included in the price below). The commander occupies the cupola, which is raised and has vision blocks to the front, sides, and rear.  The cupola is in the center of the vehicle just behind the driver/passenger position. This cupola has a pintle-mounted weapon and often is surrounded with low AV2 gun shields.  The front of the vehicle also has a seat on the left, sometimes occupied by the infantry squad commander but often left empty.  The driver and front passenger have hatches above their position and access to their positions through the troop compartment.  The interior is considered roomy for an armored vehicle, and has four vision blocks along the sides and one in each rear door (though no firing ports).  The troops are seated along sides of the vehicle, facing inwards. Two hatches are found on the roof.

     Power for the BLR is provided by a Pegaso turbocharged diesel developing 220 horsepower, coupled to a manual transmission.  The engine is unusually mounted, below the rear floor and mounted so that it wraps around the rear part of the drive train and the rear axle.  This, unfortunately, makes it vulnerable to mines and IEDs as well as everyday rough terrain such as projecting rocks.  It does, however, leave a large open area at the rear while making the vehicle shorter and smaller. The 4x4 suspension is more suited to road use and is not particularly effective off-road. The BLR has run-flat tires and a winch with a capacity of 4.5 tons and 50 meters of cable; the winch is in the center, but the cable leads out through the front of the vehicle through a channel. Armor is of all-welded steel, but geared more towards protecting against small arms and shell fragments and unlikely to protect against even light and medium machinegun bullets.  Frontal armor is moderately sloped, while the sides and rear are straight-sided.

     The internal security version is basically the same as the military BLR, has a either a barricade-clearing blade or a full dozer blade at the front which may be raised or lowered as necessary.  If the BLR has a barricade-clearing blade, the blade is 50% likely to be hit by frontal shots, adding 5Sp to the frontal armor rating.  If the BLR has a full dozer blade, frontal shots are resolved the same, but the AV increase is 8Sp.  The barricade-clearing blade is sort of a super ramming bumper, and cannot dig fighting positions or clear terrain.  The dozer blade can be used for any task which may be expected of a dozer blade.  Other additional equipment includes flashing lights, a siren, a loudspeaker system, and a spotlight on the cupola and another on the roof.  The internal security version has a system to automatically put out fires on the tires or in the wheel wells. Note that run-flat tires are not always present on the internal security version. The windshields of the internal security vehicle have a double wiper system; one deals with water and other such liquids and the other id designed for use against paint and suchlike and can spray a solvent solution to help clear it away.  The normal cupola armament is replaced by a discharger for irritant gas, which can fire up to 25 3-second blasts erupting in a 30-degree 50-meter-long arc.

 

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

BLR (Military)

$12,643

D, A

2 tons

12 tons

2+12

8

Headlights

Enclosed

Internal Security

$9,074

D, A

1.7 tons

13 tons

2+10

8

Headlights

Enclosed

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

BLR (Military)

199/49

46/11/5

200

114

Stnd

W(3)

HF3  HS3  HR3

Internal Security

183/45

42/10/4

200

123

Stnd

W(3)

HF3  HS3  HR3

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

BLR (Military)

None

None

MG-3 (C)

1000x7.62mm

Internal Security

None

None

Irritant Gas Discharger

25xIrritant Gas Blasts

 

Santa Barbara BMR-600

     Notes:  This is a Spanish armored personnel carrier also in service with Egypt Peru, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia.  It shares many components with the VEC armored car (see Spanish Light Armored Vehicles), and 50% of the parts can be interchanged.  The Spanish Army issued the requirements for the BMR-600 in 1972; first deliveries began in 1979.  Some 1500 were built for the Spanish and for export customers.  The BMR-600 has seen combat service in Desert Storm with the Spanish Army, and as part of IFOR in Yugoslavia, in UN service in Lebanon, and in Iraq and Afghanistan. Several variants were built, including one with an alternate turret for the commander, an armored ambulance, a command vehicle, a communications vehicle, and an engineer vehicle (not discussed on this page), as well as other variants not discussed here such as ATGM carriers and a mortar carrier.  All Spanish BMR-600s were upgraded in the mid-1990s under the “BMR-2” program; these are designated BMR-M1.

     The driver of the BMR-600 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 are three firing ports on each side of the hull, and two in the rear.  The troops sit four to each side facing inwards and two at the front of the compartment facing the rear.

     The BMR-600 uses a Pegaso 9157/8 306-horsepower diesel engine, coupled to an automatic transmission.  The BMR-600 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-600 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-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-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 one-man turret with heavier armament.  Most of the variants have also been equipped with this upgrade, with the exception of the turret.  Radiation shielding has been fitted.  The driver’s steering wheel is adjustable for height, and the BMR-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 BMR-600 Armored Command Vehicle (ACV) is a variant of the BMR-600 fitted out to a commander's needs.  The vehicle is equipped with 2 short range, one medium range, and one long range radio (which is data-capable), a ruggedized laptop computer, inertial land navigation equipment, a map board, and a folding table and chairs, as well as storage for maps and office-type and plotting-type supplies.  The work area can be expanded during halts by a tent as long as the vehicle.  The vehicle also has a 5kW generator on the roof to power the equipment when the engine is off.  A hand-held thermal imager, image intensifier, and laser rangefinder is carried.

     The Radio Communications Vehicle (RCV) uses the same basic chassis and interior as the ACV, but carries a small group of technicians, 3 long-range radios (one data-capable for relaying digital information to a command post), one medium-range radio, one short-range radio, a radio teletype machine (deleted after the BMR-M1 update), 20 field telephones, a switchboard, 2000 meters of commo wire on spools, and a limited amount of spare communications equipment parts.  On the roof is a 10kW generator.

     The BMR-3560.54 is an armored ambulance version of the BMR-600 armored personnel carrier.  In this version, the vehicle carries a refrigerator for perishable medical supplies, a defibrillator, a respirator, the equivalent of one doctor's medical bag, 20 personal medical kits, and four stretchers.  The vehicle is equipped with air conditioning and heating. Unlike most armored ambulances, the BMR-3560.54 is armed, with a cupola for the commander with a searchlight to help it spotlight and find casualties as well as a pintle-mounted gun and a small ammunition supply. It can carry four stretcher patients or two stretcher patients and four seated patients, plus a medic in the rear.

     The BMR VRAC-NBQ is an NBC reconnaissance version of the BMR-600, equipped with radiation shielding.  It has optical chemical sniffers, radiation detectors and dosimeters, sampling equipment (including an extendible arm to sample ground and plants), and an additional long-range radio (data-equipped).  The vehicle has limited computer equipment to assist in its findings and studies as well as the ability to transmit those findings to other units.

     The BMR GEL is an EW vehicle, used primarily to jam radio communications, but also with a limited radar jamming capability.  The BMR GEL’s equipment can jam all frequencies of the spectrum within 40 kilometers, but only two bands at a time (such as VHF and HF, etc).  It can jam ground vehicle, GSR, aircraft radar, and shipborne radar, but only one type at a time, and with a range of only 30 kilometers.  The BMR GEL’s equipment can also detect and locate radio transmissions within 40 kilometers, scanning up to three bands at a time. Radio jamming reduces the ability to transmit by two levels, and radar jamming by one level.  The BMR GEL also has recording equipment for the radio detection and location equipment, and a small computer relevant to its EW functions.  On the roof is a 10kW generator.

 

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

BMR-600

$31,421

D, A

2 tons

14 tons

2+10

8

Passive IR (D)

Enclosed

BMR-600 (Toucan Turret)

$68,800

D, A

1.9 tons

14.7 tons

2+9

8

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G)

Enclosed

BMR-600 ACV

$181,536

D, A

950 kg

14.5 tons

2+4

9

Passive IR (D)

Enclosed

BMR-600 RCV

$83,325

D, A

950 kg

14.5 tons

5

10

Passive IR (D)

Enclosed

BMR-3560.54

$36,135

D, A

950 kg

14.3 tons

**

9

Passive IR (D), WL Searchlight (G)

Enclosed

BMR VRAC-NBQ

$221,983

D, A

860 kg

15.1 tons

5

10

Passive IR (D, Roof Camera), Image Intensification (Roof Camera)

Shielded

BMR GEL

$854,319

D, A

850 kg

15.2 tons

5

11

Passive IR (D)

Enclosed

BMR-M1

$45,070

D, A

1.5 tons

16 tons

2+9

8

Passive IR (G, C), Image Intensification (G)

Shielded

BMR-M1 ACV

$152,439

D, A

800 kg

15.6 tons

2+4

8

Passive IR (D)

Shielded

BMR-M1 RCV

$73,078

D, A

800 kg

15.6 tons

5

10

Passive IR (D)

Shielded

BMR-M1-3560.54

$51,831

D, A

900 kg

14.9 tons

**

9

Passive IR (D), WL Searchlight (G)

Shielded

BMR-M1 VRAC-NBQ

$235,007

D, A

750 kg

15.7 tons

5

10

Passive IR (D, Roof Camera), Image Intensification (Roof Camera)

Shielded

BMR-M1 GEL

$474,266

D, A

700 kg

15.8 tons

5

11

Passive IR (D)

Shielded

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

BMR-600

177/89

41/20

400

162

CiH

W(4)

TF2  TS2  TR2  HF8  HS4  HR4

BMR-600 (Toucan Turret)

168/85

39/19

400

170

CiH

W(4)

TF2  TS2  TR2  HF8  HS4  HR4

BMR-600 ACV/RCV

172/86

40/19

400

168

CiH

W(4)

TF2  TS2  TR2  HF8  HS4  HR4

BMR-3560.54

173/87

40/20

400

165

Stnd

W(4)

HF8  HS4  HR4

BMR VRAC-NBQ

165/83

38/19

400

175

CiH

W(4)

TF2  TS2  TR2  HF8  HS4  HR4

BMR GEL

163/82

38/17

400

177

CiH

W(4)

TF2  TS2  TR2  HF8  HS4  HR4

BMR-M1

162/82

37/19/4

400

164

Trtd

W(5)

TF4  TS4  TR3  HF10Sp  HS6  HR4*

BMR-M1 ACV/RCV

167/84

38/20/4

400

159

CiH

W(5)

TF2  TS2  TR2  HF10Sp  HS6  HR4*

BMR-M1-3560.54

175/89

40/21/4

400

153

Stnd

W(5)

HF10Sp  HS6  HR4*

BMR-M1 VRAC-NBQ

165/84

38/19/4

400

161

CiH

W(5)

TF2  TS2  TR2  HF10Sp  HS6  HR4*

BMR-M1 GEL

164/83

37/19/4

400

162

CiH

W(5)

TF2  TS2  TR2  HF10Sp  HS6  HR4*

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

BMR-600/ACV/RCV/VRAC-NBQ/GEL

None

None

M-2HB (C)

1100x.50

BMR-600 (Toucan Turret)

+1

Basic

20mm M-693 Autocannon, MG-3

750x20mm, 2100x7.62mm

BMR-3560.54/3560.54-M1

None

None

MG-3 (C) or M-2HB (C)

1000x7.62mm or 600x.50

BMR-M1

+2

Good

25mm M-811 Autocannon or LAG-40 AGL, MG-3

600x25mm or 375x40mm Grenades, 2100x7.62mm

BMR-M1 ACV/RCV/VRAC-NBQ/GEL

None

None

M-2HB (C)

1100x.50

*Roof AV is 3; Floor AV is 4.

**See Notes for Crew and passenger capacity.