Combat buses … Today Spain has a fairly large arsenal of armored vehicles in comparison with other European countries. The Spanish army is armed with more than 330 Leopard 2 tanks, which is more than that of Germany itself, 84 Centauro wheeled tanks, almost 400 infantry fighting vehicles and about a thousand armored personnel carriers, of which several hundred are BMR-600 wheeled armored personnel carriers. This 6x6 armored personnel carrier was developed in Spain back in the 1970s, but after modernizations it is still in service, making up an impressive part of the Spanish wheeled armored vehicle fleet.
The history of the creation of the BMR armored personnel carrier
The requirements for a new wheeled combat vehicle were developed by the Spanish military in the early 1970s. Fully technical and tactical requirements were ready in 1972. At the same time, the military turned to representatives of the Spanish industry with an order for the creation of an armored armed wheeled vehicle designed to transport an infantry squad to the combat zone, as well as actions directly in a combat situation. The project of a new armored vehicle, which was originally considered as a base for armored vehicles for various purposes, was jointly developed by the Arms Development Commission, the army and a large industrial company ENASA.
It is worth noting that ENASA was founded back in 1946 and at that time was a major manufacturer of automotive equipment. In many ways, the company was the heir to the automotive assets of the Spanish branch of Hispano-Suiza. By the early 1970s, the company was producing a fairly large line of trucks, buses, tractors, as well as armored vehicles for the Spanish army under its own Pegaso brand. The development process of a new armored personnel carrier dragged on for four years, all this time Spanish designers worked on prototypes and conducted their tests.
It is known that during the tests, the Spanish armored personnel carrier competed with foreign counterparts: the French Renault VAB armored personnel carrier and the Swiss MOWAG Piranha. All cars were considered in the version with a 6x6 wheel arrangement. The development of the ENASA company looked convincing against the background of competitors and left a favorable impression on the Spanish military. Quite quickly, a whole line of wheeled armored vehicles was presented to the military: the armored personnel carrier itself: the Pegaso 3560/1 model; self-propelled 81-mm mortar Pegaso 3560/3; Pegaso 3560/5 command and staff vehicle; as well as the Pegaso 3564 fire support vehicle, on which it was possible to install various turrets with artillery weapons, including the French TS-90 two-man turret with a 90-mm gun located inside.
As a result, a new armored personnel carrier under the designation BMR-600 and a line of vehicles based on it were put into service. Serial production of armored personnel carriers, also known as the Pegaso 3560 BMR, began in 1979. The need of the Spanish army for such equipment was initially estimated at about 500 pieces. In total, during mass production in Spain, more than 1200 combat vehicles were assembled on this chassis, half of which were exported. The armored personnel carriers were acquired by the armies of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, as well as Mexico and Peru, although the latter two countries were limited to very small parties. Currently, the Spanish army still has 312 BMR-600 armored personnel carriers and upgraded BMR M1 vehicles, excluding equipment remaining in storage. It is assumed that they will remain in service until they are completely replaced by a new four-axle Dragon armored personnel carrier based on the Piranha 5 armored personnel carrier chassis.
Technical features of the BMR armored personnel carrier
For their wheeled armored personnel carrier, Spanish designers have chosen the following layout. In the front on the left side is the driver's seat, immediately behind him is the gunner / radio operator's seat. To the right of them is the engine-transmission compartment, in which the diesel engine is located, the exhaust pipe is brought out to the right side of the body. The troop compartment is located in the aft part of the combat vehicle. The crew of the car consists of two people. The troop compartment accommodates 10 infantrymen.
The body of the armored personnel carrier was made of aluminum armor plates by welding. All armor plates are located at rational angles of inclination. The upper frontal part provided protection against bullets of caliber up to 12.7 mm inclusive, as well as 7.62 mm armor-piercing bullets. The circular armor protected the armored personnel carrier from small arms fire with a caliber of up to 7, 62-mm and shell and mine fragments. In addition, the armored personnel carrier had to withstand the detonation of a mine containing up to 3 kg of explosives. At that time, such armor protection was considered sufficient, but in the course of subsequent upgrades, the booking was significantly increased. For embarkation and disembarkation from the armored personnel carrier, the paratroopers could use two large hatches located in the roof of the hull, but the main method of disembarkation was the stern ramp. An additional method of evacuation from the combat vehicle subsequently became a side door located on the left side in the rear of the hull. It could be used if the rear ramp for some reason did not open.
The main weapon of the BRM-600 armored personnel carriers was the large-caliber 12.7 mm M2 HB machine gun, which was installed outside the TS-3 turret that rotated 360 degrees, developed by Santa Barbara Sistemas. The machine gun could be reloaded and controlled without leaving the combat vehicle. The machine gun had good elevation angles from -15 to +60 degrees, which made it possible to use it for firing at air targets. Carried ammunition for the machine gun was 2500 rounds.
The new Spanish wheeled armored personnel carrier, which was used in the army along with the tracked American M113, received a three-axle configuration with a 6x6 wheel arrangement and two front steerable axles. The combat vehicle received an independent hydropneumatic suspension, which is able to change the ground clearance of the armored personnel carrier depending on the terrain conditions in which the vehicle has to move. The maximum ground clearance was 400 mm. Armored personnel carrier length - 6150 mm, width - 2500 mm, height - 2360 mm. The armored personnel carrier was originally developed as an amphibious one, so it is not afraid of water obstacles. To overcome water obstacles by swimming on the armored personnel carrier, optionally, two water-jet propulsion devices could be installed, with which its speed on the water was 10 km / h, when using only wheels the speed dropped to 4.5 km / h.
The heart of the combat vehicle was the 8-cylinder diesel engine Pegasus 9157/8, which produced a maximum power of 305 hp. The engine power was enough to accelerate the armored personnel carrier with a combat weight of about 14 tons to a speed of 100 km / h while driving on the highway. At the same time, the power reserve was 1000 km, very decent performance for wheeled military equipment. The armored personnel carrier also felt good on rough terrain, featuring good maneuverability. He could overcome inclines up to 60 degrees, ditches and trenches up to 1.2 meters wide and vertical walls up to 0.8 meters high.
Upgrade option to BMR M1
Since 1996, almost all vehicles remaining in service with the Spanish army have been upgraded to the BMR M1 version. The company Santa Barbara Sistemas, which today is one of the largest Spanish defense companies specializing in the production of a variety of armored vehicles, was responsible for the modernization of combat vehicles. Since 2001, the company has been a division of European Land Systems of General Dynamics. During the modernization, the cars received a lighter and more compact 6-cylinder Scania DS9 diesel engine with a capacity of 310 hp and a new fuel tank with a volume of 365 liters (instead of 300 liters).
The protection of the armored personnel carrier was seriously strengthened by the placement of hinged steel armor, which led to an increase in the combat weight of the vehicle to 15, 4 tons, while the maximum speed decreased to 95 km / h. In addition, the updated armored personnel carriers received new air conditioning and heating systems, an upgraded engine fire extinguishing system, night vision devices for the driver, a GPS positioning system, a height-adjustable steering wheel, and ventilated brakes. Also, the configuration of the airborne compartment has undergone changes, the number of infantry received has been reduced to 8 people. The updated version of the armored vehicle was widely used by the Spanish military during peacekeeping missions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. Also, the car was used in hostilities by the armies of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
