The Pegaso BLR, model 3545, was a 170 hp 4×4 armoured car designed to be carried by air, one of four armoured vehicles Pegaso launched in the late 1970s. It shared its generation with the amphibious 3550 VAP, the 6×6 3560 BMR and the VEC, all used in quantity by the Spanish Army.
Pegaso BLR at a glance
| Maker | ENASA, Barcelona and Madrid |
|---|---|
| Marque | Pegaso |
| Model | 3545 BLR |
| Type | 4×4 armoured car, airborne-able |
| Engine output | 170 hp |
| Launched | late 1970s |
| Related models | 3550 VAP amphibious 4×4, 3560 BMR 6×6, 3562 VEC |
| BMR output | 306 hp |
| Main user | Spanish Army |
The BLR is described in a single paragraph of the English and Spanish Wikipedia articles on Pegaso; this page claims nothing beyond those lines.
History of the Pegaso BLR
Pegaso’s military work grew out of its all-wheel-drive lorries. The first production tactical truck was the 4×4 3020 of 1963, replaced in 1970 by the 3045 and the 6×6 3050, and developed into the 170 hp 3046 and 200 hp 3055 that dominated Spanish Army service.
In the late 1970s ENASA added armoured vehicles to that range. Four models were launched: the 4×4 airborne-able 3545 BLR with 170 hp, the 4×4 amphibious 3550 VAP with the same output, the very successful 6×6 3560 BMR with 306 hp, and its derivative the 3562 VEC. All were used in quantity by the Spanish Army.
The BLR belonged to the same industrial system as the rest of the marque: ENASA’s plants in Barcelona and Madrid, its own engines, and a customer base that ran from Spanish hauliers to the Egyptian Army, which ordered up to 10,000 of the 3046 tactical trucks. Pegaso built more than 350,000 vehicles between 1946 and 1990, and the armoured line remained one of its most distinctive activities.
Design and features
- Airborne 4×4: designed to be transported by air, with 170 hp on tap.
- Armoured family: developed alongside the amphibious 3550 VAP, the 6×6 3560 BMR and the VEC.
- Spanish Army service: the armoured Pegasos were bought in quantity by the Spanish military.
- Lorry engineering: built on the same engines and drivelines as Pegaso’s military trucks.
Pegaso BLR versions
- 3545 BLR: the airborne 4×4 armoured car.
- 3550 VAP: amphibious 4×4 with the same 170 hp engine.
- 3560 BMR: 6×6 armoured vehicle with 306 hp.
- 3562 VEC: derivative of the BMR.
The lorries of the same family are in Pegaso 3045, the civilian heavy range in Pegaso 2000, and the marque under Pegaso.
Sources
- Pegaso, English Wikipedia: 3545 BLR, VAP, BMR, VEC, output figures
- Pegaso, Spanish Wikipedia: military vehicles and the BLR caption
