TACR1

History

TACR1 - Truck, Airfield Crash Rescue, Mark 1 - was the third generation of Land Rover-based crash rescue trucks in RAF service, entering service in 1972 to supersede the earlier ACRT dry-powder and TACT foam trucks. Its job was to be first on scene: a three-man crew raced ahead of the heavy foam tenders to begin rescuing aircrew from a crashed aircraft, and between incidents the trucks escorted taxiing aircraft. The substantial front brush guard was fitted so a responding TACR1 could crash straight through airfield emergency gates without stopping.

The conversions were built by fire-appliance coachbuilder HCB-Angus of Southampton on uprated 109-inch chassis: an initial batch of 22 Series IIA vehicles on the heavy-duty 231-prefix chassis sequence with ENV axles, delivered in Mist White undercoat to the RAF at Aston Down in 1970-71, followed by Series III batches on 911-prefix chassis. Although Land Rover catalogued these as 3/4-ton vehicles, the makers' and military specification plates identify the TACR1 as a 1-ton truck. All used the 2.25-litre petrol engine. The truck carried pre-mixed AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam), an EPCO hydraulic rescue kit and a pneumatic 'ripper gun'; with only a standard cab, the third crew member sat in an exposed rear position connected to the cab by a voice tube.

TACR1s served with the RAF Fire and Rescue Service and the Royal Navy's airfields from the early 1970s until the early 1990s, including detached Harrier-site operations, and the first example delivered (28 AG 00) covered some 230 incidents in 58 days during the 1977 national firemen's strike. Around 89 were built and few survive; the Range Rover-based TACR2 began replacing them from 1977.

Imagery

Registry record

Manufacturer

Land Rover (British Leyland)

Manufactured

Built from 1970-71 (Series IIA batch) into the mid-1970s; in service 1972 to the early 1990s

Modifier / coachbuilder

HCB-Angus (Southampton)

Engine type

2.25 L petrol inline-four

Production run

~89 vehicles

Country of origin

United Kingdom

Status

retired; a handful preserved

Catalogue data

Record kind

Named model

Model line

Series III

Wheels

4

Base catalogue fields are exported from the Difflocked game. In-game physics values are arcade tuning, not certified historical measurements, and are deliberately not shown as specifications here.

Sources & citations

Researched sources

• 28 AG 00 RAF Fire and Rescue Service TACR1 (service history, AFFF, EPCO kit, ripper gun, 1977 firemen's strike) ↗ — UK Emergency Vehicles (accessed 2026-09-10)
• Land Rover TACR1 1 Ton Fire Truck For Sale (HCB-Angus body on uprated Series II/III chassis; 89 built; RAF service to early 1990s) ↗ — Landybitz (accessed 2026-09-10)
• Other Vehicles - 1-Ton 109" Land-Rovers 1968-77 (TACR1 chassis batches, ENV axles, Mist White delivery, 1-ton plating) ↗ — onetonlandrovers.co.uk (accessed 2026-09-10)
• 71RN52 Land Rover HCB TACR1 Royal Navy (Royal Navy operation, HCB-Angus build) ↗ — Fire Engine Photos (accessed 2026-09-10)