M88 Recovery Vehicle
| M88 Recovery Vehicle | |
|---|---|
An original baseline M88 (Bergepanzer 1) ARV of the German Army on static display at the German Tank Museum outside Munster, Germany.
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| Type | Armored recovery vehicle |
| Place of origin | United States of America |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1961 – present |
| Used by | See operators |
| Wars | Arab–Israeli conflict, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, Kosovo War, Iraq War, Global War on Terrorism, War in Afghanistan |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Bowen McLaughlin York (BMY) |
| Designed | 1959 |
| Manufacturer | BMY (1961–1994) United Defense & Anniston Army Depot (1994–2005) BAE Systems Land and Armaments (since 2005) |
| Unit cost | US$2,050,000 |
| Produced | 1961–present |
| Variants | See variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
M88/M88A1: 50.8 t (112,000 lb) M88A2: 63.5 t (140,000 lb) |
| Length | 27.13 ft (8.27 m) |
| Width | 11.25 ft (3.43 m) |
| Height | 10.25 ft (3.12 m) |
| Crew | 3 |
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| Armor | Hull and cab armored to protect against small-arms fire up to 30mm direct fire weapons |
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Main
armament |
M2 .50 cal heavy MG with 1,300 rounds |
| Engine |
•M88/M88A1: Continental (now L-3 Combat Propulsion Systems) AVDS-1790-2DR V12, air-cooled Twin-turbo diesel engine M88/M88A1: 750 hp (560 kW) M88A2: 1,050 hp (780 kW) |
| Transmission | Twin Disc XT-1410-5A cross-drive (3 speed forward, 1 speed reverse) |
| Suspension | Torsion bar suspension |
| Ground clearance | 17 in (0.43 m) |
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Operational
range |
M88/M88A1: 450 km (280 mi) M88A2: 322 km (200 mi) |
| Speed |
M88/M88A1: 42 km/h (26 mph) M88A2: 48 km/h (30 mph) |
•M88/M88A1: Continental (now L-3 Combat Propulsion Systems) AVDS-1790-2DR V12, air-cooled Twin-turbo diesel engine
The M88 Recovery Vehicle is one of the largest armored recovery vehicles (ARV) currently in use by United States Armed Forces. There are currently three variants, the M88, M88A1 and M88A2 HERCULES (Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lifting Extraction System). The M88 series has seen action most noticeably in the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan, and to a lesser extent during the Kosovo War, where they were deployed to help recover heavy armored vehicles of the Allied ground units. The current M88A2 replacement cost is around US$2,050,000.
The design of this vehicle was based on the chassis and parts of the automotive component of the M48 Patton and M60 Patton tanks. The original M88 was introduced in 1961, M88A1 in 1977, with the current M88A2 introduced in 1997.
Originally manufactured by Bowen McLaughlin York (later the BMY division of Harsco Corporation) in 1961, the company would later merge with FMC Corp. to form the United Defense Industries in 1994, which was in turn acquired by BAE Systems in 2005 to become BAE Systems Land and Armaments. In February 2008 the company was awarded a $185 million contract modification from the U.S. Army to manufacture 90 Army-configured M88A2s, four United States Marine Corps-configured M88A2s and authorized spares list parts.
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Wikipedia