Armoured recovery vehicle

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Conqueror Armoured Recovery Vehicle 2
Conqueror Armoured Recovery Vehicle 2

An armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to repair battle- or mine-damaged as well as broken-down armoured vehicles during combat, or to tow them out of the danger zone for more extensive repairs.

ARVs are normally built on the chassis of a main battle tank (MBT), but some are also constructed on the basis of other armoured fighting vehicles, mostly armoured personnel carriers (APCs). ARVs are usually built on the basis of a vehicle in the same class as they are supposed to recover—thus, a tank-based ARV is used to recover tanks, while an APC-based one recovers APCs, but does not have the power to tow a much heavier tank.

Contents

[edit] Development History

The first true ARVs were introduced in World War II, often by converting obsolete or damaged tanks, usually by removing the turret and installing a heavy-duty winch to free stuck vehicles, plus a variety of vehicle repair tools. Some were also purpose-built in factories, using an existing tank chassis with a hull superstructure to accommodate repair and recovery equipment. Many of the latter type of ARV had an A-frame or crane to allow the vehicle's crew to perform heavy lifting tasks such as removing the engine from a disabled tank.

After World War II, most countries' MBT models also had corresponding ARV variants. Many ARVs are also equipped with a bulldozer blade that can be used as an anchor when winching or as a stabiliser when lifting, a pump to transfer fuel to another vehicle, and more. Some can even carry a spare engine for field replacement, such the German Leopard 1 ARV.

Some combat engineering vehicles (CEVs) are based on ARVs.

[edit] United States

M32 ARV (HVSS variant) in Yad la-Shiryon Museum, Israel.
M32 ARV (HVSS variant) in Yad la-Shiryon Museum, Israel.

[edit] M32 and M74 (Sherman Chassis)

  • M32 - officially, Tank Recovery Vehicle M32, or TRV, based on the Sherman tank's M4 chassis with turret replaced by fixed superstructure, 60,000 lb winch and an 18 feet long pivoting A-frame jib installed. An 81mm Mortar was also added into the hull, primarily for screening purposes.
    • M32B1 - M32s converted from M4A1s (some converted to M34 artillery prime movers).
      • M32A1B1 - M32B1's with HVSS, later removing the 81mm Mortar and incorporating crane improvements.
    • M32B2 - M32's converted from M4A2's.
    • M32B3 - M32's converted from M4A3's.
      • M32A1B3 - M32B3's brought to the same standard as the M32A1B1.
    • M32B4 - M32's converted from M4A4's.
  • M74 Tank Recovery Vehicle - Upgrade of the M32 to provide the same capability with regards to heavier post-war tanks, converted from M4A3 HVSS tanks. In appearance the M74 is very similar to the M32, fitted with an A-Frame crane, a main towing winch, an auxiliary winch, and a manual utility winch. The M74 also has a front mounted spade that can be used as a support or as a dozer blade.
    • M74B1 - Same as the M74, but converted from M32B3s.

See these and other Sherman-chassis recovery vehicles used by Britain, Germany, Israel, Mexico, etc.

[edit] M88 Hercules

Main article: M88 Recovery Vehicle


[edit] Britain

[edit] WW2

[edit] Modern

[edit] BARV (Multiple Chassis)

[edit] Canada

[edit] Soviet Union

During WWII, damaged Soviet T-34 tanks were rebuilt as ARVs by plating over the turret ring.
During WWII, damaged Soviet T-34 tanks were rebuilt as ARVs by plating over the turret ring.
  • BTS-2 (T-54 Chassis)
  • BTS-4A (T-54 Chassis)
  • BREM-1 (T-72 Chassis)
  • BREM-2 (BMP-1 Chassis)
  • BREM-L (BMP-3 Chassis)
  • BREM-K (BTR-80 Chassis)
  • BREM-80U (T-80U Chassis)

[edit] Germany

  • Bergepanzer III (PzKpfw III Chassis)
  • Bergepanther (SdKfz 179 - Panther Chassis) - 347 produced (1943 to 1945).
  • Bergepanzer Tiger (Tiger I Chassis)
  • Bergepanzer 38(t) (Panzerkampfwagen 38 Chassis) - 170 produced (1944 to 1945).
  • Bergepanzer M74 (Sherman Chassis) - first TRV/ARV of the West German Bundeswehr, 300 used 1956-1960 (see M74 entry under United States).
  • Bergepanzer Leopard 1 (Leopard 1 Chassis)
  • Bergepanzer 1 (M48 Chassis) - the first of 125 entered service in 1962 and a 1985 modernization program replaced the gasoline engine with a diesel and improved the hoist.
  • Bergepanzer 2 (Leopard 1 Chassis)
  • Bergepanzer 3 "Büffel" (Leopard 2 Chassis)

[edit] Czechoslovakia

  • VT-34 ARV (T-34 Chassis)
  • VT-55A ARV (T-55 Chassis)
  • VT-72B ARV (T-72 Chassis) - (1987 to 1989)
  • VPV (BVP-1 Chassis) - (1985 to 1989)

[edit] Israel

Trail Blazer.
Trail Blazer.
  • Trail Blazer (Gordon) (Sherman chassis) - An IDF recovery/engineering vehicle based on HVSS equipped M4A1s Sherman tanks, it featured a large single boom crane (as opposed to the A-Frame of the M32) and large spades at the front and rear of the vehicle to assist in lifting. It could also tow up to 72 tons.

[edit] Mexico

  • M32 Chenca (Sherman chassis) - In 1998, Napco International of the USA upgraded M32B1 TRV M4 Sherman-chassis armoured recovery vehicles with Detroit Diesel 8V-92-T diesel engines (see M32 entry under United States).

[edit] Poland

WZT-3 armoured recovery vehicle.
WZT-3 armoured recovery vehicle.
  • WZT-1 (T-55 Chassis)'
  • WZT-2 (T-55 Chassis)
  • WZT-3 (T-72/PT-91 Chassis)
  • WZT-4 (PT-91M Chassis)
  • WPT-TOPAS (TOPAS Chassis)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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