Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers

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Churchill AVRE with fascine on tilt-forward cradle. This particular example is a post-WW2 AVRE on the MK VII chassis.

Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) is a title given to a series to armoured vehicles operated the Royal Engineers (RE) for the purpose of battlefield engineering support. These vehicles have been either purpose built or have been modifications of existing armoured vehicles. Not all armoured vehicles used by the RE have been called AVREs, however a common feature of all has been the retention of a high calibre main gun or the addition of a higher calibre weapon. Other armoured vehicles used by the RE included in this article have been named more for their function than given the generic title of AVRE, although their function is or has been a battlefield support role.

The first AVRE that can be considered are the Heavy RE tanks developed shortly after the first world war by Major Giffard LeQuesne Martel RE. These vehicles were modified Mark V tanks. Two support functions for these AVRE were developed a bridging and a mine clearance tank. The bridging component involved an assault bridge, designed by Major Charles Inglis RE, called the Canal Lock Bridge which had sufficient length to span a canal lock. Major Martel mated the bridge with the tank and used hydraulic power generated by the tanks engine to manoeuvre the bridge into place. For mine clearance the tanks were equipped with 2 ton rollers.

Between the wars various experimental bridging tanks were used to test a series of methods for bridging obstacles were developed by the Experimental Bridging Establishment (EBE).

Captain SG Galpin RE conceived a prototype Light Tank Mk V to test scissors bridge. This concept was realised by Captain SA Stewart RE with significant input from a Mr DM Delany, a scientific civil servant in the employ of the EBE.

List to complete:

Churchill AVRE numerous variants. The Mk III was armed with a 290 mm Petard Spigot mortar, it's turret was of welded construction, the later Mk IV had a cast turret. Post-war the Churchill AVRE was re-armed with a 165 mm demolition gun.

FV4003 Centurion AVRE, Mk 5 armed with a 165 mm demolition gun entered service in 1963 replacing the Churchill AVRE.

FV4203 Centurion AVRE, Mk 12 variant was a modified observer vehicle armed with the conventional 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 rifled gun.

Willich Chieftain AVRE, entered service in 1987

Chieftain AVRE, entered service in 1994

FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor (CET), entered service in 1977

Warrior in two variants FV512 Mechanised Combat Repair Vehicle and FV513 Mechanised Recovery Vehicle

Challenger Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle

Trojan Combat Engineer Vehicle (CEV), a Challenger 2 variant. Based on the Challenger 2 chassis, the Trojan will be equipped with an articulated excavator arm, a dozer blade and rails for fascines. 33 units have been ordered from BAE Land Systems.

Titan AVLB Challenger 2 variant. Based on the Challenger 2 chassis, the Titan Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge33 units have been ordered from BAE Land Systems.

Terrier CET in development to replace the existing FV180. Substantial COTS usage is included in the design of the vehicle, such as the use of a Caterpillar drive train (C18 diesel engine and X300 series automatic transmission) and excavator, and using the alloy road wheels from BAE Systems Hägglunds CV90 program. The Terrier is armoured using steel rather than aluminium alloy of it's predecessor.