Breaking news
BAE Systems to upgrade U.S. Army M88A1 Hercules recovery vehicles.
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Defence & Security Industry News - BAE Systems |
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| Tuesday, October 7, 2014 08:46 AM | |||
| BAE Systems to upgrade U.S. Army M88A1 recovery vehicles | |||
BAE
Systems has been awarded a $153.6 million contract from the U.S. Army
to convert 53 M88A1 recovery vehicles to the M88A2
Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift Evacuation System (HERCULES)
configuration. Work on the contract will extend the M88 production line
within the Combat Vehicle Industrial Base through 2016.
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 BAE Systems' M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicle |
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“This
contract provides enhanced capabilities for America’s soldiers
and will help preserve the defense industrial base by retaining critical
employees and unique skill sets,” said Adam Zarfoss, director
of Artillery and Recovery Systems at BAE Systems. “The HERCULES
is a significant upgrade over its predecessor and is essential to fulfill
successful recovery missions.”
The fleet of Army Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) vehicles is getting heavier, making it increasingly important that the recovery fleet is upgraded to support them. With its 70,000 pound boom, the HERCULES is able to hoist and tow twice the weight of its predecessor, the M88A1. The HERCULES, which provides recovery support to soldiers in the field, is the only vehicle able to recover the M1 Abrams tank and the heaviest mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) variants in a combat environment. The
upgrade work will begin immediately and will be performed primarily
by the existing workforce at BAE Systems in York, Pennsylvania, with
additional work performed at Anniston Army Depot and BAE Systems’
Aiken, South Carolina, facility. The contract continues the U.S. Army’s
program to pure-fleet its M88s to the HERCULES variant. To date, BAE
Systems has converted nearly 650 U.S. Army M88 vehicles to the HERCULES
configuration. |
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