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M88A2 HERCULES Heavy Armoured recovery vehicle
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The M88A2 HERCULES (Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation System) is an improved version of the M-88 and M88A1 heavy armoured recovery vehicle. The M88A2 HERCULES is the successor vehicle to the M88A1, which had only a recovery capability of 56 tons. The M88A1’s mission was focused on the M60 Series tank while the M88A2 is focused on the Abrams tank. The upgrade was made after a request from the U.S. Army to safely tow and recover battle-damaged, mired or inoperative Abrams main battle tanks. The M88A2 HERCULES, using M88A1 hulls, modified to specification by Anniston Army Depot, upgrades the basic M88 chassis to meet the increased demands of towing, winching, and lifting the M1, M1A1, and M1A2 tank. The M88A2 HERCULES is a combat proven, fully-tracked, steel-armored recovery vehicle that performs hoisting, winching and towing operations for today’s heaviest combat systems. It is equipped to assist in the repair of disabled vehicles under general field conditions and to recover vehicles under hostile fire. The M88A2 HERCULES provides towing, winching and hoisting to support battlefield recovery operations and evacuation of heavy tanks and other tracked combat vehicles. As such, HERCULES is the recovery workhorse of the Armored Brigade Combat Team. The US Army received its first M88A2 on 11 Jul 97 as the first eight vehicles were handed off to units in the 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, TX. A total of 46 vehicles were fielded to 1CD by 4QFY99. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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- M88: basic version - M88A1: improved version of M-88, new engine, new main winch. |
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