Armoured recovery vehicle
An
armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) is a type of
armoured fighting vehicle used to repair battle-damaged or broken-down armoured vehicles during combat, or to tow them off the battlefield 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 recoverâ€"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.
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.
|
M32 ARV (HVSS variant) in Yad la-Shiryon Museum, Israel. 2005. |
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 incoporating 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.
M88 Hercules
WW2
*
Cavalier ARV*
Churchill ARV*
Grant ARV*
Sherman III ARV I - Amoured Recovery Vehicle conversion of
Sherman III (M4A2), similarly
Sherman V ARV I and
ARV II, but the
Sherman II ARV III was a
M32B1 TRV (see US ARV).
Modern
*
Centurion ARV*
FV 220Conqueror ARV*
Chieftain ARV*
Challenger Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle *
FV106 SamsonBARV (Multiple Chassis)
*The
BARV is a British military support vehicle, the name coming from 'Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle,' built on the
M4A2 Sherman,
M3A5 Grant,
Centurion, and
Leopard 1A5 tanks.
*
Ram ARV |
In WWII, some 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)*
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 (Leopard 2 Chassis)*
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)
*
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.
*
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).
*
WZT-2 ARV (T-55 Chassis)*
WZT-3 ARV (T-72 Chassis)*
Armoured warfare*
List of AFVs*
M4 Sherman tank*
Bergepanzer III*
Bergepanzer III (DE)*
Bergepanther (PL)*
Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger*
Bergepanzer Ferdinand (DE)*
Bergepanzer 38(t) Hetzer*
Bergepanzer 38(t) Hetzer (PL)*
Bergepanzer Leopard 1*
Leopard 1 ARV NL*
Bergepanzer 1 (DE)*
Bergepanzer 2 (DE)*
Bergepanzer 3 BĂĽffel (DE)*
Czechoslovak VT-34 ARV*
Czechoslovak VT-55A ARV*
Czechoslovak VT-72B ARV (CS)*
Czechoslovak VPV (CS)*
WZT-3 ARV (DE)*
BREM-1 ARRV*
BREM-K ARV*
BREM-L ARV*
BREM-80U ARRV
