The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded BAE Systems a modification contract worth over $127 million to produce M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation System (HERCULES) vehicles for the U.S. Army. Defense-blog.com said that HERCULES has the lowest acquisition, operational and maintenance cost of any 70-ton capable recovery system, answering the need for cost-effective, self-supporting heavy recovery performance.
The M88A2 provides unparalleled capability for recovering today’s 70-ton combat vehicles including the M1A1, M1A2, Leopard MBT, bridging systems, and other medium weight vehicles, according to the report.
HERCULES features overlay armor protection, ballistic skirts, a longer 35-ton boom, a 140,000-pound (63,504 kg) constant pull main winch with 280 feet of cable, and an auxiliary three-ton winch to aid main winch cable deployment. The M88A2 HERCULES is built and equipped to be the world’s best heavy recovery vehicle, Defense Blog said....MORE
