BAE SYSTEMS has been awarded a $110 million contract to convert 36 M88A1 heavy towing vehicles to the heavier, more powerful A2 configuration called the Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift Evacuation System (HERCULES).
The fleet of combat vehicles that accompany each of the Army’s armored brigade combat teams has become larger and heavier over the past 13 years of war, requiring a more capable recovery vehicle to tow them when they become disabled.
Hercules is the only vehicle capable of towing both an M1 Abrams main battle tank and the heaviest variants of the Army’s mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) trucks.
“The HERCULES is an integral part of the U.S. Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) and essential to its recovery missions as the fleet becomes heavier,” John Tile, director of recovery programs at BAE, said in a prepared statement.
Each M88A1 will be disassembled at Anniston Army Depot, in Alabama, after which the chassis shipped to BAE’s facility in York, Pa. The hull is modified to the M88A2 configuration and is rebuilt using new materials, company spokeswoman Alicia Gray told Defense Daily.
New features include a higher horsepower engine, improved suspension and propulsion systems, added armor, and a higher capacity winch system capable of a 70-ton continuous line pull and the addition of a 35-ton boom lifting system.
The towing capacity of the A2 is 70 tons, up from the 56 tons the A1 can haul. Towing performance varies depending on terrain, but the A2 is approved in all terrains for up to 70 tons.
The Army has a published requirement to upgrade all of its M88s to the HERCULES configuration.
The most recent contract brings to 770 the total number of M88s BAE is responsible for upgrading to the A2 HERCULES configuration. The company so far has delivered 680 M88A2s to the Army and another 100 to the Marine Corps.
BAE also is building new M88A2s, which have been in continuous production since 1996, for international customers. Foreign military sales customers of the M88A1 are purchasing upgrade services as well, Gray said. Egypt, Kuwait, Australia, Iraq and Thailand all operate some version of the M88.
The recent contract includes an option for six conversion vehicles for Australia.
BAE said the contract will help sustain its combat vehicle workforce and will ensure its manpower and production facilities will remain open and available for future programs.
Work on the contract is expected to begin immediately and will take place primarily at the company’s York, Pa., and Aiken, S.C., facilities. Deliveries will begin in January 2017 and continue through October 2017.