M88A3 aims to eliminate single-vehicle recovery gap
The M88A3 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift Evacuation System is currently undergoing reliability and maintainability (RAM) testing at Yuma Proving Ground, which is at the forefront of the U.S. Army’s transformation efforts, particularly in the realm of mobility and combat vehicle testing.
This type of testing, according to Test Officer Yoselyn Vargas of the Combat Automotive System Division, is necessary because it plays a crucial role in ensuring the effectiveness and longevity of military vehicles.
“It is quite important to verify that the vehicle is able to function with the intended capabilities,” Vargas said. “Since the upgrades are new, the testing also reassures that the capabilities are functional.”
The M88A3 is designed to rescue disabled tanks from the battlefield, offering superior performance compared to its predecessor, the M882. Notably, it eliminates the need for two vehicles for raising and moving the newer, heavier Abram tanks, effectively bridging the singlevehicle recovery gap.
Currently, the operational M88A2 cannot perform single-vehicle recovery operations for the modern Abrams tank. Instead, two vehicles must collaborate to lift and move these tanks when they become disabled, which comes at the cost of efficiency, logistics, and increased complexity on a battlefield.
To overcome this limitation, BAE Systems introduced the M88A3 Hercules Heavy Recovery Vehicle. This advanced variant builds upon the proven M88A2, enhancing performance, survivability, and responsiveness.
The upgrades include a modernized powertrain that boosts horsepower and torque, a seventh road wheel for enhanced stability, and hydro
pneumatic suspension units that improve cross-country mobility and recovery operations.
“The key goal was to increase the old vehicle’s towing capacity from 70 tons to 80 tons in the new version,” Vargas said. “While modern vehicles have become heavier, this overall modification allows the new version of the vehicle to more effectively rescue disabled tanks from the battlefield.”
As of now, two M88A3 vehicles are being put through their paces, with both vehicles covering a combined distance of 6,000 miles, with each of them individually completing 3,000 miles. The hoisting and winching capabilities of both vehicles are also being evaluated.
“The two vehicles are going to alternate towing a simulated load weighing around 80 tons,” Vargas said. “We’ll start off by having one vehicle doing a portion of miles on its own while the other is towing. When we reach a designated point, they will switch off.”
Testing began in mid-March, with two missions already completed, and is expected to last throughout the remainder of the year.
“It is a pretty standard number of miles for this type of testing,” Vargas added. “The vehicles will be going slow and pulling a lot of weight. It is going to take a while.”
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is also actively taking part in testing the M88A3 and has a total of four vehicles, two of which are dedicated to performance testing and two to RAM testing.
According to Vargas, the primary objective of their testing is to assess longevity in their specific environment. While APG’s testing courses share similarities with YPG’s, the uniqueness factor lies in the sandy conditions they encounter here.
The U.S. Army currently operates 835 M88A2s and 360 M88A1s.