Arva Industries Multipurpose Engineer Vehicle

     Notes: This is like a normal backhoe type of construction...but its armored, particularly against mine attack.  Examples of this vehicle are also found in German and the US militaries. It's primary purpose is to dig fighting positions and revetments.

     The cab of the vehicle is climate-controlled and has NBC Overpressure.  The cab is fully armored, and the windows are of ballistic glass.  Most of the fabrication of the body is also armor-quality steel. The MPEV is a semi-MRAP, having not the full protection of an MRAP but some damage mitigation from mines and IEDs. The vehicle has a dozer blade able to move 1.2 cubic meters and 2.88 tons.  The backhoe can pivot 180 degrees and can dig 0.33 cubic meters and 1 ton.  The winch can pull 4.08 tons. The stance is wide for stability; the tires are wide, have extra steel plies in them, and are also run-flat and puncture resistant. The entire vehicle is climate resistant: a slave cable, heated battery and engine, coolant heater.  It also has a full set of lighting, including spotlights at the front and back.  The engine is a Cummins 6BTA Diesel developing 215 horsepower; the transmission is deliberately manual to allow the driver to "jigger" the gears as necessary. The engine has a great deal of torque to it.

     Being semi-MRAPs, they do not have the full protection of a V-Hull, but the armor does protect somewhat more than normal.  Damage to the crew inside the cab take only one-half damage from such blasts, as do components inside the hull and resting on the front of the hull. Alternate mountings include a fork instead of the bucket. and an auger in place of the backhoe.

*The hull floor armor is 6Sp.  The roof of the cab is 3.

GDLS Bison MRTV (Mobile Repair Team Vehicle)

     Notes:  This is a recovery version of the Bison APC. It has long been due to be replaced by an equivalent version of the LAV III, but budgetary difficulties have slowed this project considerably. Some 25 are in use by Australia as the ASLAV Type II MRTV, while the US National Guard uses 1 of them to support its force of 12 Bisons used at JRTC.  The Bison is an extension of the rail-mount system, making the Bison somewhat modular.

     In this version, the vehicle carries extensive spare parts, and has a crane with a capacity of 4.98 tons, as well as the standard winch with 100 meters of cable and a capacity of 4.82 tons and can be swiveled 260 degrees.  The crane can be controlled from the vehicle or by a control box on a cable 30 meters long.  The Bison MRTV is also fitted with 3 floodlights and outriggers and stabilizers for use during crane and winching operations.  The Bison MRTV carries a good supply of tools, including basic, wheeled vehicle, small arms, and heavy ordinance tools, as well as a welding set, air compressor, tow bar, and tow cables.  A flat space on top can carry heavy cargoes of a space powerpack. A small computer assists in repair duties, carrying tech manuals, diagrams, BDAR procedures, etc.

     Crew consists of two: the driver and the commander who doubles as a rigger. The accent on Bison MRTV operations is to recover the vehicles, while doing the minimum in the field to fix the vehicles to the point that they can be towed.  Restoring vehicles to running conditioning is a secondary mission.  However, when using the crane to lift heavy weights, two outriggers are lowered at the rear to stabilize the vehicle, and is capable of lifting the powerpacks of most wheeled vehicles into a damaged vehicle after lifting the damaged one out.

     Power is provided by a Detroit Diesel 6V53T diesel developing 215 horsepower.  Transmission is automatic, and a torque converter allow the drum to help pull the vehicle being recovered. (x1.5 load).  The Bison MRTVs received the same chassis upgrades that the rest of the Bison fleet received: Improved engine power (mostly in the area of torque), new torsion bars, fittings for appliqué armor and ERA, air conditioning, and a vehicular NBC system.

GDLS Husky Armored Repair Vehicle

     Notes:  This Canadian vehicle is based on the MOWAG Piranha chassis (the same chassis that the Cougar and Grizzly are based on).  A slightly different version is used by Austria, Switzerland, and the US Marines.  They're prime role is to support LAV IIs and LAV IIIs in the field, though the Canadians are developing a recovery vehicle based on the LAV III.

     It is built on the 6x6 version of this chassis (the LAV-II), and instead of a turret has a raised superstructure in the rear of the vehicle.  There are two doors on the rear of the vehicle, each with a firing port, and there are hatches in the roof for the commander, driver, and crew.  Standard equipment includes a 4.2kW APU, a full range of tools, and a crane with a capacity of 3.25 tons. that can traverse through 256 degrees. It can reach 4.7 meters.  The winch has 100 meters of cable and can pull 20 tons, with a lead winch able to pull 1.5 tons. Atop the vehicle is a flat area for carrying large cargoes, and a cupola with a pintle-mounted gun. An entire Husky powerpack can be carried inside the rear of the vehicle, being put there by the crane and some large roof hatches. (It's a tricky fit, but they're used to it.)  The crane operator has his own hatch, with a push-button box to control the crane.  Inside includes most of the tool set and personal gear, as well as some classified gizmos.  It typically carries three spare tires for its chassis.  The vehicle generally has a crew of only two, though two more mechanics are generally carried.

     The engine is a 6V53T with 275 horsepower and high-torque, and an automatic transmission. The Husky has gone through several SLEPs despite its age, making more capable of recovering the LAV-25, Cougar, and Grizzly. The Husky, like others of its chassis, is amphibious with preparation, propelled by waterjets. On each side of the hull is a cluster of four smoke grenade clusters.

LAV Armored Repair and Recovery Vehicle

     Notes: More commonly known as the LAV-R, this recovery vehicle is based on the LAV-25 chassis, and is used by Saudi Arabia, and Australia, but perhaps its most numerous user is the US Marines to tend to their own fleet of LAV-25-based vehicles.  It is almost an international vehicle; the Canadians built most of the vehicle, while the APU, crane, winches, and tools are American.

     It is basically a LAV-25 chassis without a turret, and with a raised superstructure in the rear and a crane mounted forward of this superstructure.  The vehicle has a driver's hatch in the front left, a commander's hatch to the driver's rear, and a crane operator's hatch on top of the raised superstructure.  There are two doors in the rear of the vehicle, and each of these has a firing port.  However, the side firing ports of the LAV-25 are deleted on the LAV-R. The LAV-R has a pintle-mounted machinegun on the commander's cupola.   Versions equipped for Iraq and Afghanistan use had air conditioners, but it is an open question as to whether they will remain permanent fixtures. On the top of the glacis, on either side, is a cluster of four smoke grenade launchers.

     The crane is manufactured in the US and has a capacity of 4.13 tons and a maximum reach of 4.7 meters.  It may be rotated 256 degrees.  There is a rear-mounted winch with a capacity of 13.61 tons.  The LAV ARRV is also equipped with a fuel transfer pump, a 4.2kW APU, and a remote control device for the crane and winch.  There is a magazine-fed smoke grenade launcher on either side of the hull, each with 8 grenades.  Two outrigger legs are lowered, one on each side, when the crane is used.  The LAV ARRV carries a tow hook and cables and a full set of tools for working on wheeled armored fighting vehicles.  Two LAV-Rs can right a turned-over vehicle with no more than the two LAV-R's weight combined.  The LAV-R carries an internal 10 kW APU to power its crane, winch, and power tools and air compressor, though it is recommended that the engine be running for crane and winch use.

     The LAV-R is fully amphibious with a three minutes of preparation.  It is propelled by steerable waterjets while swimming. The engine is a Detroit Diesel 6V53T, a modified version of that in the M-113 APC, developing 275 horsepower.  The LAV-R can be transported by a C-130 Hercules or larger aircraft, or be underlung beneath a Sea Stallion helicopter.

     The LAV-R  may use LAV appliqué armor (the LAST kit) on its hull.