U.S. Army taps BAE Systems for M88 vehicle sustainment

April 4 (UPI) -- BAE Systems received a contract with the potential value of $112 million to perform technical services for M88 recovery vehicles procured by the U.S. Army.

The contract covers sustainment for M88A1 and M88A2 vehicles. The deal was approved by the Army's TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, and tasks BAE Systems with servicing the armored platforms it built for the branch over the next four years.

"The M88 is critical to the military's recovery missions of the heaviest vehicles in the fleet," BAE Systems Recovery Vehicles director John G. Tile said in a press release. "Whether our vehicles are coming off the assembly line or deployed in theatre, we are committed to providing the highest quality vehicle and full life-cycle support of the M88."

BAE Systems will perform the work at its facilities in San Jose, Calif.; York, Penn. and Sterling Heights, Mich.

"This award continues the long standing relationship of program management, engineering, logistics, and field service support to the Army and other customers of the M88 program," Tile added.

M88 Armored Recovery Vehicles are used to retrieve other armored platforms that have been damaged or otherwise disabled on the battlefield. They are capable of transporting large assets such as M1 Abrams main battle tanks.

The U.S. Army began using the vehicles in 1959.