Advertisement

Australia receives new Hercules armored recovery vehicles

By Richard Tomkins
Members of the U.S. Army operate a M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle, six of which the United States has recently sold to the Australian Army. Photo by Sgt. Jon Cupp/U.S. Army Images/Wikimedia
Members of the U.S. Army operate a M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle, six of which the United States has recently sold to the Australian Army. Photo by Sgt. Jon Cupp/U.S. Army Images/Wikimedia

April 20 (UPI) -- The Australian military has received six new M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicles from the United States to support its fleet of Abrams main battle tanks.

The vehicles, worth about $44 million, have been painted Australian camouflage and are already in service with the army at locations around the country, Australia's Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group reported.

Advertisement

"The Hercules is a 64-ton [70 U.S. tons] tracked vehicle used primarily for the repair and recovery of tanks and other vehicles while under fire and will complement the seven currently in operation," Minister for Defense Industry Christopher Pyne said in a press release.

"The six new Hercules will support armored units based in Darwin and Townsville, and operator and maintenance training at Puckapunyal and Bandiana in Victoria," Pyne said.

Latest Headlines