Vickers ARRV
Vijayanta ARV
Overview
Vickers ARRV
Vickers ARRV Mk 3 on trails with the manufacturer in the UK. Note the earth anchor at the front and the spare powerpack carried at the rear.
Source: BAe Systems -
© Copyright lies with original owner
India - Avadi
Local production in India
Kenya
Nigeria
Tanzania
Description
Introduction
The Vickers ARRV is an armored recovery vehicle of UK origin. It was designed in the 1970's by Vickers to complement the Vickers MBT in export sales.
Design
The Vickers Armored Repair and Recovery Vehicle is based on the Vickers MBT chassis. Instead of a turret it has an armored superstructure that houses the crew. The engineering equipment includes a 25 t winch, an earth anchor and a 4 t crane. A 7.62mm machine gun is fitted for self defense. In India a recovery version based on the Vickers chassis was also developed. It features a box shaped superstructure and has an A-frame instead of a crane.
Mobility
The Vickers ARRV has a similar mobility as the Vickers MBT. The tracked chassis provides excellent all terrain mobility, but the speed is somewhat limited. Being lighter than the MBT variant the ARRV has a slightly better power to weight ratio and longer range on road.
Users
As with the Vickers MBT the ARRV was produced only for export sales. Small numbers were acquired by Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania. The latter is interesting, since it is not a user of the Vickers MBT. India produced a local recovery variant which is based on the Vijayanta chassis, a license produced variant of the Vickers Mk 1.
Variants
Variants
Vickers ARRV
UK production model based on the Vickers Mk 3. Instead of a turret a sloped superstructure is added. These vehicles were produced with and without crane.
Vijayanta ARV
Indian variant produced locally on Vijayanta chassis, which is derived from the Vickers Mk 1. The Indian variant features an A-frame instead of a crane.
Details
Related articles
Vickers MBT
The Vickers ARRV is based on the chassis of the Vickers MBT Mk 3, and uses the same automotive components.