PrintPrint
The company’s facility at Aiken will make parts for the Hercules vehicles. The contract will bring the number of vehicles to be delivered to the Iraqi army up to 16. Work is expected to begin in late 2013 and is anticipated to be complete the following year.
Staff Report
Published Oct. 8, 2012
BAE Systems received a $31.8 million foreign military sale contract to produce eight M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift Evacuation Systems, also known as Hercules, for the Iraqi army.
The upgrade work will be performed by the existing workforce at BAE Systems’ operations in York, Pa., and Aiken.
 BAE Systems will produce eight Hercules for the Iraqi army under a new foreign military sale contract. (Photo/Provided) |
Hercules is a recovery system for today’s 70-ton combat vehicles, cutting in half the number of recovery vehicles and personnel required to perform recovery missions in support of modern tank forces, according to a press release.
Features of the system include improved power-assisted braking to enable the recovery vehicle to tow an M1A1 tank, increased horsepower, an improved electrical system, a modernized hydraulic system and a boom that enables the vehicle to lift an M1A1 turret.
The contract award brings the total value of U.S. government contracts that BAE Systems has received for the Hercules program to $1.4 billion. To date, more than 500 Hercules vehicles have been fielded against an overall U.S. Army requirement of 748 vehicles. A total of 75 vehicles have been fielded to the U.S. Marine Corps.
In 2010, BAE Systems produced and delivered eight M88A2s for the Iraqi army, bringing the total number of M88A2s the company has provided for Iraq to 16. Earlier this year, BAE Systems overhauled and delivered 440 M113A2 personnel carriers to the Iraqi army through a foreign military sale worth more than $31 million.
Print