M578 LRV
M578 Light Recovery Vehicle in RCOC Museum at Montreal
TypeArmored recovery vehicle
Place of origin United States
Service history
Used bySee Operators
WarsVietnam War
Lebanese Civil War
Gulf War
Production history
DesignerPacific Car & Foundry Company
ManufacturerFMC Corp. (vehicle body), General Motors (engine),[1] Allison Transmission(transmission)[2] Bowen-McLaughlin-York
Produced1962
Specifications
Mass54,000lbs/ 24,493.998k
Length18 ft 3.8 in (5.583 m)
Width10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)
Height8 ft 7.5 in (2.629 m)
Crew3 men:

Crane operator in cab right front Rigger in cab left front

Driver in hull left front
Armor13 mm (0.5 inches) Steel
Main
armament
.50-caliber M2HB machine gun (500 rounds)
EngineGeneral Motors 8V71T; 8 cylinder, 2 cycle, vee, supercharged diesel
345 hp @ 2,300 rpm
SuspensionTorsion bar suspension
Fuel capacity1,137 litres (250 imperial gallons; 300 US gallons)
Operational
range
450 miles (724 km)
Maximum speed 37 mph (60 km/h)

The M578 light recovery vehicle (G309) was an American Cold War-era armored recovery vehicle. The M578 utilized the same chassis as the M107 self-propelled gun and M110 self-propelled howitzer. The M578 provided maintenance support to mechanized infantry and artillery units. Its primary mission was to recover damaged light armored vehicles from the battlefield using its crane boom.

History

The M578 recovery vehicle is seen here assisting the crew of an M551 Sheridan light tank in Vietnam.

In 1956 the US Army commissioned the Pacific Car & Foundry Company to design an undercarriage for a new series of self-propelled artillery systems that would be lighter, air transportable, and provide a common chassis for multiple vehicles.[2][3] This would then become the M107 self-propelled gun and M110 self-propelled gun with the Army expanding the program in 1957 to include a field ambulance (T119) and an armoured light recovery vehicle (T120) with the T119 being dropped from the program during the prototype phase.[2] The T120 went through testing starting in 1959, now being designated the T120E1 and was accepted for service after completing testing with production of the vehicle starting in late 1962 by FMC Corp. and would continue in production till the end of the 1960s.[2][3] In 1975 production resumed under Bowen-McLaughlin-York (later United Defense Industries) with an additional 448 vehicles for the US Army between 1975 and 1977 at a cost of US$189,000 per vehicle, followed by export orders to other countries.[3] In 1981 production would be discontinued permanently.[2][3]

Vehicle Operation

The cab could rotate 360°, and had a 30,000 lb (13,600 kg) capacity winch[4] which ran through a crane on the cab. Another winch, 60,000 lb (27,000 kg) capacity,[4] was mounted on the front of the cab. Access to the cab was through a door on each side and by double doors in the rear, while the crane operator and rigger both had vision cupolas in the cab roof.

Operators

See also

References

  1. ↑ Defense Industry Bulletin, April 1968, p. 47.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "M578D ARV". www.armyvehicles.dk. Archived from the original on 2022-04-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Foss, Christopher; Gander, Terry (1985-05-01). JANE's Military Vehicles and Ground Support Equipment. Ihs Global Inc. pp. 34–35. ISBN 9780710608116. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 Ripley, Tim (1992). The new illustrated guide to the modern US Army. Salamander Books Ltd. pp. 138–139. ISBN 0-86101-671-8.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "M578 LARV". www.militaryfactory.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ↑ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2021). The Military Balance. p. 451. ISBN 9781032012278.
  7. ↑ "Ottawa Citizen Canadian Forces Disposal". ottawacitizen.com.
  8. ↑ House Committee on Foreign Affairs, United States Congress (1981). Foreign assistance legislation for fiscal year 1982, Part 3. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 439. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  9. ↑ International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (2021). "The Military Balance 2021". The Military Balance.
  10. ↑ "Dutch M578". www.m578-recovery.nl. Archived from the original on 2014-07-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ↑ The Military Balance 2022. International Institute for Strategic Studies. 2022. pp. 370–371.
  • TM 9-2320-238 dated 1963-1964
  • TM 9-2350-238 dated 1963-1962
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