The Challenger Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle or CRARRV is a large British

armoured recovery vehicle An armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) is typically a powerful tank or armoured personnel carrier (APC) chassis modified for use during combat for military vehicle recovery (towing) or repair of battle-damaged, stuck, and/or inoperable armoured f ...

based on the hull of the

Challenger 1 The FV4030/4 Challenger 1 is a British main battle tank (MBT) used by the British Army from 1983 to 2001, when it was superseded by the Challenger 2. The majority of the Challenger 1 fleet was subsequently sold to Jordan where it remain ...

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...

. The CRARRV is currently operated in conjunction with the

Challenger 2 The FV4034 Challenger 2 (MoD designation "CR2") is a third generation British main battle tank (MBT) in service with the armies of the United Kingdom, Oman, and Ukraine. It was designed by Vickers Defence Systems (now Rheinmetall BAE Systems ...

tanks of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and

Royal Army of Oman The Royal Army of Oman () is the ground forces component of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces. It was founded in 1907 as the Muscat Garrison. It has a current strength of 35,000 personnel. History Oman has a military history which dates back to t ...

. It is one of the few vehicles capable of repairing and recovering Challenger tanks in the field. Eighty vehicles were delivered to the British between 1988 and 1993; an additional four vehicles were delivered to

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

Design

In 1985, the UK MoD ordered a derivative

from Vickers Defence, based on the

, to replace those based on the FV4204

Chieftain A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies There is no definition for "tribe". The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...

ARV/ARRV. The size and performance of the CRARRV are similar to a Challenger 1 tank, but instead of armament it is fitted with: * A main winch with 50

tonnes-force A ton-force is one of various units of force defined as the weight of one ton due to standard gravity.All calculations on this page assume the following definition of standard gravity, ''g''0. :''g''0 = The precise definition depends on the defini ...

pull in a 1:1 configuration or 98 tonnes-force pull using an included pulley in a 2:1 configuration and anchor point on the vehicle, plus a small auxiliary winch to aid in deploying the main winch rope. * Atlas crane capable of lifting at a distance of (this is sufficient to lift a Challenger 2 power pack). * Dozer blade to use as an earth anchor/stabiliser, or in obstacle clearance and fire position preparation. * Large set of recovery and heavy repair tools including a man-portable ultrathermic cutting system with an underwater cutting capability and a man-portable welder. In order to improve flexibility and supplement the transportation of power packs around the battlefield, the British Army procured a quantity of dedicated CRARRV High Mobility Trailers (HMT). Each HMT enables a CRARRV to transport a single (Challenger, Titan or Trojan) power pack or two

Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

power packs, by altering the configuration of dedicated fixtures and attachment of fittings. CRARRVs have subsequently been upgraded to use the updated Challenger 2 powertrain consisting of a CV12-5C/6C engine with TN54E transmission. Each CRARRV has five seats but usually carries a crew of three soldiers from the

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is the maintenance arm of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's professional engineers". History Prior t ...

(REME), of the recovery mechanic and vehicle mechanic/technician trades. There is room in the cabin for two further passengers (e.g. crew members of the casualty vehicle) on a temporary basis.

Operational history

British CRARRVs were first deployed in action in the lead up to the

First Gulf War The Gulf War (1990–1991) was an armed conflict between Iraq and a multinational military coalition led by the United States, triggered by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Persian Gulf War may also refer to: * Shatt al-Arab conflict ...

, Operation Granby in 1991. CRARRVs supported Challenger 1 and later Challenger 2 tanks as part of peacekeeping efforts in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

and

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

. They were subsequently deployed alongside Challenger 2 tanks during the 2003 invasion of Iraq,

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

in 2003.

British CRARRVs were also deployed as part of

Operation Herrick Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assi ...

, the British contribution to the

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...

(ISAF) during the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

where they supported British Challenger 2-derived

Titan Titan most often refers to: * Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn * Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology Titan or Titans may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities Fictional locations * Titan in fiction, fictiona ...

bridgelayers and

Trojan Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * '' Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 18 ...

combat engineering vehicles. In 2020, a CRARRV was proposed to be used to recover rail vehicles in the aftermath of the Stonehaven derailment, however this does not appear to have happen with the article likely speculating saying "it may also use an Army armoured recovery vehicle" under Wikipedia commons image (on this page captioned "A CRARRV on Salisbury Plain in 2008.") and there are no pictures of it in use.

Operators

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

- 80 in service, subsequently received Challenger 2 powertrain upgrades. *

- 4 in service. *

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

- Two CRARRVS were donated to Ukraine alongside a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks in 2023. Footage of these vehicles in service in the country has been posted on Ukrainian

Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

channels.

Vehicles on display

* The prototype CRARRV is on display at The

REME Museum The REME Museum, also known as the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Museum, is a military museum of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) – the corps of the British Army responsible for the maintenance, servici ...

at MoD Lyneham, Wiltshire.

References

External links

CRARRV
at

Rheinmetall Rheinmetall AG () is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was promoted to the DAX, Germany's leading stock market index, in March 2023. It is the largest German and fifth largest Europe ...

CRARRV
at

Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land Ltd. (RBSL) is a joint venture between the United Kingdom’s BAE Systems and Germany's Rheinmetall AG for military vehicle design, manufacture and support. The company received regulatory approval on 13 June 2019. It ...

CRARRV
on the