| M578 LRV | |
|---|---|
.JPG) M578 Light Recovery Vehicle in RCOC Museum at Montreal | |
| Type | Armored recovery vehicle |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | SeeOperators |
| Wars | Vietnam War Lebanese Civil War Gulf War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Pacific Car & Foundry Company |
| Manufacturer | FMC Corp. (vehicle body),General Motors (engine),[1]Allison Transmission(transmission)[2]Bowen-McLaughlin-York |
| Produced | 1962 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 27.0 short tons (24.5 t; 24.1 long tons) |
| Length | 18 ft 3.8 in (5.583 m) |
| Width | 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) |
| Height | 8 ft 7.5 in (2.629 m) |
| Crew | 3 men: Crane operator in cab right frontRigger in cab left front Driver in hull left front |
| Armor | 13 mm (0.5 inches) Steel |
Main armament | .50-caliberM2HBmachine gun (500 rounds) |
| Engine | General Motors 8V71T; 8 cylinder, 2 cycle, vee, supercharged diesel 345 hp @ 2,300 rpm |
| Suspension | Torsion bar suspension |
| Fuel capacity | 1,137 litres (250 imperial gallons; 300 US gallons) |
Operational range | 450 miles (724 km) |
| Maximum speed | 37 mph (60 km/h) |
TheM578 light recovery vehicle (G309) was an AmericanCold War-eraarmored recovery vehicle. The M578 utilized the samechassis as theM107 self-propelled gun andM110 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.
In 1956 theUS Army commissioned thePacific Car & Foundry Company to design an undercarriage for a new series ofself-propelled artillery systems that would be lighter, air transportable, and provide a common chassis for multiple vehicles.[2][3] This would then become theM107 self-propelled gun andM110 self-propelled gun with the Army expanding the program in 1957 to include a field ambulance (T119) and an armored 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 byFMC Corp. and would continue in production till the end of the 1960s.[2][3] In 1975 production resumed underBowen-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]
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.
Argentina:Argentine Army At least 1 test vehicle[1]
Austria:Austrian Army - 22 vehicles sold from Netherlands to Austria in 1996, now out of service.[5]
Bahrain:Royal Bahraini Army - 2 vehicles sold from Netherlands to Bahrain in 1996.
Bolivia:Bolivian Army[2]
Botswana:Botswana Ground Force[6]
Brazil:Brazilian Army - At least 17 vehicles in inventory, unclear if all the vehicles are still in service as of June 2022.[2]
Canada:Canadian Army - At least 50 vehicles had been in service and remained in inventory as of early 2008, which have since been retired from service.[7][2]
Chile:Chilean Army - 3 vehicles purchased in 1970, the vehicles have since been retired from service.[8]
Denmark:Royal Danish Army - 24 vehicles purchased during 1966–1970, no longer in service.[2]
Egypt:Egyptian Army - At least 45 vehicles in inventory, unclear if all the vehicles are still in service as of June 2022.[2]
Greece:Hellenic Army - At least 113 vehicles in inventory, unclear if all the vehicles are still in service as of June 2022.[5]
Iran:Iranian army[2]
Israel:Israel Defense Forces[5]
Jordan:Royal Jordanian Land Force[2]
Lebanon:Lebanese Armed Forces - At least 4 vehicles were provided as US aid during the early 1980s.[9]
Morocco:Royal Moroccan Army - At least 86 vehicles in inventory, unclear if all the vehicles are still in service as of June 2022.[2]
Peru:Army of Peru[10]
Netherlands:Royal Netherlands Army - A total of 25 vehicles were purchased during three orders of 8 vehicles (1965), 12 vehicles (1966) and 5 vehicles (unknown), with all vehicles leaving service and being sold by the end of 1996.[11][2][3]
Norway:Norwegian Army[2]
Philippines:Philippine Army[2]
Portugal:Portuguese Army - 29 vehicles in service (21 vehicles in service since 1995, 8 vehicles since 1997).[5][12]
Saudi Arabia:Saudi Arabian Army - At least 90 vehicles in inventory, unclear if all the vehicles are still in service as of June 2022.[2]
Spain:Spanish Army[2]
Turkey:Turkish Army
Thailand:Royal Thai Army[5]
United Kingdom:British Army[2]
United States:United States Army - At least 448 vehicles were in service with the Army but the exact amount from the first production series is unclear as the information is still currentlyredacted as of June 2022.[2][3]
South Vietnam:Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Vietnam:People's Army of Vietnam
Yemen:Yemen Army
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