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Background – Armoured Vehicle, General Purpose
– the Husky ARV |
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"Is thy servant a dog?" the Husky Recovery Vehicle
Originally, Husky AVGP armoured recovery vehicles were designated as the "Car, Armoured,
Maintenance & Recovery" or "Wheeled Maintenance & Recovery Vehicle". The Husky has a raised rear
compartment to provide room for a modest workshop space. The most dramatic distinction from other AVGPs
is the rooftop crane. The Husky otherwise follows the layout of the Grizzly ISC complete with optional GPMG on a rotating
pintle-mount in the rear position.[1]
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The Husky has a crew of only two – the driver and a technician (who operated the ARV's defensive
armament and the Hiab 650-series knuckle-boom hydraulic crane). That roof-mounted hoist had a 4500 kg
capacity and was operated from within the armour hull. To extend its reach, the Hiab crane was also extensible to
about 6.5 m. The Husky was stabilized during heavy crane using its two, swing-down hydraulic jacks
pivoting from just in front of the rear wheel sets. Along with engine pulls,
the crane also helped with tire changes on other AVGPs. [2] The Husky was were also equipped with a hydraulic winch (with a pull of up to 8128 kg ).
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Husky ARV and the WLAV-LE (Wheeled Light Armoured Vehicle Life Extension) Project
The 27 Husky ARVs were the first AVGPs scheduled for a full rebuilds under DND's WLAV-LE project. The
Husky received the chassis and running gear upgrades planned for the other AVGPs (see WLAV-LE) but the main purpose was to improve the
Husky's performance as a recovery vehicle. The hydraulic crane's capabilities were enhanced with the
addition of a cable winch to give more vertical power for powerpack / turret pulls. Crane operation was
further improved by adding a small hatch to one of the main roof hatches thereby reducing crew vulnerability
– the crane now being operable without opening that larger hatch.
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Other WLAV-LE changes specific to the Huskys were new mounts for spare tires on the upper
hull sides, each with a davit and winch to lower spares to the ground. Jerry can storage racks were added to the
upper hull sides as well. For self-protection, the remotely-operated Protected Weapon Station was planned
– again to reduce crew vulnerability. With these upgrades, a re-invigorated Husky fleet was
to serve on until 2015. Instead, rebuilt Huskys either filled in for deployed Bison MRVs or were loaned out for use in Darfur.[3]
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[1] As shown in the top right photo, the original defensive armament was the Browning C5 GPMG. This was replaced by
the FN C6 GPMG (although neither were commonly fitted). As part of the WLAV-LE, a third armament option was
mooted – the Protected Weapon Station. The PWS is an expensive and comparatively rare system. This makes it
unlikely that the PWS was ever fitted to any 're-lifed' Husky AVGP.
[2] As originally delivered, the AVGPs had no method for mounting spare tires. Schemes were proposed to
side-mount spares on AVGPs (single spare wheels/tires mounted portside, between front and rear wheels on the
Grizzly and above the marine propeller on the Cougar). The object was to reduce the need for
Huskys to be exposed to hostile fire while also making other AVGP crews less reliant on the ARVs. This
situation resolved itself when trim vanes were removed and spares mounted on AVGP port bows (helping
offset starboard engines).
[3] Five Husky ARVs accompanied the 100 Grizzly ISCs loaned for the African
Union Mission in Sudan (now UN/AU Mission in Darfur).
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