ENGESA EE-11 Urutu RRV (Repair and Recovery Vehicle)

     Notes:  This is a repair and recovery vehicle based on the EE-11 Urutu APC.  It is used by six countries, most of which are South American or African nations, though noted user in another part of the world are Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who use over 150 between the two.  Though the EE-11 RRV hasn't been manufactured or offered for export since 1987, the vehicle has been continuously upgraded (primarily in automotive components). The Brazilians consider the EE-11 RRV a dead end, but useful until replaced by the VBTP-MR series enters service in an estimated 2020.

     In this role, the Urutu has a front-mounted winch with a capacity of 5 tons, which can be increased to 10 tons by using block and tackle, and has 45 meters of cable.  The Urutu RRV also has a hydraulic crane with a capacity of 3 tons (the approximate weight of the engine and transmission of most Brazilian light armored vehicles).  The crane has a reach of 4 meters.  When the crane is in use, jacks are lowered on either end of the hull.  The Urutu RRV has a small, one-man turret with a machinegun.  This is primarily defensive, as little ammunition is carried in it's basic issue. This machinegun can be aimed, fired, and reloaded from under armor; though there is no NBC system except in the 1st model to keep particulates out, the commander can take advantage of the Urutu RRVs admittedly light armor protection. The Urutu RRV has a more powerful engine to allow it to carry an entire light armored vehicle power pack; the original engine was the 190-horsepower engine, the 212-horsepower engine, the same as on the US M-113A2, was offered and used as an upgrade by some countries, and the 230-horsepower engine is now the standard engine for the EE-11 RRV, and the 260-horsepower engine is a high-end upgrade chosen by some countries.

     Wiring harnesses, transmissions, electrical systems, gauges, night vision suites, and tire inflation regulation are the prominent parts of the upgrades taken over the years. in addition, Kevlar anti-spall liners have been added to the interior. The Urutu RRV carries a wide variety of tools requires to work on wheeled vehicles, including basic, wheeled vehicle, and power tools, an air compressor, a welding set, a 10-ton-capacity jack, and a selection of spare parts, including a spare tire for the EE-11 series on the roof; alternately, it can carry a powerpack on the roof and the tires on the sides.

     Layout is essentially the same as the EE-11, except that most of the internal space is taken up by the tool set, spare parts, and tech manuals.  The side doors remain, but the roof hatches are rearranged to keep clear of cargo carried on the roof.  One of the roof hatches is in the turret roof, and another right of center, that the crane operator uses. The Urutu RRV has an air conditioner and heater.  The crew has three-point seat harnesses, and the seats are designed to take up some of the shock from mines and IEDs blowing under the vehicle.  On each side of the vehicle near the rear is a cluster of four smoke grenade launchers.  A spotlight is found on a 2-meter pole (which is collapsible down to 0.5 meters) that can be used to illuminate dark areas or assist in vehicle repair of recovery.  This is found between the commander's turret and crane operator's hatch.

*The three-point harnesses and shock-absorbing seats do not mitigate damage to the vehicle from mines or IEDs, but the crew (except for the commander) take half damage from such a blast.