BAE Systems is to provide 19 M88A2 Hercules armoured engineer vehicles to US FMS customer Kuwait and 19 more to the US Army, under a new $127 million contract. Work begins immediately and will continue until 2023. Shephard Defence Insight notes that Kuwait previously received 14 M88A2s between 1995 and 1996. In all, 855 vehicles have been delivered to date worldwide; besides the US and Kuwait, other customers include Australia, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. The M88A2 Hercules is designed to recover combat vehicles weighing up to 70t. The vehicle 'has been thoroughly proven through U.S. Army testing and combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan', said Jennifer Ickes, BAE Systems programme director for recovery vehicles. She added: 'The stability and performance of the M88A2 is the world standard for recovery vehicles, and we're committed to continuing to deliver this capability to the battlefield.'