The CHAVRE had a crew of four. The Chieftain gun turret had
been removed and replaced by an armoured 'penthouse', upon which
the commander's cupola is situated.
Mounted over the
vehicle structure were two 'hampers', one at the front of the vehicle and one
at the rear. These 'hampers' carried engineer stores such as trackway,
fascines or general equipment. A typical 'hamper' load might have been 4
x rolls of Class 60 trackway or 3 x fascines.
At the front of the vehicle
was a dozer blade or mine
plough (either can be used) and at the rear there was a hydraulic winch
capable of pulling 10 tons. In the centre of the vehicle was a crane
capable of lifting 3.5 tons, with a telescopic jib that extends to five
metres. A Giant Viper mine clearance explosive hose system could be towed,
and the vehicle was armed with an LSW for local defence.
The MoD ordered 48 vehicles, which were delivered by the
end of 1995. CHAVRE replaced the Centurion Mk 5 Assault Vehicle Royal
Engineers that had been in service since the early 1960s.
The Chieftain AVRE and the Chieftain AVLB
were replaced in in 2004 by the Trojan Armoured Vehicle Royal
Engineers (AVRE) and the Titan Armoured Bridge Launcher (AVLB).