US Approves $239 Million Sale of Hercules M88 Armored Vehicles to Morocco

The sale includes 25 new M88A2 and/or M88A1 vehicles, as well as machine guns, grenade launchers and several other military equipment, according to the website. Through this acquisition, Morocco intends to "improve its ability to meet current and future combat vehicle recovery requirements". Moreover, the Kingdom intends to modernize its armed forces by updating their combat vehicle recovery capabilities.

The new equipment, to be supplied by the original M88 manufacturer, BAE Systems, would reinforce U.S. interests by supporting the defense capabilities of the main ally, Morocco, and "would not alter the basic military balance in the region".

The armored M88 Hercules, or heavy combat vehicle recovery and evacuation system, is designed to lift or tow, under fire, disabled or damaged combat vehicles. The original M88A1 was designed in the early 1960s, based on the M60 Patton tank chassis. The heavier M88A2 was developed in the 1990s in part due to a need to tow the M1 Abrams tank.