M578 Recovery Vehicle, Full Tracked, Light, Armored

The M107 self-propelled 175mm gun and the M110 self-propelled 8in (203mm) howitzer were both characterized by rapid barrel wear and the need to be able to change the barrels frequently and simply. The M578 Light Armored Recovery Vehicle (VTR) was developed to service these requirements using the identical diesel powered chassis.

M578 Recovery Vehicle, Full Tracked, Light, Armored belonging to the 32nd Separate Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), Wisconsin Army National Guard, photographed at the Dundalk Marine Terminal, Baltimore, MD, 20 February 1986.

M578 Recovery Vehicle with M-551 Sheridan tank, Vietnam.

An M-578 light armored recovery vehicle tows an M-548 Tracked Cargo Carrier during Operation Desert Shield, 1 April 1992.

M578 Recovery Vehicle, Full Tracked, Light, Armored. From TM 43-0001-31, page 8-55.

M578 Recovery Vehicle, Full Tracked, Light, Armored. Photo: Fort Snelling Military Museum.