The Singapore Army unveiled a new recovery truck yesterday with enhanced safety and efficiency features.

Called the wheeled recovery vehicle (WRV), the truck has a recovery capacity of 35 tonnes, meaning it can secure and recover all wheeled vehicles used by the Singapore Army, including the Terrex Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the Mobility 3rd Generation (M3G) Raft.

In comparison, its predecessor, the MB 2636A Recovery Truck, had a capacity of only 26 tonnes and could not recover heavier new-generation vehicles like the Terrex, which comes in several variants and can weigh up to 35 tonnes.

The WRV will be progressively rolled out into operational service from the end of this year and is making its first public appearance at this year's National Day Parade as part of the mobile column.

The new truck is equipped with a rotator crane that enables its two-man crew to perform recovery operations from different angles or positions, giving them more options when in constricted spaces.

The WRV is also a dual-action vehicle that can lift and winch concurrently, whereas its predecessor could do only one task at a time.

"This means the WRV can deal with a multitude of recovery scenarios more efficiently, such as when vehicles are bogged down in very challenging terrain," said Military Expert 6 (ME6) Mok Shao Wei, commanding officer of the 3rd Army Maintenance Base and operations manager of the WRV.

"Previously what might take two MB 2636A vehicles will now need only one WRV," said ME6 Mok.

The WRV also boasts a host of safety features to prevent mishaps during operations.

These include three rear-view cameras for better visibility when the vehicle is reversing, and five emergency stop buttons, easily accessible by operators - two more than its predecessor. The buttons are located around the vehicle.

Lester Wong