The Vickers Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle is based on the Vickers MBT Mk 3 hull. Three (two with a crane and one without) were delivered to Kenya in 1980 and a further four (two with a crane and two without) in 1981-82. Nigeria has taken delivery of 15 ARRVs since 1983 in three batches of five vehicles each. In 1989, a small number, believed to be two, of Vickers ARRVs was delivered to Tanzania. The vehicle has three compartments: winch compartment at the front with the driver to the left of the winch, the other three crew members in the centre of the vehicle and the engine and transmission at the rear.

The main winch, as developed for Chieftain, is of the capstan type with a nominal direct line pull of 25,000 kg working in conjunction with the anchor spade fitted to the front of the vehicle. Where necessary the line pull can be increased to a nominal 65 tonnes by multireeving of the rope using recovery equipment provided with the vehicle. The vehicle is provided with a full range of recovery equipment including pulleys, cables and towbars and is also equipped with a crane capable of lifting 4,000 kg to 3.62 m, which is primarily intended for removing/replacing the V800 power pack, or a TN12 transmission. The vehicle has a weight of 36,800 kg and is armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun and two six-barrelled smoke grenade dischargers.