Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system
The M3 system in action. (Picture: GBELS)
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration has taken possession of its first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system from General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS).
The first rig is among the first of four batches ordered by Sweden, and when they have all been delivered, Sweden will become the third major NATO player to make extensive use of the technology, alongside Germany and the UK.
The M3 system can operate a fleet capable of negotiating a total of 400 metres (more than 1,300 feet) width. With the addition of the right coupling adapters, the M3 can also be applied with the IRB (Improved Ribbon Bridge) and SRB (Standard Ribbon Bridge) pontoon bridge systems.
Related Articles
According to GDELS, the M3 is the fastest available means for wet gap crossing currently deployed within NATO. It can be used as a floating bridge or ferry to carry the heaviest main battle tanks (currently, within NATO, the Challenger 2) to negotiate wide gaps that require amphibious transport. The system has already been used in a wide range of climates and topographies by the armies of existing customer-nations, including the US, Germany and South Korea.
The 4x4 M3 has a maximum road speed of 80km/h, and multiple M3s can be joined by ramps and adapters, allowing heavy artillery to cross rivers in relative ease in “bridge mode”. The technology can be deployed in this static way to build an “instant bridge”, but when a small number of M3s are joined together they can also act as an active wet gap transport platform for main battle tanks (MBTs), to find optimal disembarkation points to join any engagement.
GDELS said it expected Sweden’s use of the technology to give NATO as a whole “a significant increase in its overall combat engineering capabilities”.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
Lockheed nets $4.9 billion US Army contract to build more precision strike missiles
The PrSM missiles, known as Increment 1 weapon systems, will eventually replace the US Army’s Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).
-
US Army Project Convergence to evaluate CJADC2 in the Indo-Pacific theatre
As part of its experimentation campaign, the service will assess CJADC2 concepts and capabilities in challenging environments.
-
Avalon 2025: Hanwha outlines tight schedule for Redback deliveries
The Hanwha Armoured vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) is a A$225 million (US$142 million) factory being built beside Avalon Airport near Melbourne, Australia, despite a substantial drop in the number of vehicles originally planned to be produced.