General Dynamics European Land Systems–Bridge Systems has received an order for a fourth batch of M3 amphibious bridge and ferry systems for the Swedish Armed Forces. A respective contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (Försvarets Materielverk, FMV) was signed yesterday. With the new order, Sweden is further strengthening its wet gap crossing capabilities, its M3 fleet alone now being able to bridge 400 meters of obstacles. Furthermore, the Swedish Armed Forces operate the IRB (Improved Ribbon Bridge) pontoon system and coupling adapters for the combined operation of both bridge types. The amphibious bridge and ferry system M3 is the fastest available means for wet gap crossing within NATO.
Originally developed by the German firm Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern (EWK, since 2002 acquired by General Dynamics European Land Systems), it succeeded the conceptually similar M2 made by the same company. Like its predecessor, the M3 traverses roads on its four wheels, deploying two large aluminium pontoons for buoyancy on water. Development of the M3 began in 1982, with the final prototype being delivered 10 years later in 1992. This also enables multinational missions with partners such as the USA, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Latvia, which use the same systems. Sweden is thus spearheading interoperability within NATO, implementing lessons learned from the latest deployments, exercises and studies.
The M3 is self-deployable by road, operating as a 4×4 wheeled vehicle with a maximum road speed of 80 km/h. For amphibious operation, two large aluminium pontoons are deployed, unfolding them along the length of its hull. The crew exits the vehicle cab to maneuver the pontoon using controls located on top of the hull. In water, the M3 is propelled and steered by 2 fully traversable pump jets at speeds of up to 14 km/h. It can be used as a floating bridge or ferry to carry even the heaviest main battle tanks to negotiate wide wet gaps. The all-terrain M3 is ready for use within minutes – a vital factor on today’s transparent battlefield. The system has proven itself in use under a wide range of climatic and topographical conditions, from tropics to arctic.
Multiple rigs may be joined by long connectors called “ramps”, 4 of which are carried on each vehicle, to form a bridge across a water obstacle. 8 M3 Rigs will bridge a 100m water gap this way, and can be traversed by vehicles up to and including the heaviest 60+ ton main battle tank like the Leopard 2A6 and Challenger 2. Alternatively, just 2 Rigs may be joined to create a ferry capable of carrying a similar load across much wider water gaps. The latest M3 variant is interoperable with the IRB and only requires two soldiers to operate it ‘due to a higher degree of automation’. Both the M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system, as well as the IRB floating. Bridge, can carry all NATO vehicles on a 100m-long structure with a maximum setup time of 10 minutes for the M3 and 30 minutes for the IRB.
