equipped with modernized mobile bridge
equipment will have the necessary tools to
support the rescue missions and bring to
safe ground its troops and citizens.
Mobile bridge systems
This is a deployable piece of equipment
that acts as a bridge for crossing rivers,
ditches, craters, and other natural and
man-made hindrances. Mobile bridges
have evolved from their earliest forms,
from that of a log or tree trunk plopped
across a canal or ditch to highly mecha-
www.vanguardcanada.com APRIL/MAY 2018 27
nized, heavy and rather sturdy bridges of
today. These modern bridges can convey
almost all types of military and land vehi-
cles over different obstacles.
In Canada, one class of bridge used by
the Canadian Army is the Medium Float-
ing Bridge. This bridge was ordered from
EWK Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern in the ear-
ly 1980s, a company that was later acquired
by General Dynamics Corporation.
Having an apparatus like this in its arsenal,
the Canadian Army has the essential tool to
provide a speedy means of transportation
across water obstacles when needed. Also,
this equipment can be configured into a me-
dium raft and serve as a ferry. The bridge is
made up of floating bays, which when con-
nected, can provide a floating bridge easily
customized to the desired length and con-
figuration for many different uses.
One may think that configuring such
a bridge across a wide river can be time-
consuming, but that's not necessarily so. In
less than 30 minutes, a 100-meter bridge,
or 15 bays, could be connected and made
operational.
defenCe spotlight
Photo: GDELS - Germany
