Vanguard Magazine

meet the needs of the Canadian Army's Bridge and Gap Crossing Modernization program. Canada is expected to issue an updated DAG later this year, which will shed some more light on this program, precisely de- tailing what Canada is looking for, the timelines and cost. GDELS-Germany has a full range of mobile bridge systems with payloads of MLC132 and above (Military Load Clas- sification). From its modern and fastest- to-deploy amphibious bridge and ferry system to its Quad Bike Bridge (QBB) which offers enhanced maneuverability for Quad Bikes during missions, GDELS has a product line that can meet the needs of most mobile bridge systems require- ments. Trends in modern bridge systems Over the years, combat vehicles like battle tanks have become bigger and heavier, consequently exceeding the crossing capa- bility of current in-service bridges. "This development requires the design and con- struction of a new generation of mobile military bridges which can cope with the higher payloads," said Schweitzer. A more massive battle tank requires a stronger and ultimately a heavier bridge, which still needs to be transported by truck, trailer, railway, ship or airplane. Schweitzer explained that this is of- ten a problem since it is contradictory. A higher payload but with the same or low- er dimension: that is a requirement that GDELS is seeing from customers around the world. They want to increase payload while maintaining transportability. As with every process in every industry, automation is the goal. This is another trend in mobile bridge systems. "We see a push for automation to cope with the smaller number of engineer units and the reduced size of the armed forces," Sch- weitzer said. He added, however, that a higher level of automation increases the level of sophistication of a bridge, but from experience, the simpler the design, the better the system works under rough operational conditions. Interoperability One of the vital elements in designing modern bridge systems today, besides the capability of carrying higher payloads, is interoperability. "We consider it essential that future mobile bridge systems are in- teroperable with bridge systems of other NATO allies," Schweitzer pointed out. The reasoning behind this is that since the overall number of military bridging units has been reduced tremendously, following the end of the Cold War, the crossing of wider water obstacles is only possible by joining forces. Therefore, the ability to connect different bridge systems while using the same operational skills and procedures with ease and without glitches has made this a driving force behind mod- ern mobile bridge systems. This was evident at NATO's Exer- cise ANAKONDA, held in 2016, when a 250-meter Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) from GDELS, was constructed by U.S., German and Dutch bridging engineers. A Standard Ribbon Bridge from a Dutch en- gineer company was affixed to the IRB to stretch for a total of 350 meters. The length of the bridge and the time taken in build- ing it were commendable, but the underly- ing factors that made it such a success were interoperability along with the similar op- erational skills and bridge building proce- dures for both bridge systems. The IRB can function as a full-span floating bridge and a multi-bay ferry for vehicles and equipment to cross a body of water. With over six decades of designing and building mobile military bridges, and serving over 20 armed forces all over the world, GDELS-Germany is poised with a viable solution as a strong contender for the Canadian Army's Bridge and Gap Crossing Modernization program. "We are familiar with the respective NATO requirements for military bridges and with the user countries' procurement regulations and system support proce- dures," said Schweitzer. "We have a cus- tomer service division in place that supports and sustains worldwide operations, includ- ing field service support in theatre." www.vanguardcanada.com APRIL/MAY 2018 29 defenCe spotlight Photos: GDELS - Germany

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