UK Awards £150 Million Contract For New Challenger 3-Capable Mobile Bridges
The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence announced January 25 that it had awarded KNDS UK a £150 million contract for an unspecified amount of mobile bridging systems.
The General Support Bridges ordered from KNDS UK for the British Army are based on the company’s Dry Support Bridge design, and will be mounted on Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicle HX2 trucks. They are capable of extending up to 46 meters to cross wet and dry gaps, and can take the weight of the Challenger 3 main battle tank in development for the British Army.
These bridges will replace the BR90 Automated Bridge Launching Equipment system previously in service with the British Army. The new bridges will be interoperable with other NATO partners’ bridge systems, allowing resources to be shared between nations during joint exercises and deployments.
Procurement of the General Support Bridges is being done by Defence Equipment and Support under Project TYRO. According to the Ministry of Defence, the program will provide a significant capability improvement for the British Army, facilitating the mobility of future Armoured Brigade Combat Teams, and equipment across gaps in the terrain.
The Ministry of Defence says that the contract secures around 300 jobs around KNDS UK’s Stockton headquarters and northwestern England, with Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge saying the contract award is a “fantastic example of this government delivering on our Land Industrial Strategy – investing in UK industry and delivering world-class bridging capabilities to our Armed Forces.”
“Military Equipment Bridging is the bedrock of successful operations and is vital to ensuring that our personnel can move around a battlefield in the safest and quickest way,” said Mark Bunyan, Fires, Infrastructure & Manoeuvre Support Portfolio Lead at Defence Equipment and Support. “Project TYRO GSB will enable the UK to maintain an operational advantage and is a great example of British Industry supporting UK Defence Capability.”