IAB – A light weight bridge for several uses

The IAB Infantry Assault Bridge is a light-weight foot bridge for light infantry and airborne troops. The IAB can be used to cross dry or wet gaps. One complete bridge set is qualified to produce a clear span bridge of maximum 30 m. With additional bridge modules and swimmers even wide wet gaps can be crossed. By using land anchoring equipment, the bridge construction is kept in place to withstand water currents or wind forces.

The bridge can be transported over long distances by using different kinds of transport trucks which are suitable to accommodate the dimensions of transport pallet and which offer a payload capacity of at least 940 kg. Transportation over short distances and in difficult terrain is done by dividing one bridge set into 4 carrying units to be transported by 2 soldiers each.
Each bridge module has a length of 4.43 m; inter-coupling of bridge modules is possible in any optional order. The bridge system can carry a separate maximum weight of 135 kg per person. A stretcher adaptor can be mounted on the railing to transport casualties or to carry heavy single loads across the bridge.

The IAB can also play an essential role in civil defense operations by using it for the evacuation and/ or full supply of the civilian population.
IAB does not require any mechanical or power driven equipment for launching or retrieval. Its use is easy to learn and therefore the operational readiness can be achieved quickly.

Currently the IAB is intensively operated in Afghanistan.

IAB – Tomorrow’s Technology for Today’s Engineer Forces