General Dynamics European Land Systems awarded a contract for latest variant of M3 Amphibious Bridge and Ferry System
Posted on 2017-02-02
MADRID/ KAISERSLAUTEN - General Dynamics European Land Systems announced that it has signed a contract for the production and delivery of the latest variant of the M3 Amphibious Bridge and Ferry System for a customer in Southeast Asia. The deliveries will also include an ILS package consisting of a simulator system, training, special tools and manuals.
NATO and mon-NATO nations use the M3 in different roles, from combat operations to civil defense missions.
“The award of the contract once again underlines the quality and superior performance of General Dynamics European Land Systems’ mobile bridge systems and the high reputation our company and products have in the defense market as the most modern and most powerful amphibious bridge and ferry system,” said Dr. Thomas Kauffmann, VP International Business & Services for General Dynamics European Land Systems.
M3Amphibious Bridge and Ferry System can carry payloads of up to MLC85 tracked vehicles and MLC 132 wheeled vehicles and can build a 100m (330 ft) floating bridge in less than 10 minutes.
Watching the 350-meter floating bridge built with German and British M3s during the NATO exercise Anakonda in June 2016, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the U.S. Army Europe commander, was quoted in Defense News as saying, “This is the best bridge I´ve ever seen in my live. You´ve got a wonderful example of interoperability. This is a great example of an ally providing the capability that everybody else needs”.
German Brig. Gen. Markus Laubenthal, who is the chief of staff for US Army Europe, also told Defense News on the way back from Chelmno to Warsaw after the exercises, which operated the longest M3 floating bridge ever built to cross the Vistula river, that the capability is “unique” in NATO provided by just the German and British armies. “It differs from the traditional military bridging equipment because it also can function as a ferry,” he said. “This is a very speedy, fast way to cross the river.”
About General Dynamics European Land Systems
General Dynamics European Land Systems, headquartered in Madrid, Spain, is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), and conducts its business through five European operating sites located in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. With
over 1,800highly skilled technical employees, the company designs, manufactures and delivers world-class land combat systems, including wheeled, tracked and amphibious vehicles, bridge systems, armaments and munitions, to global customers. More information is available at www.gdels.com