The UK and Germany are ordering a new generation of highly mobile floating bridge and ferry systems, which have received their own names in each of these countries - TRITON and Schwimmschnellbrücke 2, respectively. This re-equipment with a new type of amphibious bridging and ferrying vehicle is very important given the conditions in the European theater of operations, where there are a large number of rivers and bodies of water.
The contractor for the project, which has been named Wide Wet Gap Crossing (WWGC), will be General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS). The main goal of the project is to provide a replacement for the old M3 Amphibious Rig amphibious bridging vehicle, which can thus be released - including, it is not excluded, for shipment to Ukraine.
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It is currently unknown how much the British have invested, but Germany will pay 53 million euros for the contract with optional purchases for another 331 million euros. Another 104 million euros will be spent on additional agreements related to the project.
The reason for the joint purchase is quite simple – the new systems will be deployed in the British-German binational Amphibious Engineer Battalion 130, based in Minden, Germany. It is stated that it will play a key role within NATO and will be compatible with equipment and similar means of other members of the Alliance.
The new floating bridge and ferry systems will be based on an all-wheel drive wheeled platform. It should be quickly transferred from the prepared state and perform the role of both a pontoon bridge and a ferry, which is typical for such equipment.
Compared to the previous M3 Amphibious Rig, the new floating bridge and ferry system should have better off-road capabilities as well as be more quickly transferred to a position for use.
After the delivery of new floating bridge and ferry systems, the old M3 Amphibious Rigs can potentially be sent as military aid to Ukraine. Previously, Ukraine had already received M3s, although not from Germany, but from the Netherlands.
Obtaining new bridge systems will allow for faster transportation of military units across water obstacles - it is much faster and cheaper than building full-fledged bridges and more reliable than relying solely on the amphibious capabilities of some military equipment.
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