General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) announced on 2nd February that it plans to supply its M3 Amphibious Ferry and Bridging System to an undisclosed south-east Asian army.
The M3 is self-propelled on land and has floatation pontoons and propellers for use in water. In its latest configuration M3 units can act as main battle tank ferries, or be linked to quickly bridge a waterway of nearly any width even with currents up to 3.5 metres-per-second (11.5 feet-per-second). The longest M3 built was 350 metres/m (1148 feet/ft) over the Vistula River in 2016. Being largely automated, the M3 can put a 100m (328.1ft) bridge in place in ten minutes.
Brazil, Germany, the People’s Republic of China, Singapore and the United Kingdom all have M3s in service. GDELS’ latest contact is also reported to include training, a simulator and support.
