OCCAR announces the joint signature of the first key contract for the Joint UK – Germany Wide Wet Gap Crossing programme, also known in the UK as Project TRITON.

The aim of this programme is the procurement of a new and improved wide wet gap crossing capability based on the M3EVO amphibious vehicles made by General Dynamics European Land Systems. The new-build M3EVO will replace the existing M3 rigs that Germany and UK jointly operate within 130 Pioneer Battalion based in Minden, Germany, which includes the British Army 23 (Amphibious) Squadron, Royal Engineers. The joint unit was formed in 2021 as the culmination of a long standing collaboration.

Germany press sources report that the German contract is initially worth around 50 million Euro, with more than 330 more to follow for the production phase and another 100 in options and accessory contracts.

The UK press release gives a project cost of 200 million pounds for the British side. The British Army will receive 36 new rigs, effectively a 1 for 1 replacement for the existing fleet (although only 28 are still declared as operational at present). This translates to a sovereign capability of 300 meters of gap crossing in bridge mode (using the various rigs as bridge sections; they can alternatively be used as ferries). Germany is expected to buy 60 or more, adding another 600 meters for a joint total of at least 900.

The M3EVO rig brings substantial improvements over its previous incarnations, in mobility, crew survivability and, crucially, in its Military Load Class tolerances. The EVO is to sustain loads of MLC100 (Tracked) and 130 (Wheeled) to cope with the latest and heaviest MBT configurations in NATO. The original M3 was classed for MLC85 (Tracked).

The versatile M3 is assessed to be the fastest wide wet gap crossing solution available NATO-wide. Until recently, UK and Germany were the sole custodians of this particular system in Europe, but Sweden has procured its own fleet, with deliveries starting in 2024. Denmark penned a contract to procure its own back in September and Latvia is getting 6 M3 rigs with US financial support as well.

Deliveries of the M3EVOs, at least to the British Army, are only expected at the beginning of the 2030s. Plans as revealed in 2024 include trials beginning in 2028 and IOC in 2033 with FOC in the course of 2034. The M3EVO will be produced in the GDELS site of Kaiserslautern, in Germany.

In “return”, Germany has confirmed plans to order a number of Dry Support Bridge sets produced by WFEL (KNDS UK) in Stockport, UK. The DSB is a modular system which enables the launch of a 46 meters MLC100 (Tracked) bridge with as few as 8 personnel and in under 90 minutes. The British Army is procuring DSB for its own needs (project TYRO General Support).

For the British Army, the next step in the comprehensive modernisation of gap crossing capability should be TYRO Close Support, which is planned to revolve around the acquisition of a fleet of BOXER Bridgelayers with the WFEL/KNDS LEGUAN horizontal-launch bridge system.

Despite the BOXER being able to launch a MLC100 bridge of just 14 meters, rather than 26 meters for a MBT-based bridgelayer, the British Army appears determined to withdraw and replace, rather than upgrade, the current TITAN (modified Challenger 2 base). BOXER Bridgelayer will have to use trestles and lay 2 bridges in succession to match the bridge span enabled by TITAN with a single launch.

This disadvantageous solution is being accepted by prioritizing logistic and fleet commonality considerations: TITAN (and its “brother” TROJAN, the heavy breacher vehicle) is a small fleet which is only partially common to CHALLENGER 2/3 and is suffering from supply chain and support issues after years of relative neglect. TITAN and TROJAN’s main difference from CHALLENGER is the powerpack, similar but not interchangeable: TITAN and TROJAN have the Oman “desert” CHALLENGER cooling arrangement, immediately visible upon observation of the rear of the vehicles.

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