Republic of Korea Armed Forces, also known as the ROK Armed Forces, reportedly has awarded the multi-million dollar contract to Hanwha Defense to supply M3 amphibious bridging vehicles.
The contract, reported Friday by the Asiae.co.kr, is worth more than $458 million and covers the supply of 110 M3 amphibious bridging vehicles.
Within the contract, Hanwha Defense partnered with General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) to produced and support of new amphibious bridge and ferry systems.
The M3 is an amphibious bridging vehicle developed by the GDELS. As noted by the company, it is the world’s most modern and fastest to deploy amphibious bridge and ferry system in terms of loading capacity, assembly time, and cross-country and in-water maneuverability.
The M3 amphibious rig can be driven into a river and used as a ferry or, when a number are joined together from bank to bank, as a bridge, capable of taking vehicles as heavy as the K1 or K2 main battle tank.
Eight M3 units and 24 soldiers can build a 100m bridge in 30 minutes. A four-wheel steering facility gives a turning diameter of 24m.
The M3 offers interoperability with other bridging solutions such as the SRB (Standard Ribbon Bridge)/FSB(Floating Support Bridge) and IRB (Improved Ribbon Bridge). That makes the M3 the right fit for coalitions that use different types of equipment but operate jointly. M3 has a simulator to help provide the right training and operational levels.
