Ordered by US Army in Support of Latvian Capability Reinforcement

General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) announced on 6 October it has agreed to provide the M3 Amphibious Bridge and Ferry System to Latvia, the latest NATO customer to receive the system.

The contract was awarded by US Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, which is managing the support to Latvia as it addresses needs for additional NATO wet-gap crossing solutions. Deliveries will also include an integrated logistics support package, consisting of training, tools and manuals.

“This procurement is another milestone marking transatlantic cooperation and the necessity of mobility and interoperability for allied forces,” explained Dr Thomas Kauffmann, VP of International Business and Services for GDELS.

The M3 is used in a variety of roles, from combat operations to civil defence, by nations that include Germany, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and the UK. Joining this user group, Latvia will be able to contribute to NATO enhanced forward presence by providing allied troops mobility and interoperability with other M3 users, as well as with GDELS Improved Ribbon Bridges (IRB), which are widely used by US and German forces.

The M3 Amphibious Bridge and Ferry System can carry all known main battle tanks and can build a 100m floating bridge in under 10 minutes. The Latvian bridges “[…] will also be equipped with ‘Arctic Kits,’ that will allow [their operation] in very cold climate conditions,” said Dr Christian Kauth, VP and Managing Director of GDELS-Bridge Systems.