Swimming bridges for the Dutch army

The Royal Dutch Army has ordered three Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) systems from General Dynamics European Land Systems - Bridge Systems. GDELS prevailed in the competition against two other European providers.

A corresponding contract was signed at the end of June and confirmed today during a ceremony at the famous Four Days March of Nijmegen. In Cuijk, Dutch pioneers traditionally build a pontoon bridge over the Maas for march participants. The scope of the contract includes a total of 225 meters of bridge and push boats from the manufacturer Birdon USA.

The new systems are set to replace older pontoon bridges from 2025 and will provide the Dutch Pioneer Corps ("Genie") with new capabilities in line with current military standards. All NATO vehicles can traverse the bridge system, and thanks to standard connection technology, the pontoons are fully interoperable with those of other countries such as the USA, Germany, and Sweden. This allows bridge sections to be easily connected, increasing operational speed and military mobility. Furthermore, the IRB system can be connected to the widely used M3 amphibious bridge system using a coupling adapter, which is also used by countries such as Germany, the UK, Latvia, and Sweden. Sweden recently placed a follow-up order for a number of M3 systems.

The IRB system will significantly enhance the Dutch Army's capability for water crossing - a capability that has recently become a focus for military planners in order to conduct troop movements within Europe independently of existing civilian infrastructure. The floating bridge system can also be used in disaster relief efforts, meeting the specific requirements of the Netherlands. The ceremony during the mixed civil-military Four Days March therefore also symbolizes its future utilization.

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