Bombers from Dęblin began training with the construction and operation of modern PFM pontoons bridges. French constructions are crucial for the transport of the latest weaponry available to the Polish Army. The fresh equipment allows you to build a 100-metre crossing in just an hour, making it much more efficient than the PP-64 bridges used.
PFM (Pont Flottant Motorisé) made French CNIM Systèmes Industriels. They enable crossings for caterpillar vehicles weighing up to 70 tonnes and wheeled vehicles weighing up to 96 tonnes. That's a lot more than an outdated bridge. PP-64 Ribbonwhich the military presently uses.
– Modern tanks that enter the equipment of the Polish Army, specified as Leopardy, Abrams is K2, weighing more than 50 tonnes, while the presently utilized pontoon bridges let the transport of vehicles with a maximum weight of about 45 tonnes. Hence the request for specified an exchange – said Colonel Artur Gruszczyk, Head of the Training Branch of the Military Engineering Board.
Faster and easier to assemble
The officer adds that the carrying capacity of French bridges is not the only advantage. They are much cheaper, simpler and faster to assemble than the presently utilized pontoon parks. They are besides much easier to transport. To transport a standard set of PFM components, allowing the construction of a 100-metre bridge, only 12 vehicles are needed. It takes 42 soldiers to mount specified a crossing on the river and it takes them about an hour, along with launching and connecting elements.
– For comparison, the laying of a 100-metre PP-64 bridge requires up to 150 soldiers to work and takes about 3–4 hours, and as many as 60 vehicles are needed to transport specified a pontoon park. So as we can see, the jump is truly powerful – explains the officer. It points out that another modern solution for French construction is to equip each module with an integral drive. This allows you to maneuver the bridge structure freely after a water obstacle. On the another hand, in order to set up PP-64 bridges, it is essential to attach additional boats.
One set of PFM Pond Park consists of 8 floating modules and 4 ramps. This allows it to be utilized as both a bridge and 2 separate ferries transporting vehicles across the river. Elements from different sets of the park can be combined to get a bridge up to 309 m long.
Bomb squad's on the move.
CNIM is to supply 9 sets of PFM park for the Polish army. For now, the army will practice on 2 of them, which went to Wroclaw Center for Training of Engineering and Chemical Forces. Training for the soldiers of the 4th Bomb Squadron from Dęblin, who will be utilizing the equipment in the end, began there.
The Engineering Army besides planned to conduct training from the assembly of these bridges in Wisla, Dęblin, but did not let this to happen hydrological conditions due to the fact that the water level was besides low. – PFM to deploy them requires a minimum of a metre of water depth at the launching site. Therefore, the bombarders utilizing PFM will gotta thoroughly examine the depth of the river through which they are to conduct the crossing – noted Colonel Gruszczyk. He adds that this is why it was decided to exercise in Wrocław, where the Oder level is higher, and the river itself is more regulated.
Training will take a month. At first, the bomb squad will learn about the equipment parameters and the essential theory, while in March applicable exercises will be started, so the bridge on the river will be spread out. After the bomb squads from Dęblin, soldiers from 3rd Chelmn Bomb Squadronto which the PFM bridge will besides go.
French constructions are besides very popular in another armies. In addition to the French and Polish troops, the armed forces of Italy, Switzerland, Malaysia and Singapore besides reached for them. PFM bridges besides went to Ukraine as part of French support for this country in the war against Russia.
