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posed by the mobility of all-mechanised armed forces was a dedicated platform that could improvise river and obstacle crossings at short notice and in inconvenient locations. Tracked and armoured, it was capable of operating alongside combat units, crossing rough terrain and advancing in the face of light fire. To maximize on common parts and ease maintenance complications, they were usually based on existing tank chassis.
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These forces would have to be able to cross all forms of terrain without losing speed, and without having to concentrate their thrusts over certain bridges. The rising weight of armoured vehicles meant that fewer bridges could support these massed crossings. The only feasible solution to the dilemma
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in 1940. Twenty were built, but problems of excessive weight limited the vehicle's effectiveness, and eventually all 20 were converted back to tanks. A new scissors bridge design was brought out by the
British in response to the war, sufficient to support a 24-ton load over 30 ft (9.1 m).
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across gap-type obstacles, such as rivers. The AVLB is usually a tracked vehicle converted from a tank chassis to carry a folding metal bridge instead of weapons. The AVLB's job is to allow armoured or infantry units to cross craters, anti-tank ditches, blown bridges, railroad cuts, canals, rivers
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The bridge layer unfolds and launches its cargo, providing a ready-made bridge across the obstacle in only minutes. Once the span has been put in place, the AVLB vehicle detaches from the bridge, and moves aside to allow traffic to pass. Once all of the vehicles have crossed, it crosses the bridge
32:
162:, sometimes as simple as a bundle of heavy sticks, carried on top. By dropping these into the trenches, they were able to create a wedge over which the tank could drive. Later, some tanks began to carry rails on their decks—the first AVLBs.
357:, which weighs around 70 tonnes. Another approach to bridge laying across water is the use of amphibious vehicles, which act as combination of pontoon and roadway. These enter the water and join to form a bridge. An example is the German
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demonstrated the tank's utility, but also highlighted its vulnerability to battlefield geography—many early tanks found themselves ignominiously stuck in the trenches, having insufficiently long tracks to cross them (as at right).
84:. The provision of armour allows them to operate even in the face of enemy fire. However, this is not a universal attribute: some exceptionally sturdy 6×6 or 8×8 truck chassis have lent themselves to bridge-layer applications.
603:
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The bridge atop the M104 Wolverine measures 26m in length, and takes just 4 minutes to place across an obstacle securely. The bridge is built to be able to withstand countless crossings of vehicles as heavy as the
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itself and reattaches to the bridge on the other side. It then retracts the span ready to move off again. A similar procedure can be employed to allow crossings of small chasms or similar obstructions.
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and ravines, when a river too deep for vehicles to wade through is reached, and no bridge is conveniently located, or sufficiently sturdy, a substantial concern when moving 60-ton tanks.
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By 1919, the
British Army had, at its training centre in Christchurch, a Mark V** tank with lifting gear able to carry and place a bridge or carry out mine clearing and demolition.
337:, wading to the middle of a river or driving up against an obstacle and extending simple ramps in both directions. Following vehicles would drive directly over the bridge layer.
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Most modern bridge layers are based on a main battle tank chassis. An example of a modern main battle tank (MBT) chassis being converted to a bridgelayer is the creation of the
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armies, respectively. In some early designs, bridge-layers could emplace bridges, but not retract them. Other vehicles were integral to the bridge themselves, such as the
221:, it became clear that functions like vehicle repair, mine-clearing, and the like would have to be carried out by armoured vehicles advancing along with tanks.
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warfare, whole divisions had to advance along with tanks, which were suddenly far out-pacing the speed of infantry soldiers. Besides leading to the advent of
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were confronted with the problem of mounting tank advances in the face of the trenches that dominated the battlefields. Early engagements, such as at
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AVLBs can carry bridges of 19 metres (60 feet) or greater in length. By using a tank chassis, the bridge layer is able to cover the same terrain as
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Armored
Bridgelayer. Based on a modified M1A2 SEP MBT chassis, the Wolverine replaces the MBT turret with a bridge fitted atop the chassis.
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Circa 2008, a
Covenanter tank bridgelayer at the 1/15th Royal NSW Lancers awaiting restoration.
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777:"Fatigue Life Prediction for Armoured Vehicle-Launched Bridge for MLC70 and MLC80 Loads"
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with a tank chassis. The
Bundeswehr is testing the Leguan on Leopard 2 chassis.
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based on the
Leopard 1 tank chassis and is used by most Leopard 1 users.
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showing an AVLB in action and the various steps of laying the bridge
60:) is a combat support vehicle, sometimes regarded as a subtype of
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Titan
Armoured Vehicle Launcher Bridge (AVLB) at Armedforces.co.uk
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Video of FV4205 Chieftain
Armoured Vehicle-Launched Bridge (AVLB)
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Sarvatra is a truck-mounted, multi-span, mobile bridging system.
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era that the importance of armoured bridge layers, as well as
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Titan
Armoured Vehicle Launcher Bridge – British Army Website
861:"Prototype of the LEGUAN Assault Bridge Arrives as Scheduled"
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developed similar equipment, mostly based on the ubiquitous
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Circa 2007, a
Covenanter tank bridgelayer with bridge folded
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bridgelayer of the 3rd Independent Bridge Building Company,
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To counter this disadvantage, tanks, especially the common
458:: This modular system combines a bridge module created by
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Bridge and Churchill Crocodile flame-throwing tank in 1945
451:, based on the Leopard 2 Chassis. No production orders.
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64:, designed to assist militaries in rapidly deploying
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One of the earliest series-produced examples is the
539:: Beaver armoured bridgelayer vehicle based on the
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494:Poland / East Germany: BLG-67 based on T-55 tank
592:, an amphibious bridging vehicle based on the
299:. It was used in Italy, North West Europe and
126:The roots of the modern AVLB can be found in
8:
239:Circa 1943, a Covenanter deploys its bridge.
644:-prototype with bridge of the German Army
197:, became fully clear. With the advent of
803:"Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge (AVLB)"
31:
863:(Press release). BAAINBw. 6 July 2017.
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523:Titan Armoured Vehicle Launcher Bridge
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727:automatically launched assault bridge
660:, deploying its scissors-type bridge.
658:M60A1 Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge
7:
836:"ENGINEER AND COUNTERMINE EQUIPMENT"
824:Tank, Mark V** (Female) (E1949.325)
434:PTA2, based on an 8x8 truck chassis
432:système de pose rapide de travures
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923:Armoured vehicle-launched bridges
867:from the original on 22 July 2018
286:, which entered service with the
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54:armoured vehicle-launched bridge
169:World War II and subsequent use
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44:, spans a damaged bridge near
1:
741:Mabey Logistic Support Bridge
282:, a German AVLB based on the
271:Covenanter tank bridge-layer
62:military engineering vehicle
27:Military engineering vehicle
928:Military bridging equipment
556:MBT; now supplanted by the
314:infantry tank carrying the
291:This was developed for the
215:armoured personnel carriers
191:combat engineering vehicles
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562:M1074 Joint Assault Bridge
529:MBT. Replaces ChAVLB, the
456:Panzerschnellbrücke Leguan
195:armoured recovery vehicles
70:armoured fighting vehicles
736:Callender-Hamilton bridge
365:used by Germany, the UK,
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891:3 September 2011 at the
779:. RDECOM. Archived from
377:Notable AVLBs in service
203:self-propelled artillery
504:, based on the T-72 MBT
460:MAN Mobile Bridges GmbH
578:, based on the French
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177:A Churchill AVRE with
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449:Panzerschnellbrücke 2
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746:Medium Girder Bridge
629:using its own bridge
211:mobile anti-aircraft
42:Royal Armoured Corps
18:Armored bridge layer
156:British Heavy tanks
134:. Having developed
933:English inventions
692:Swiss Armed Forces
396:. You can help by
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751:Military engineer
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359:M3 Amphibious Rig
130:, at the dawn of
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82:main battle tanks
16:(Redirected from
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363:bridging vehicle
316:Small Box Girder
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869:. Retrieved
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843:. Retrieved
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807:. Retrieved
805:. Olive-Drab
797:
785:. Retrieved
781:the original
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675:Type 91 AVLB
572:Saudi Arabia
533:-based AVLB.
527:Challenger 2
481:Type 91 AVLB
470:Type 67 AVLB
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398:adding to it
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207:assault guns
187:World War II
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132:tank warfare
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120:Mark IV tank
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627:German Army
515:medium tank
502:MTU-72 AVLB
483:, based on
472:, based on
355:M1A2 Abrams
323:medium tank
128:World War I
122:at Cambrai.
917:Categories
841:. AUSA.Org
763:References
720:Kartik BLT
550:M60A1 AVLB
318:, and the
199:Blitzkrieg
118:A British
68:and other
594:FNSS Pars
566:M1 Abrams
541:Leopard 1
454:Germany:
447:Germany:
405:June 2011
367:Singapore
312:Churchill
288:Wehrmacht
284:Panzer IV
38:Valentine
889:Archived
865:Archived
713:See also
507:Russia:
487:MBT and
430:: SPRAT
160:fascines
46:Meiktila
871:25 July
690:of the
625:of the
485:Type 74
479:Japan:
474:Type 61
438:Germany
327:British
325:of the
320:Sherman
148:Cambrai
110:Origins
642:Leguan
586:Turkey
580:AMX-30
537:Canada
498:Russia
428:France
371:Taiwan
369:, and
341:Modern
308:Allies
144:France
138:, the
845:6 May
839:(PDF)
809:6 May
787:6 May
725:AM 50
706:MT-55
673:JGSDF
623:Biber
509:MT-55
466:Japan
442:Biber
418:India
301:Burma
136:tanks
66:tanks
873:2017
847:2013
811:2013
789:2013
590:SYHK
560:and
513:T-55
476:MBT.
361:, a
331:U.S.
329:and
306:The
269:The
219:cars
213:and
193:and
142:and
58:AVLB
656:An
568:MBT
554:M60
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52:An
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