During DSEI 2021, an international defense exhibition in London, UK, KNDS (KMW and Nexter Defense Systems ) in collaboration with the British company WFEL displays for the first time its military bridging system mounted on the Boxer 8x8 armored vehicle offering a new bridge layer wheeled armored vehicle.

Boxer 8x8 armored vehicle fitted with WFEL rapidly deployable military bridging system at DSEI 2021, International Defense Exhibition in London, UK. (Picture source Army Recognition)

As seen in Disaster Relief operations following recent severe flooding in Europe in July, WFEL's rapidly deployable military bridging systems are increasingly called upon for deployment to provide emergency temporary infrastructure during natural disasters.

The new Boxer bridge module can deploy two types of bridge: a heavy variant that spans 14 meters and can carry 80 tons and a longer version of 22 meters, certified for 50 tons.

WFEL will be discussing its range of rapidly deployable bridging systems on booth H6-410 alongside KMW. WFEL's DSB Dry Support Bridge and the MGB Medium Girder Bridge are already held in inventory by many militaries worldwide.

At 120 Military Load Classification (MLC), the DSB can get traffic and supplies moving over a 46-meter gap in less than 90 minutes using just eight soldiers and a single launch vehicle: crucial in rapidly escalating combat, homeland defense or disaster relief scenarios - when every second counts.

It was possible to configure the Boxer vehicle as a bridge layer thanks to its modular design which consists of two key elements including the platform/drive-line and the removable mission module located at the rear. The mission module is a unique feature of Boxer. Mission modules are interchangeable pod-like units that are fitted to drive modules to form a complete mission variant vehicle. Mission modules are attached by four points and can be swapped within an hour under field conditions.