Denmark Selects New Leguan Bridge Layers on Tatra Vehicles to Strengthen NATO-Ready Mobility.

Denmark has awarded KNDS Deutschland a contract for three Leguan bridge layers on Tatra 10x10 trucks, with options that could expand the fleet in 2026. The move strengthens Denmark’s future heavy brigade and supports NATO mobility in a region increasingly shaped by Russian hybrid pressure.

On December 9, 2025, the KNDS Group confirmed that Denmark’s procurement agency has ordered three of the company’s latest Leguan bridge layers on Tatra 10x10 wheeled carriers, a package valued at roughly 33 million euros and paired with logistics support and specialized tools. Company officials in Munich said the deal also includes a 2026 option for three more vehicles and additional bridge sets, along with an opt-in clause for other Scandinavian partners, a feature that could turn Denmark’s purchase into the foundation for a wider Nordic bridging program.
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Denmark's new Leguan bridge layer on the Tatra 10x10 deploys 26 metre or dual metre MLC 80 bridges in minutes, using an automated hydraulic system and an armored, highly mobile carrier capable of supporting heavy armor and wheeled combat units during rapid gap crossing operations (Picture source: KNDS).

At the heart of the acquisition is the Leguan modular bridge system, already in service with nearly twenty armies and widely regarded inside NATO as a de facto heavy bridging standard. The system can deploy either a single 26 metre span or two 14 metre bridges, certified to carry vehicles in at least Military Load Class 80, covering main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and heavy logistics trucks, with headroom toward MLC 100 according to industry disclosures. The bridge modules are built from high-strength aluminium alloy to keep weight down, and a fully automatic hydraulic laying mechanism lets a two-person crew launch or recover the bridge in roughly five to eight minutes, including by remote control. A horizontal laying profile keeps the vehicle low behind cover, while an integrated measurement system continuously tracks how much load capacity each span has consumed over its life, a crucial feature for high-tempo operations.

Mounting Leguan on the Tatra Phoenix 10x10 turns that bridge system into a highly mobile, road-friendly carrier that can stay with Denmark’s wheeled combat formations. The Tatra chassis uses the company’s signature central backbone tube with independent swinging half axles, permanent All Wheel Drive, and full air suspension, giving excellent traction in mud or snow while remaining stable at highway speeds. At Eurosatory 2024, Tatra and KNDS unveiled the Phoenix 10x10 bridge carrier with an armoured cabin built by Tatra Defence Vehicle, derived from the DAF military cab family and engineered for one of the highest ballistic and mine protection levels in the logistics truck category under STANAG 4569 criteria. For Denmark, that means an engineer asset that can redeploy quickly across the national road network or into the Baltic region, yet survive in artillery and drone-threatened areas.

Copenhagen is already a Leguan user. In 2019, DALO ordered seven Leguan bridge layers on Leopard 2 chassis, and the latest Leguan 2 tracked variants are now entering service with Denmark and other NATO armies. Each carries 14 metre and 26 metre bridge sets certified to MLC 80, supported by the same measurement system that tracks cumulative crossings and ensures safe use under heavy armoured traffic. These tracked Leguan 2 vehicles give Denmark a high protection breaching tool that can follow Leopard 2 tanks directly into contested river lines, while the new Tatra-based Leguan will sit deeper in the manoeuvre scheme, restoring mobility for Piranha V-equipped battalions, CV90 infantry fighting vehicles now on order, and the logistics echelons that must keep a future brigade supplied.

The Danish Defence Agreement 2024–2033 allocates around 155 billion Danish kroner to strengthen defence, to meet NATO’s 2% of GDP spending benchmark, and rebuild land forces after decades of underinvestment. A central objective is to field a fully capable heavy brigade, built around Leopard 2 tanks, CV90s, and a reinforced engineer component, by restructuring the 1st Brigade in Holstebro over the 2025–2033 period. In Danish terrain, that brigade will have to cross narrow rivers, drainage canals, and causeways that an adversary would almost certainly target with sabotage or long-range fires. Wheeled bridge layers that can move fast on civilian roads and quickly replace a destroyed bridge are therefore not a luxury; they are a prerequisite for any realistic reinforcement plan toward the Baltic.

This requirement is framed explicitly against the backdrop of Russia. In its recent hybrid threat assessment, the Danish Defence Intelligence Service concludes that Russia is preparing for a potential war with NATO while waging a broad hybrid campaign that includes cyber attacks and physical sabotage against Western infrastructure. A separate public briefing by Denmark’s military intelligence service states that there is currently no threat of a military attack against Denmark, but that Russia is conducting a hybrid war against Denmark and the West, and that the risk of sabotage against Danish armed forces is high, prompting calls from Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen for further rearming. In that environment, a small fleet of protected bridge layers becomes part deterrent and part resilience measure, ensuring that an adversary cannot permanently paralyse Danish or allied ground forces by knocking out a few key crossings.

Beyond Denmark, the contract’s Scandinavian opt-in clause hints at a broader Nordic plan. KNDS explicitly left the door open for other regional partners to join the wheeled Leguan framework, an attractive proposition for Sweden, Norway, or Finland, all of which already operate or plan Leguan variants and are tightening defence cooperation under the NORDEFCO umbrella. For KNDS and Tatra, that would mean a larger common fleet and shared support footprint.