This article will focus on foreign analogues of the Soviet ferry-bridge machine PMM "Volna". But for the sake of truth, I must say that the Soviet PMM "Volna" was an analogue of the French development "Gillois" and the American machine from the MFAB-F park. So, "American" appeared 11 years earlier, and "French" almost 14 years earlier.
After the war, in order to increase the mobility of ground forces, the NATO command also intensified work on the creation of new and improvement of existing service crossing facilities. But at present, work on self-propelled ferries has been suspended and the largest work is being carried out in the field of floating and folding bridges, as well as tank bridge layers.
USA
For crossing water obstacles of heavy vehicles (tanks, self-propelled guns and other equipment), amphibious ferry-bridge vehicles were developed in the United States, the design of which allows, depending on specific conditions, to quickly change the method of crossing. In some cases, they are used as single or modular ferries of increased carrying capacity, in other cases their design allows you to assemble and build from them floating bridges of various carrying capacity and length.
An example of such a ferry-bridge machine is the amphibians of the park. MFAB-F (MAB) - mobile floating assault bridge-ferry (mobile floating assault bridge-ferry or mobile assault bridge).
The mobile assault bridge (self-propelled pontoon) was developed by the US Army Research and Development Laboratory, Fort Belvoir, Virginia in 1959. 98 units of this vehicle were delivered to the US Army between April 1963 and December 1967.
The MAB transporter was produced by the FMC Corporation, bridge elements (intermediate and end - Consolidated Diesel Electric Corporation of Schenectady. In 1966, work began on an improved version of the MAB - the self-propelled pontoon fleet MFAB-F. By September 1970, it was completed. The main idea was self-propelled pontoons. Several machines docked to form a floating bridge or ferries. The new self-propelled pontoon had a fully welded hull, improved hydraulics and electrics.
220 modernized self-propelled pontoons were delivered to the US Army between 1973 and 1976. Another 132 MAB transporters with bridge elements were supplied to the armies of NATO countries (mainly in Belgium). Companies of mobile assault bridges existed in the American army until at least the second half of the 1980s. Each fleet includes several machines: two coastal machines, which, when used as a floating bridge, interface with the banks, and linear machines that form a bridge belt or are part of a ferry of the required carrying capacity.
Each vehicle is a 4x4 wheeled amphibious vehicle with an aluminum alloy hull. The mass of each coastal vehicle reaches 24.6 tons, and each linear vehicle reaches 21.85 tons. Overall dimensions: length - 13.03 m, width - 3.65 m, height - 3.32 - 3.33 m. 711 mm diameter propeller in the guide nozzle. The propeller can be raised to the transport position and lowered to the working position using a hydraulic drive, the maximum speed of movement on land is 64 km / h. The maximum speed of movement on water is 16, 9 km / h. The speed of movement in a 4-machine ferry with a load of 60 t is 12.9 km / h. It should be borne in mind that on land vehicles are not intended for the carriage of goods and have special topsides, with the help of which the carriageway of a floating bridge or a ferry is formed.
The self-propelled pontoon fleet MFAB-F is designed for laying floating bridges with a carrying capacity of up to 54 tons and a length of up to 120 m, as well as assembling ferries for cargo weighing 60-70 tons. The fleet consists of 24 wheeled floating machines "Alligator", on which the superstructure is with a carriageway 4 m wide. Bridges and ferries are assembled by car crews. A ferry of four cars is assembled in 10-15 minutes, and a bridge from the entire park takes 1 hour.
Self-propelled park characteristics:
- class of carrying capacity - 60;
- the length of the floating bridge - 120 m;
- the width of the carriageway - 4.1 m;
- permissible current speed - 3 m / s
Germany
In 1963, a fleet of self-propelled wheeled amphibious ferries M2 was adopted by the FRG army. The ancestor of M2 and M3 ferries was "Gillois" … This ferry appeared in 1958 and was developed by the metallurgical company EWK from Kaiserslautern according to the design of the colonel of the French army Jean F. Gillois. 7 cars were made: 2 vehicle ramps and 5 bridge cars. After all stages of testing "Gillois" was adopted by the German army. Several vehicles were purchased by the Armed Forces of Israel, Great Britain and France.
They were assembled by the French company Pontesa and the SEFA Alsatian boiler foundry (CEFA was part of EWK until 1985). The park is designed to cross wide water barriers. It consists of 12 floating bridge wheeled vehicles with superstructure elements. The mass of a single machine is about 29 tons; it has two rigid floats that can be reclined on the water. Vehicle speed on land is about 60 km / h, on water - 12 km / h. It is possible to assemble transport ferries from the property of the park. The calculation of the fleet is 36 people, the length of the floating bridge from one set is 100 m, the width of the carriageway is 4 m, the time of laying the bridge is 1 hour, the carrying capacity is 60 tons.
At the end of the 1960s, on the basis of the Gillois PMM, a ferry-bridge machine was developed and delivered to the series. M2, which had five modifications. Production was organized at the Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz and Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern factories. The vehicle is used in the German, British and Singaporean armies. In some cases, cars are used as single or modular ferries with increased carrying capacity, in others, their design allows you to build floating bridges of various lengths and carrying capacities with double-track or single-track traffic of ferrying vehicles. To do this, two additional metal rigid pontoons are installed on the roof of the machine's hull, which, using the hydraulic system, before entering the water, are lowered next to the hull from both sides, while turning 180 degrees on the lower side hinges. In the bow of the pontoons, one 600 mm propeller is installed. The third 650 mm propeller is installed in the recess of the bow of the hull under the cab of the main machine. The screw is able to rise in and out of the niche, as well as rotate in a horizontal plane.
Since the car afloat moves stern forward, an additional control post was organized above the cockpit, from which the crew could perform preparatory and basic work on using the car as a ferry-bridge vehicle. In the aft parts of the hull and additional pontoons (during movement on the water, they were bow), wave-reflecting shields were installed, which prevent the flow of a retaining bow wave onto the vehicle body and pontoons. To remove seawater, several water-pumping pumps with electric drives were installed in the body of the main machine. To facilitate work with additional pontoons during their lifting and lowering, as well as for loading and unloading operations with small non-self-propelled loads along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, a low-capacity crane was installed in the transport position.
The wheel formula of the M2 ferry-bridge car is 4x4. The unladen weight of the car is 22 tons. Overall dimensions when driving on land in the transport position: length - 11, 31 m, width - 3, 6 mm, height - 3, 6 mm. The ground clearance is adjustable, from 600 to 840 mm. Machine width with unfolded ramps and lowered additional pontoons - 14160 mm. The maximum speed on the highway is 60 km / h, the fuel range is 1,000 km. The speed of the car on the water is up to 14 km / h, the power reserve for fuel is up to 6 hours.
The experience of using the M2 ferry-bridge machines made it possible to outline the main directions for modifying its design. In 1967-70. the serial version of the М2В was produced in the amount of 235 copies.
In the 70s. was produced by a 70-ton M2D class ferry. On the new model of the M2D machine, the installation of onboard soft inflatable tanks was provided, which made it possible to increase the carrying capacity to 70 tons. The M2S variant was intended for the Singapore army, while the M2E received a more powerful diesel engine and a hydraulic crane.
In 1982, the development of a 100-ton M3 (4x4) ferry fleet began, which retained the general concept of the M2 series. But there was one difference - the direction of movement on water and on land was the same - the cab forward (in the M2 car, movement on the water was carried out stern forward). Inflatable tanks were placed in the wheel arches to increase the displacement. In addition, the four removable superstructures were replaced by three with a simultaneous increase in the dimensions of the link in the bridge line.
In August 1994, after long trials, EWK received an order for 64 ferries. Their main features were an improved body shape, the installation of one 343-horsepower Deutz diesel engine, an automatic 6-speed gearbox, center differentials, water jet propellers, a centralized tire pressure regulation system (within 1-4 bar), additional inflatable tanks and electronic control.
Within 15 minutes, 8 M3 units can be connected into a 100-meter bridge, which has a lifting capacity of 85 tons for tracked vehicles and 132 tons for wheeled vehicles.
The new M3 Amphibious Bridging and Crossing Vehicle entered service in 1996.
The British Army also adopted it (38 units purchased). Also in service with the armies of Taiwan, Singapore.
France
In 1962, a fleet of wheeled amphibious self-propelled ferries was adopted by the French army Zhillois … The set of the park consists of 12 bridge and six ramp floating machines, additional inflatable floats to increase the buoyancy reserve, which are inflated before entering the water. The carrying capacity of one vehicle is 30 tons. It can carry four trucks or two light AMX-13 tanks in one trip. To cross the medium tank AMX-30, two ferries are connected by sides. This operation takes three minutes.
Freight ferries with a carrying capacity of up to 60 tons can be assembled from several machines. The speed of the ferry on the water is about 10–12 km / h. Cruising in store over land 780 km with a fuel tank capacity of 547 liters. When driving on land, self-propelled river and coastal sections can reach a maximum speed of up to 64 km / h on the highway. The crew of this machine is 4 people, the length of the floating bridge from one set is 112 m, the width of the carriageway is 4 m, the time of laying the bridge is 1 hour, the carrying capacity is 60 tons. obstacle no more than 45 minutes.
Overall dimensions of the machines: length in transport condition 11861 mm, width in transport condition 3200 mm, width in working condition 5994 mm, height 3991 mm, ground clearance 715 mm, front and rear wheel track 1790 mm. The own weight of the river vehicle is 26, 95 tons, the coastal one is slightly more - 27, 4 tons.
PMM "Zhillois" were used not only in French engineering units, but also in other countries. For example, the US Army had a number of Zhillois PMMs called ARCE (Amphibious River Crossing Equipment).
The Zhillois ferry and bridge complex was subjected to combined onshore and on water tests to assess real, not calculated, technical parameters. The studies carried out, as well as the results of the operation of the complex in the troops, showed that this self-propelled fleet does not fully meet modern requirements, since the carrying capacity of a separate vehicle is insufficient, the exit of the transported armored vehicles from the ferry is difficult, and the length of the bridge truss is limited. As a result, France began to create a new self-propelled pontoon fleet MAF (Materiel Amphibie de Franchissement). ().
The development of the new MAF self-propelled fleet was carried out on a competitive basis by DC AN and CEFA / EWK, which offered prototypes of the PMM MAF-I and MAF-2, respectively. The set of the new fleet was supposed to include four such machines with a carrying capacity of 54 tons each. Due to the use of high-strength aluminum alloys, PMMs had an acceptable dead weight: 40 tons for MAF-1 and 38 tons for MAF-2. Subsequently, after the development of the prototypes, the basis of the MAF-2 fleet was the Ambidrome ferry-bridge machines with a net weight of 34 tons.
The body of the MAF-2 machine is made of a durable light alloy, providing a significant proportion of the required displacement. On the top of the hull there are two folding two-link ramps with hydraulic drives, each 12 m long. The total length of the upper roadway is 36 m with a width of 3, 6 m. At the sides of the hull and on the sides of the middle links of the ramps, inflatable tanks are attached to increase the buoyancy margin and improve stability parameters … Inflatable tanks on the sides of the hull have protective covers of a large area.
A diesel engine is installed on the MAF-2, which allows the car to move on land with a maximum speed of up to 60 km / h. The average speed of movement on the roads is 40 km / h, the cruising range is more than 400 km. To improve driving performance and cross-country ability, the PMM has an independent suspension of all wheels with hydropneumatic elastic elements that provide a change in ground clearance in the range from 0.65 to 0.85 m. When driving on water, the wheels are retracted into the body niches to reduce water resistance.
The PMM in the MAF-2 kit can be used as a ferry (to carry one AMX-30 tank), as well as a river or coastal link when laying floating bridges. To increase the carrying capacity while simultaneously providing double-track traffic on the floating bridge, the ferry-bridge machines are connected by sides.
To equip the engineering units of the French ground forces, it was planned to purchase 120 ferry-bridge vehicles from the MAF fleet, which were supposed to replace 250 vehicles from the Zhillois fleet. The arrival of these machines of the MAF fleet to the troops began in 1984.
Turkey
In Turkey, engineering vehicles are developed by FNSS Savunma Sistemleri. After winning the competition, the company was awarded a $ 130 million contract to supply the Turkish army with self-propelled floating bridges. AAAB (Armored Amphibious Assault Bridge) called "SYHK". The mobile assault bridge is designed for the Turkish Armed Forces on the platform of the Pars 8x8 series wheeled chassis. The design is based on the German self-propelled pontoon M3 EWK. The army was supplied with 52 systems, including one training system, consisting of 4 machines.
The AAAB axle has a fully protected air-conditioned cab up front, Pars suspension and all-wheel steering. One AAAB bridge is used as a ferry with a carrying capacity of 21 t, two bridges provide a carrying capacity of 70 t, and three AAAB bridges - 100 t. When 12 AAAB bridges are connected, a crossing is formed that allows to cross rivers up to 150 meters wide.
Japan.
In the post-war years, a self-propelled wheeled 4x4 ferry-bridge vehicle appeared in Japan. Requirements for this amphibious were issued by the Japanese ground self-defense forces in early 1960 as a self-propelled ferry that could also be used as a pontoon bridge. The prototype was made the following year. After testing, the vehicle was standardized as a self-propelled pontoon bridge. "Type 70" … By 1979, at the expense of state funding, several more samples of this amphibian were manufactured.
The park is designed to cross wide water barriers on the move. The set of the park consists of 10 self-propelled amphibious vehicles with elements of the superstructure. Laying of superstructure elements is carried out using hydraulic crane equipment installed on the machine itself. From the property of the park, it is possible to assemble transportable ferries from two cars with a carrying capacity of 26 tons and from three cars with a carrying capacity of 38 tons. The crew of a separate vehicle is 4 people.
The general layout of the Type 70 ferry-bridge amphibious vehicle was similar to the M2 vehicle developed in Germany. Before the vehicle entered the water, the upper pontoons with the help of a hydraulic system turned 180 ° relative to the roof of the main vehicle and were located along the sides for its operation afloat. This provided the necessary buoyancy and stability.
When the car was afloat, all its wheels with large low-pressure tires were pulled up into the recesses of the hull to reduce the resistance of the water to the movement of the car. At the same time, to slightly increase the volumetric displacement, the tires of the wheels were pumped up with compressed air.
The special equipment also included a crane, which was used to install gangways and pontoons. Three cars "Type 70", connected together, formed a steam with a carrying capacity of 40 tons. The width of the carriageway of the ferry in this case was 3, 9 m.
Each Type 70 car was equipped with a Nissan 8-cylinder V-engine with a power of 243 kW at 2200 rpm. This engine power provided the movement of a single car on roads with a maximum speed of 56 km / h and 12 km / h on water. The climb climbed reached 30 °. The total overall length of the machine is 11.4 m, the width when driving on land (with the transport position of additional pontoons on top of the main vehicle body) is 2, 8 m and with the pontoons lowered into the working position - 5, 4 m. The total height is 3.4 m.
China.
The Chinese military engineers are armed with a ferry-bridge vehicle GZM … This is a complete analogue of the Soviet PMM - 2M "Volna". It was purchased in Ukraine in 1993. The tactical and technical characteristics of the "Chinese" are most likely at the level of PMM - 2M. The only thing that is immediately noticeable is the new tracked base. Most likely, this is the base of the new Type 96A tank.
India.
In addition to the photo, there is no information. But the photo shows that the Indian car is made on the basis of the French PMM MAF-2 or is produced under license.
And in conclusion, a few more photos
