The contract signed with the manufacturer KNDS involves an expansion of the Danish Army's existing fleet of bridge-laying vehicles. The already existing bridge vehicles that utilise the Leguan system are based on the Leopard 2 chassis, while the new ones are wheeled according to the Ministry of Defence's press release.
The decision to acquire wheeled bridge vehicles is based on a desire to complement the existing ones, according to Colonel Thomas Øgendahl Knudsen, head of the Land Division at the Danish Defence Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI).
– The bridge vehicle complements the new tracked bridge vehicles very well. The wheeled bridge vehicles will typically operate behind the front units and will be able to pick up and move the deployed bridges without needing to use the armoured tracked bridge vehicles, which will usually be engaged in operations with the front combat units. With this acquisition, the brigade is very well equipped to cross water obstacles with both armoured bridges, wheeled bridge vehicles, mechanised field bridges, and amphibious bridges, says Knudsen.
The Leguan system is described by the Ministry of Defence as one of the world's most used bridge-laying systems. The vehicle can deploy a 26-metre-long bridge in under five minutes, or alternatively, two separate bridges of 14 metres each. This enables heavy vehicles, including tanks, to cross obstacles without losing momentum.
The new bridge vehicles specifically consist of a Leguan system mounted on a Tatra 10x10 truck, according to a press release from KNDS. Furthermore, KNDS states that the agreement is worth 33 million euros, with an option for additional bridge vehicles and equipment worth 25 million euros. A decision on the option is expected to be made in 2026.
* In a previous article, NDS incorrectly stated that the new bridge vehicles were of the same type as the existing Leopard 2-based bridge vehicles.