| EWK bridge systems |
| from pioneer to professionaI |
| EWK is a company that has evolved to meet new demands. Its bridge systems are used by armed forces worldwide. |
| Since its formation in 1864 Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern
(EWK) has developed considerably. Its name has remained the same, but ownership of the
company has changed and its area of expertise has expanded. EWK now focuses on defence
technology, environmental engineering, construction equipment and computer controlled
machines for air-duct manufacturing. In the area of defence technology EWK is closely associated with a unique product, an amphibious vehicle that can be utilised as a ferry and as a floating bridge for trucks and heavy combat vehicles. The amphibian was the brainchild of French General Gillois who, at the beginning of the 1950s, chose EWK as the ideal industrial partner to realise his concept. Their subsequent co-operation soon resulted in the bridging and ferrying rig Gillois-EWK, a large, robust vehicle with inflatable side pontoons. This rig facilitated the erection of highly efficient floating bridges very quickly and with little manpower required. And where a body of water was too wide for a bridge, the Gillois-EWK rig could be utilised effectively as a ferry. A total of 286 units were produced for France, the UK and the United States. |
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Ninety units of the new M3 amphibian are currently being produced for the German, British and Taiwan armies. |
| The French army continues to employ this system and
EWK used it as a platform to develop the slightly smaller but no less powerful amphibian
M2 for the German and British armed forces. The inflatable pontoons of the Gillois EWK rig
were replaced by two aluminium side pontoons that become part of the bridge structure when
the rig is used as a bridge or ferry, and are swung up for ease of mobility when
travelling on land. A water drive provides mobility in water and also holds the ferry in a
strong current. During the 1960s and 1970s, 385 M2 amphibians were built for the German,
British and Singapore armies. Although the M2 proved itself in day-to-day operation, it looked as though its large width of 3.35 metres on land would lead to its eventual redundancy during the 1970s when other types of floating bridge appeared to be more efficient. Within a short time the self-propelled amphibian's virtues of efficient cross-country mobility for water launch and landing were remembered. This led to the development of a new prototype, the more advanced and capable M3 that represented an important milestone when it was introduced to the German and British armies in October 1996. The 26-tonne M3 is 12.8 metres long and 3.9 metres high during road operation and it can achieve a road speed of approximately 85km/h. Loaded as a single ferry with two pump-let drives, it travels at 1 3km/h in the water and its axles are retracted to reduce drag. A 100-metre bridge formed by eight M3s is designed to accommodate MLC 70 tracked vehicles and MLC 100 wheel-mounted vehicles and a ferry of two linked M3s carries MLC 70 main battle tanks LEOPARD 2 A5.. A 100-metre-long bridge can be built by 24 soldiers in less than 15 minutes, at least half the time and personnel required for the construction of the M2 amphibian variant.
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German defence technology firm EWK
has considerable experience in aluminium welding structures and over the years it has
devised a number of other bridge systems. The company produced all the aluminium bridges
for the bridge-laying tank BIBER utilised by six ground forces, as well the aluminium
bridge section for the Dornier folding bridge (FFB) due for delivery to the German army
and other armed forces this spring. In addition, EWK was responsible for the development
of the EFA amphibian together with French company CEFA, an ex~daughter firm of EWK. CEFA
now builds the series for the French army and EWK supplies the company with critical
welded aluminium structures. |
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