Military Tactical Vehicles Developed by Construction Equipment Companies

Tactical Bridge-II Block-I Prototype Equipment Delivery Ceremony
First Tactical Bridge Developed in 22 Years Since Project Initiation

Domestic construction equipment companies have succeeded in developing a military tactical bridge. A tactical bridge is a temporary bridge installed when a bridge is destroyed during wartime, and it is essential equipment for transporting military supplies and troops.

Tactical Bridge-II, developed by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Photo by DAPA

On the 8th, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) plans to hold a prototype equipment delivery ceremony for the Tactical Bridge-II Block-I, currently under system development, in Eumseong, Chungbuk, in the afternoon. This marks the first time a tactical bridge has been developed using domestic technology in 22 years since the project began.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff initiated the next-generation tactical bridge project in 2003. The required operational capability (ROC) set the bridge length at 60 meters, the longest in the world. The military set the ROC at 60 meters based on the expected range of bridge damage during wartime by the ROK-US Combined Forces Command. Defense company Hyundai Rotem took on the challenge, but from 2009 to 2013, during six rounds of testing and evaluation, defects occurred, resulting in failure to install the bridge. The Defense Technology Quality Institute and others held a technical review committee and concluded that development by domestic companies was difficult. The following year, the contract with Hyundai Rotem was terminated, and all investments totaling 20.4 billion KRW?including an advance payment of 16.27 billion KRW, a deposit of 1.8 billion KRW, and interest of 2.36 billion KRW?were fully recovered. In other words, no progress was made in development for 11 years since the Joint Chiefs of Staff requested the project.

Ultimately, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reduced the length of the bridge. The length of Block-I was set at 44 meters, and Block-II at 52 meters. This time, construction equipment companies, rather than defense companies, came together to push forward development. The bridge assembly was assigned to Cheongam ENC, the installation vehicle to Hyundai Everdigm, and the installation beams to SNT, a company specializing in aluminum. The developed tactical bridge is Block-I. DAPA plans to conduct performance verification testing over the next 17 months to decide on its deployment in actual operations. Mass production is scheduled for 2028. Once Block-I is deployed, it is expected that bridge installation time and manpower will be reduced by 60 to 70%. DAPA also plans to develop Block-II by next year.

Inside and outside the military, there are criticisms that the Joint Chiefs of Staff set the ROC for the bridge at the world's longest length, which led to failure in domestic development and caused delays. There are four overseas defense companies producing tactical bridges: Germany (Cassidian), the United Kingdom (BAE, WFEL), Sweden (Kockums), and Israel (IMI). Their bridge lengths are 56 meters, 52 meters, 49 meters, and 46 meters, respectively.