Volume 9 Issue 98

Published by
Orbis Publishinq Ltd
@ Aerospace Publishing Ltd 1985
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War Machine
Aerospace Publishing Ltd
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Managing Editor: Stan Morse

Editorial : Trisha Palmer
Chris Bishop
Chris Chant
lan Drury

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Consultant Editor: Major General Sir
Ray Hutchins Jeremy Moore KCB OBE MC, Comman-
Dave Ftchell der of British Land Forces during the
Peter Sarson & Tony Bryan Falklands campaign.

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I'lodern Combaf
Engineer
Eguipment
Enqineers use some of the most utrusual equipment in the
armed. forces' inventortes, ranging from conventional
constrttction machines to sp e cial-putp ose AFVs desigme d to
Iay down brtdges, bury mines, rtp up roads or excavate tat*
frring positions. The sheer variety of specialist equipment is
testimonyto the crucialimportance of combat engineering on
the battlefields of today.
The combat engineer of the I9B0s is one of the most highly trained
members of any modern army, His duties include detecting and clearing
anti-tank and anti-personnel minefields, laying minefields, demolition
work, airfield construction, rapid runway repair, laying bridqles for
forward elements, repairing brrdges, and prepanng weapon pits and
trenches to name but a few,
To carry out these missions combat engineers have a very wide range
of equipment. Some items, such as the Combat Engineer Tractor (CET)
or Counter Obstacle Vehrcle (COV), have been developed specifically
for military use, but much of the equipment used in military construction
work is normally standard civil equipment with lrttle if anything in the
way of modification to suit it for service use,
The one area in combat engdneering that is receiving more attention
than ever is mine warfare. This f,eld covers not only the laying of mines
by indrviduals but also by helicopters, rockets, artillery and ground-
l,:'ltliii:i;
ACombat Engineer Tractor uses its hydraulically-operated bucket to move
soil. The bucket can also be used as an earlfi a nchor when thewinch is being
deployed. When afloat, the Combat Engineer Tractor is powered by a water
jet on each side.
based launchers; and their detection and clearance in the shortest
possible time with the minimum of casualties, In conflicts such as those in
South Vietnam, the Middle East, Namrbia and more recently the Falk-
lands, mines have been a major problem,
Military bridging has also been revolutionized rn recent years with the
introduction of systems such as the British Medium Girder Bridge (MGB)
and the Sovlet PMP heavy folding floating bridge, The latter is so
successful a design that the Americans have improved it even further
and it is now in servrce with the US and some NATO armies as the Ribbon
Bridgel
Wlthin thls study there is space only to highlight some of the more
important items of combat engineer equipment in servrce today.
An M60AI of the United States Army clears a road of anti-tank mines with its
frcnt-mounted roller system. The Soviets have been using similar systems for
manyyears, butitis only recently that the UnitedStatesArmy has bought
these in significant numbers.
 FRANCE
AMX-30 Armoured Vehicle-Launched Bridge
: -: :::=y years the onlY armoured
:: -:;::layer tn service with the French
-::--j -,';as
the AMX-i3 Char Poseur de
poni (Cpp) This is essentrally an AMX-
-: ,ll:-i iank chassis with turet re-
:...=: and fttled with a scissors
::-:;:=',"lhichis laid hydraulically over
:=ar of the vehicte. Opened out the
----:
:*::: L. 14 3 m (46 tt I I in) Iong and
-l- ',ke vehicles r.p to Class 25 well
:.-: r ine weight of the Amerlcan M47
tanks of
--<- ,rnrch were the standard
:-= flench army at the time of the
l?: s iebut. To allow the M47 tank to
:::s,r r',vo bridges were laid side bY
--:^
.:-: proto'Ype of a new brtdgeiayer
::,-i,r: Jn the chassis of the AMX-30
-:-< -,';as completed in the mid-1960s,
a -. -lr a variety of reasons it was some
- -.-:ars before the f,rst Productlon
.4IB-30 CPP vehicles were delivered
- :-: French armY. The chassis of this
-:1.:.--30 bridgelayer is built by the
-:- :-:l de Constructton Roanne
(ARE),
:-: ::ly MBT plant in France, while the
::-:;:a itself is made bY Titan, which
.'-r: l:ailds many of the trailers used by
-,= i:ench aimy.
-:: overall laYout of the AMX-30
=:::,:';ed bridqelayer is almost iden-
:. :3 that of the MBT, with the driver
-==:e:1 at the front, the commander
--1 i:ndqe operator accommodated
-:- .:: centre, and the engine and
l--<::ssron located at the rear. Like
-:-a. :::ie older AMX-13 CPP, the scis-
is laid
-r: rs crdQle of the AMX-30 CPP
-'.-i-a:Icallv over the rear ofthe vehi-
--.= ,-. j .akes aborrt 5 mtnutes to posi-
recovered,
-- -:- =i a simrlar time to be
.:::::st brtdqes of this tYPe it can be
-. : =i recovered from etther end
l;::-:3 out, the bridge rs 22m (72f1
-:-. ,::g and can sPan a gaP of 20 m
:- - .:-. a constderable imProve-
::-=:,- :'.-el the older AMX- l3 armoured
::-:;:1a1'er. In position the bridge ts
: - :- .-i i 2 in) wide, but wrth the aid
-, ;;i:::ngi paneJs this can be quicklY
-::-ei to 3.92 m (12 ft 10,3 in)
3 --iard equipment lor the AMX-30
in-
=:::-- -::d vehtcle launched bridge
'PJiA
fI Bridsre svstem
Thebridge laid bY the
AMX-30AVLBis22 mlong
and3.1 mwidewhen
opened out, but ilswidth
c an be quic kly increased
to3.92 mwiththeaidof
s pecial wide n ing P anels.
An AMX-30 armoured vehicle-
launched bridge is seen in travelling
mode. This chassts is a/mosl
identical to that of the MBT with
which it has been designed to
operate, so thatbothvehicles have
similar cr o s s - coun try pertor m ance.
Maintenance and operations are
thus simplified.
cludes an NBC system and niqht-vision
equipment. No armament is installed
as oiher armoured vehicles, such as
tanks, would normally be in a position
to flve covering fire. A maior dis-
advbntage of armoured brrdgelayers
such as-the French AMX-13/AMX-30
anci British Chieftain derlatives ls that
when the brtdge is being positioned,
i,e, being laid through 180', its position
can be easily detected by the enemy,
Other bridgelayers, such as the Sovtet
MTU-20 and the West German Brber,
lav their bridges honzontally so as not
to give away their position so easily
I 2-cylinder multi-fuel diesel Performance: maxrmum road sPeed
developins 522.0 kW (700 hP) 50 kr/h (3 L l mph); maxmum ranqe
Specification
Dimensions: Ienqith (with bridge) 600 km (373 miles): fordng 1 0 m (3 fl
AMX-3OCPP
11,40 m (37 ft 4,8 in); width (with 4 in); grradrent 60 per cent; vertical
Crew:3
Weight: 42500 kq (93,696 Ib) bridse) 3,95 m (12 ft I t.5 in); heighl obstacle 0.93 m (3 ft 0 6 in); trench
(withbridqe)4.29 m(14 ft0,9 in) 2,9m(9ft62tn)
Powerplant: one Hrspano-Suiza HS- I 10
nium box{ype structure with the crew
compartment at the front, engine in the
centre and fuel tanks at the rear' Steer-
inq is power-assisted on the fronl
wieeh, and there are tndePendent
brake systems for front and rear' NBC
and air-bonditioninq systems a-re fltted
as standard,
After reaching the obstacle to be
crossed, the PAA raises its four wheels
clear of the ground and rests on shoes
under its hul]. The scissors-tYPe
brrdqe is then launched hydraulicqlly
ovei the front of the vehicle When
ooened out this has a total length of
2\]2m (71{t 3 in) and rs 3.05 m (10 ft
Oin) wide, Wrth the aid of sPectal
wtdening panels carried on a 6xO
truck the ritidth of the bridgte can be
increased to 3.55 m (Il ft 7 B in) lf re-
The PAA self-proPelled bridge
systemwas built for the French army
engineers by the Direction des
C ons tructions et At m6es N av ale s a t
Lorient, although the first prototypes
were built by the West German
company of EWK during the 1960s.
PAA Bridge System (continued)
qurred the widening panels can be
carried attached to the bridge, but in
practice they are normally removed to
reduce the overall width of the vehicle,
With the launch vehicle remainingT rn
position as a ramp, soft-banked gaps of
up to 17.40m (57ft l in) can be cros-
sed, while the hard-banked gap capa-
bility is 22.40 m (73 ft 6 in).
In combat the PAA would normally
replace bridges launched by AMX-30
armoured bridgelayers, which would
lhen move forward. As soon as possi-
b1e bridges laid by the PAA would be
replaced by more permanent and dur-
able structures.
The French army has a number of
other bridging systems in servrce, in-
cluding the Castor light river crossing
equipment and the new CMM Pont
Flottant Motorise Moddle Fl, The latter
is perhaps the French equivalent ofthe
PMP heavy floating bridge, but has a
number ofadvantages: it can be used
as a bridge, raft or pontoon, No pon-
toon boats are required as each centre
E nitix-SO Combat Engineer Tractor (EBG)
Since the late i960s the AMX-I3 En-
gineer Combat Vehicle (V6hicule de
Combat du G6nie, or VCG) has been
the standard vehicle of its type in the
French army, The VCG rs based on the
AMX VCI infantry combat vehicle, and
ts fitted with a front-mounted hydrauli
cally-operated dozer blade, an A-
frame pivoted at the ftont of the hull
which when in position can lift a max-
imum load of 4500 kg (9,921 lb), mine
detectors, a hammer drill, a power saw
and demolition equipment.
In the future the VCG will be re-
placed by the Engin Blinde du Genie
(EBG) or AMX-30 Combat Engrineer
Tractor based on the chassis of the
AMX-30 main battle tank, of which
over 1,000 are in service with the
French army,
The EBG is a much more versatile
vehicle, and will carry out a wide
range of combat engrneer roles in-
cluding laying small minefields, pre-
paring fire posrtions, clearing bat-
tlefield obstacles and so on,
Mounted at the front of the EBG is
hydraulically-operated dozer blade
whtch is used for cleanng and earth-
moving operations, When its six scar-
ifying teeth are lowered and the vehi-
cle is driven in reverse the dozer
blade can be used to rip up the surface
of roads to make them impassable to
wheeled vehicles. Located internally
at the front of the hull is the main hyd-
raulic winch with a capacity of be-
tween 15000 and 20000 kq (33,069 and
44,092 1b), which can be used to recov-
er other vehicles,
Fitted at the front of the hull on the
nght side hydraulic arm that can be
is a
traversed through 360', In addition to
lifting a maximum load of kq
15000
(33,069 1b), the arm can also be fitted
with an auqer for boring holes in the
ground to a depth of3 m (9 ft 10 in) or a
ptncer whrch can be used to np trees
from the clround.
Mounted on the hull top is a one-man
turret armed with a 7.62-mm (0.3-in)
machine-gun, for which 4,000 rounds of
ammunitron are carrred, and located
on each side ol the furret are electri-
cally-operated smoke dischargers,
The vehrcle is also fitted with a 142-
mm (5.6-in) demolrtion-charge laun-
Modern Combat Engineer Equipment
sectron has tvvo outboard motors instal-
]ed,
Specification
PAA
Crew:4
Weight 34500 kg (76,059 lb)
Powerplant: one Deutz V-12 diesel
developing 223,7 kW (300 hp)
Dimensions: lenqth (travelling)
13, 15 m (43 ft 1,7 in); width (travelling)
3,OS m (10 ft 0 in); height (travelling)
3.99 m (13 ft 1, I in)
Performance: maximum road speed
60 km/h (37.3 mph); maximum range
800 km (497 lcn); fording 1.5 m (4 ft
I I in); gnadient 50 per cent; trench no
capability
A F r e nch army P AA se lf - pr ope lled
bridge system unfolds ifs scissors
bridge while an AM X - 30 M BT w aits
to cross. The PAA can either help
make alonger span, or leave the
bridge in position fvhile it moves to
thercar.
Currently under development to
meet the requirements of the French
army engineers is the Engin Blinde
du Genie, which features a front-
l.i:
mounted dozer blade, hydraulic
winch, crane and demolition
l, projector.
Fl
cher, for whrch five charges are car-
ried. Each ofthe charges weighs about
a 17 kg 137.48 Ib) and has a maxrmum
rangre of 300 m (328 yards), Typically
these would be used to destroy bunk-
ers and other battlefield targets. On
each side of the demolition-charge
projector are two mine-launching
tubes, each ofwhich has a container of
flve mines which fall to the ground and
will be activated by any vehicle
weiqhing over 1500 kg (3,307 lb).
Standard equipment for the EBG in-
cludes a deep fordinq kit, an NBC sys-
tem and night-vrsron devices.
Specification
AIVD(-3OEBG
Crew:3
Weight: 38000 kq (83,776 lb)
Powerplant: one Hispano-Suiza HS
i I 0-2 I 2-cylinder multifuel engrne
developins 522.0 kW (700 hp)
Dimensions: length 7.90 m (25 ft 11 in);
width 3,50 m ( I 1 ft 5,8 in); heisht 2,94 m
(9 ft 7.7 in)
Performance: maximum road speed
65 krn/h (40,4 mph); maximum range
500 km (311mi]es); fordrngwithout
preparation2,SO m(8 ft2.4 in); This is one of the two prototypes of slumps. The front-mounted dozer
gnadient 60 per cent; vertical obstacle the EBG, with the hydraulic crane blade can be used for clearing
0.9 m (2 ft l 1.4 in); trench 2.9 m (9 ft traversed to the front and fittedwith battlefieldobstacles or to prepare
6,2 in) pincers for the rapid removal of tree fire positions.
Storming the Ctmal
in 1973 was amasferpiece of combat
the Suez Canal
!ne EgWtian army's attack over
Lisr;-,;;irg) ti":itruiiiadestimatedthatitwouldtake anythtngup totwo davsto
iiig" k"-"*at, proteitea as itwasby hugebanks of sand, buttheEgyptian
engriltxrs had the troops across in a matter of hours'
-:-= '-337 Mrddle East conflict, Israel cap-
:.
.::i ..' :f Sinai from Egypt and in the next few
'.-=-s c.;ili the Bar-Lev Line along the Suez
l.--:- s:etching from Port Said in the north
i-',-,: :: Suez in the south The Bar-l,ev Line,
originator, was not a continuous-
---=:::ed ar-,er its
= :i iortifications, however, but a series of
:::a:red forts and observation posts whose
:---:- rcles were to act as a trip wire and as the
of the Israeli artillery and air
=.,-=s a-nd ears
_::le
of the
-:e size, construction and manpower
-:.1:.itdual fortifications depended on their
::sr:ion and purpose, Most had tnfantry
1;r:ing
posittons, and were surrounded by
:-oed-wire entanglements and other obsta-
:-es. Deep underground bunkers were pro-
',
-ied where the men could rest or take refuge
:: :he event of heavy artiilery bombardment
- re total length of the Bar-l,ev Line from north
:: souih was about l8O km (112 miles)
About 16km (10 mlles) to the rear of the
Bar Lev Line was the Israeli artillery road,
-.';hich ran almost parallel to the Suez Canal and
gave the Israeli army the abilrty to switch its
ieU-propelled artillery umts rapidly from one
llari oithe front to another, A few kilometres to
he rear of the artillery road was the supply
road,
Surprise attack
The Israeli Srnar Front (or Southern Front)
comprised a division under the command o[
Major-General Mandler with three brigades
and just under 300 tanks, Of the three brigades,
one (under the command of Reshef) was-de-
ployed lorward with rts main part north of the
brcjat Bitter Lake and detachments all along
the canal, The other two brigades were de-
ployed to the rear: the brigade in the north was
irncier the command of Amir and the one in the
south under Shamron,
The Egyptians had been massing -their
forces onlh-e western bank of the Suez Canal
lor some time under conditions of greai secre-
cv, men and equipmenl were moved up under
cover ol darkness and then carefully camou-
full mobilizatlon every trme there was a warn-
ino, When the Israehs drscovered that the
Soinet milrtary advtsers were beingwithdrawn
from both Svria and Egrypt they became more
concerned, althouqh as late as 5 October the
overall intelhgence picture presented to the
general staff was thalthere was little probabil-
ijv oi war breaking out; some Israelis were
convinced, however, rhai an Egyplian attack
was imminent,
Bv the next day informatron had started to
come ln at an tncreasing rate, and Israel was
certain that war would break out on both the
Syrian (Northern) and Egyptian (Southern)
FronLs durtno that afternoon
In 1973 thJSuez Canal was about l8 m (59 ft)
deep and between 164 m (538 ft) aLd 220 m
(72?It) wtde. The original bankon the EgypLian
side was about 3 m (10 11) hrgh bul Lhe Israelis
had raised therr srde to anything up to 21m
(69 ft) in heiqht to make it tmpossible for amphi-
bioui vehiCles to cross the canal and then
climb the banks. In addrtion to the fortifications
along the canal, there were also prep:Lred tank
"artillery positions When the Egyp-tians
and
attacked on-the afiernoon of Saturday 6 Octo-
Above:TwoGSP heavy amphibious ferry units
coupled together carry aT-54MBT. Each unit
eniers the ivater on its own and is then j oined up to
form the ferry, which can carry weapons or
vehiclesweighing amaximum of 52 tonnes
e r s p e e d fullv loaded ts
f i i i, aqo ID iM aiimum w at
ber, there were less than 500 men and just
three tanks defendinq the Bar-lrev ]rtne
Egyptian air strikes
The Egyptian air force carried out some 250
sorties against the three key arrfrelds in Sinai as
well as against the major Israeli command, con-
trol and communications centres, some of the
strongpornts on ihe canal ltself, and atr-
defencb and artillery positions, The Egyptian
army opened up wtth some 2,000 artillery
pieies,- Soviet-supplted FROG surlace-to'
surface missiles and multiple rocket systems
The role of the first wave ol 8,000 Egyptian
infantrymen was to cross the canal in asssault
boats, wherever possible well away from the
Israeli fortrflcations and their machine-guns,
and to hoid the lar bank until the arrival of the
second wave ol infantry, which was tasked to
hold the bank while the first wave advanced a
short distance ahead and dug in. Once the
second and fourth waves were safely across
they advanced about Zkm(LZ4 miles) rnto the
desert and dug in, Many of them broughl with
them the man-portable version oi the Sovtei
AT-3 'sagger' anti{ank gnrlded weapon (com-
monly called the suitcase tank ktller) as well as
SA-7-'Grarl' man-portable surfacelo-air mis-
siles.
The infantry bypassed the Israeli Bar-Lev
strongpoints,-which were left to specialil
trained units, The Egyptians had expected
very heavy casualttes rn the lirst waves' but
Below : Soviet-supplied K -6 I fully- tracked
amphibious cargo catriers were used by the,
Eoiptian armv to carry troops,weapons and
are
.Ibbiies across the Suez Canal' These vehicles
eich carrying aWest German Mercedes-Benz
unimog 4x4light cargo truck.

flaged and instructed to maintain strict radio 7.7 kmlh(4.8 mPh)'

sii5nce. To the Israeli observers on the far bank
things appeared perfectly normal, even down
to E-gypir-an soldrers resting in the-open The
eqyiiian Iorces included the 2nd Army rn-the
noittr wrttr Lhree intantry divistons (2nd 16th
and 18th) and the 3rd Army rn the south.wilh
two infantry divisions (7th and t9th) In addttton
there were two armoured and three mecha-
nized divisions plus additional brrgades of
tanks and paratroops, and battalions of com-
mandos and marlnes, A11 of this was protected
bv a massrve arr-de{ence system incorporattng
radars, surface-to-air missiles and antt-arrcrait
ouns. This defensive screen had been well
5xercised in the earlier 'War of Attrition" and
was treated with respect by the Israeli air
iorce,
The Israeiis started to receive lnformation
from a number of sources oi an impendtng
Egyptian attack during September 1973, bui
th-e-v did not mobilize their reserve forces as
previous alarms had proved to be false and the
israeli economy could not afford the expense of

1944

their total iosses were only about 200 men krl-
led, many of these being in the 3rd Army to the
south,
Tenbridges
A total of 10 bridges was put across the Suez
Canal: three near Kantara, three around
Ismailia-Deversotr and the remaining four
around Geneifa-Suez. The brggest problem
facing the Egyptrans was the raptd removal of
the high banks of sand on each side of the canal
so that vehicles could get to the pontoon
brldges. The Israeli army had estimated that rt
'would take anything from24 to 48 hours for the
Egyptrans to put bridges across the canal,
whrch would be enough trme for the Israelis to
bring their reinforcements up from the rear,
The Egyptrans solved thrs problem by usrng
high pressure water jets simply to wash the
banks away. The Sovret-supplied 'ribbon
oridges' were quickly in position and soon the
.anks, armoured personnel carriers and other
equipment was pourine across the Suez Canal.
The israeli army engaged the Egyptran cros-
srng points with artillery, but this was not very
accurate as a result of the lack of forward
:bservers. The israeli air force soon started to
aitack ihe brrdges as well, but its aircraft en-
:cuntered heavy antr-aircraft fire as the
cridges were weil withln the protectton belt of
3nrns arid missiles, When the Israelis dld suc-
:eed in hitting and damaging one of the pon-
:con bridges, the Egyptrans were able to take
:he damaged ponioon out and put in a new one,
ll addrtron to the 'ribbon brrdge', Soviet-
supplied GSP ferries were also used by the
-gyptrans to ferry armoured vehicles across
:he canal,
The objectrve of the Egyptran army was that
each division was to establish a frrm bridge-
read about 8 km (5 mrles) long and 5 km (3, I
iniles) deep and then to push forward through
:he three key passes of Khatmia, Gidr and Mitla,
Modern Combat Engineer Equipment
The Egyptians hoped that by the evening of 7
October they would be on the Israeh supply
road, but rn fact by this time they held only
three large pockets, although massrve amounts
of equipment were now on the east bank of the
Suez Canal lor the inland exploitation
The first Israeli counterattacks were a disas-
ter as tank after tank was hit by the rvell-
conceaied 'Sasqer'ATGWs, and soon ihe bat-
tlefield was lrttered with burning Israeli tanks
The world's media, on hearing oi the first un
successlul Israeli counterattacks, believed that
this proved that the tank had no future. The
Israelis had in fact stumbled ahead wrihout
artrilery, infantry or air support and conse-
quently pard a heavy pnce
Soon, however, israeli reinforcements
started to reach the Southern Front, although to
the general staff the situatron on the Northern
Front was far more serious as the Syrians had
almost reached the Sea of Galilee. The rein-
forcements arrived in the nick of trme as by
Sunday Mandler's divisron had lost :r'vo-thirds
of its tanks, The rest is history: the Egyptrans
were stopped way before they reached to the
crucral passes, and in the ensuinq days the
largest tank battles since the Battle of Kursk rn
*::
-t
::"1e.*"x
l"F,
*+i:;,itt:/.
1,'4.:e8:
_ aft.
1'r
A S oviet- supplied SA- 2' G u ideline' s urf ace- to- air
missile o{ Egtyptian Air Defence Command. These
missiles forced the Israeli air force to fly much
lower, where they encountered anti-aircraft
systemssuch as ZSU-23-4.When the Israeli army
crossed fft eSuez Canal these were neutralized.
World War II took piace as 2,000 Israeli ani
Egyptran tanks slogged it out across the desert
The Israeh seneral stafl had decrded that the
only way to defeat the Egyptian army was :c
attack across the canal itsell and chose a spo.
north of the Great Bitter Lakes between the
Egyptian 2nd and 3rd Armres Once the
brrdgehead was established across the canal
units swept north to Ismailia and westward
where they not only engaged the Egyptian
army but also knocked out the SAM srtes that
were provrng so much trouble to the Israeli arr
force. In the end the Egyptian 2nd Army was
cut olf and a ceasefire came into effect on 22
October.
Below: After the Egyptians failed to reach the
passet the Israelis counterattacked and
tftemse,lyes crossed the canal just north of the
Great Bitter Lakes. ZlIe subse quent armoured
drive to Ismailia broke the Egyptian defence and
endedthewar.
.' 'i.d:s!. ; ;,.
.., .;:t-;r&. *.:t:
,ia
r1 %,
I.i-.9+:-.-€+
-:'r-','=
.,"'&t-*''*t
&
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*=; ;- -.--4
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:
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 FFV Anti-Tank Mines
Antr-tank mines have been around
since the tank first appeared on the
battlefleld, Until recent years these
normally had a pressu-re{ype fuse that
was activated by the tracks of the tank
and relied on the blast effect to cause
damage to it, Combat experlence has
shown that in many cases lhe suspen-
sion of the tank is damaged, so result-
rng in a mobrlity kill, But often the tank
can be repaired and soon be in ser-
vrce again, With pressure-type anti-
tank mines large numbers of mines
have to be laid to ensure that the
minefield is effective,
FFV of Sweden reallzed that what
was required was an anti-tank mtne
that wor.ild kill the tank rather than im-
mobilize it for a few hours, and that the
rntroduction of new frxes would not
only make the mine more effective but
also reduce the number requrred This
mine was gtven the designation FFV
028, and after the usual troop trials and
modificatrons was accepted for ser-
uce with the Swedish armY in 1982.
The FFV 028 anti-tank mine can be
laid by hand but rs normally laid by a
two-wheeled minelayer specially de-
veloped by FFV. This minelaYer can
be t6wed by a varietY of tracked and
wheeled vehicles, and can laY the
mines on the surface or under the
oround at a maximum rate of 20 a mi-
iute; the operator can select the dis-
tance between each so mlnefields with
various densities can be laid The
bwied mines are laid about 250 mm
(9.84 in) under the ground and the top
sorl is replaced, so makrng detection
drfficrit by the naked eYe,
There are two main Parts to the FFV
l2B anti-tank mine: the fuse syslem in
.ire centre and the body itsell which
:ontains the battery, uncovering
charqe, Iiner and main charge Once'.
-ie mine ls laid it operates as follows
-v\hen vehicle passes over the mineT
a
-ie fi:se system senses the disturbancd
': the local magnetic field, and when
iie conditions are right (i,e. thevehlcle
'. nght over the mlne) the electronic
:::it emits an initiation Pulse to the
flmilv of Scatterable Mines
=
l: atl the nations in the world it is the
-:jled States that has Put the most
:-:rt into the design, develoPment
:::d oroduction of new mine systems,
r.;::ch have been given the official title
Family of Scatterable Mines, or FAS-
CAM for short.
ADAM
3e Area Denial Artillery Munition
(ADAM) s alreadY in semce with the
(6 i-
-'S Armv and rs fued from l55-mm
:- weapons such as the self-
--:ll-ery
:::celled M109, There are two types
:: -:,DaV projectlle, each containing
:i n:nes:-the M692 Projectile has
-wrth a longi self-destruct iuse
::-:-es
':: rrcre than
a daY), while the M73l
:-:: l::rnes wlth a short self-destruct
':i: '-e less than a daY), The mines
---.=::-+j bv ADAM are wedge-shaPed
.: :' : :i- ihe surface; each mine has
>:'.'=: ::rD Vnres, and once any one of
-:=;e -= ::uched lt activates the mine
,r:-::- :-,plcdes sending out hundreds
,,::;,::is
F,F.E-l'fS
-:,= Remote Anti-Armor Mine SYs-
:e:n rR-A,qMS) rs similar in concePt to
electronic detonator, This sets off the
uncovenng charge, which not onlY
blows away the upper part of the cen-
tre of the mine but also the earth or any
camouflagTe over the mine, The hollow
charge then goes off, and this will
penetrate the belly armour of any tank,
ihowering the rnside of the vehicle
with fraqments of metal and also prob-
ablv set-trnq off the ammunitlon that ls
often stow6d in the lower part of the
tank.
TVro types ofthe FFV O2B have so far
been developed: the standard FFV 028
RU and the more soPhisticated FFV
028 SN, The latter is fitted with booby-
trap and self-destruction/neutraliza-
tion devices, and has an operational
life of 30 days,
ADAM except that it carries anti-tank
mrnes each rniei ghing2.27 kq (5 1b): the
M7I8 projectile carries mines with
long self-destruct time (i.e over 24
hours), while the M74I projecttle car-
ries mines with a short self-destruct
time (i,e, under 24 hours). The actual
nroiectrle case of bolh ADAM and
heelts is the same as that used tn the
M483 Improved Conventional Muni-
tion (ICM), which has BB grenades that
are dispensed over the target area ln
operational use an artillery battery-
would probably fire several volleys of
both ADAM and RAAMS Protectiles to
give a combined anti-tank and anti-
personnel minefield,
M56 antltank mine sYstem
The M56 was the first member of the
FASCAM series to enter seruice with
the US Army. The M56 system consists
essentially bf a Bett UH-l series heh-
conter with a SUU-13/A dtspenser on
ea'ch .id" of the fuselage and a control
panel inside, Each dispenser holds 40
canrsters. each of whiah has rwo M56
antr-tank mines, There are three diffe-
rent types of mine, all of which lie on
the surface and are identical in
According to FFV, a conventional
minefield with 1,000 anti-tank mines
can be laid by 30 soldiers in about 3.5
hours, whereas the FFV minelayer can
in I hour lay 400 mines with the same
effeqtiveness usrng just four men,
FFV has also recently developed
another mine system, the FFV 013 anti-
personnel mine. This shrapnel-type
weapon can be used not onlY for
ambush puposes but also for defend-
ing key airfields and other vulnerable
targets. When activated the mine pro-
jects 1,200 fragments to a range of
Below: A Swedish FW mechanical minelayer is towed by aVolvo All Tettain
Vehicle with F FV 0 2 I anti- tank mi nes being placed on a m inelayinS q hulg'- -
tiiei: e iutiia. of the mine itself . One version has an operational life^o^f 1.20
aiii; {ne otner has a self-neutralization system which operates after 30 days'
appearancer the flrst is operated by a
piesswe fuse; the second has been
designed to defeat minefield clearing
by rollers and wi]l detonate after the
rollers have passed overhead; and the
thrd has an anti-disturbance device to
drscourage clearance efforts. The M56
entered sewice in 1977 and will prob-
ably be replaced in the future by the
Volcano unrversal mtne-dispensing
system.
GEMSS
The Ground Emplaced Mine Scat
tering System (GEMSS) is one of the
more recent members of FASCAM,
and is more commonlY known as the
'Frisbee Flinger', It consists basically of
a trailer that can be towed bY a
wheeled (e,q, 6x6 truck) or tracked
vehicle (e,g, Ml13 APC) on which is
mounted a large drum-type magazine
that can dispense M74 anti-personnel
mines and M75 anti-tank mines at the
rate of two per second; 800 mines can
be carried. Once the 800 mines have
been surface-laid, the launcher can be
reloaded by five men in about 20 mi-
nutes.
l50m (164 yards) through an arc of
100 m (328 ft) to a helqht of 4 m (13 ft)
Specification
FFVO2SRU
Type:anti-tankmtne
Weight: whole weapon 7,5 kqt
(16.53 1b); burstinqcharge 3.5 kQt
(7,7Ib)
Dimensions: diameter 250 mm (9.8 in);
heiqht 110 mm (4,3 in)
Bursting charge: RDIVTNT
Operational life: 180 days
Volcano
The Volcano universal mine-
dispensing system is beinq developed
to meet the requirements of the US
Armv and will be carried on the sides
of The Sikorskv UH-60 Black Hawk heh-
copter as weil as by vehtcles such as
trucks, Each UH-60 will have hvo dis-
pensers each holding 40 cansters of
hrnes on each side ofthe Iuselage; 960
anti-tank and anti-personnel mrnes will
be carrred for dispensing in sequence
over the target area,
MOPMS
The Modular Pack Mine System
(MOPMS) consists of a module that can
be carned by two men and contatns 2I
anti-tank and anti-personnel mines
which are launched bY a remote con-
trol umt,
GATOR
The anti-armour sYstem known as
GATOR was develoPed for use bY the
US Navy and US Air Force, and con-
sists of dispensers which are carried
under an aircraft to distribute anti-tank
mines.
I
ffiinelfifqnrfcme
Modern landmines are a deadlier menace than everbefore.
Modern Combat Engineer Equipment
rollers have sufficient pressure-to set off any antt tan( mtnes tn the:r pai^ --=
Now largely made of ptastic, thei aie aitticittio aii"iiliJ explosron cq!sed by the mine lifts the rollers into the air, hopef uily noi ila,rag . .
oftenfittedwith anti-handling devices to blow up anyane "r. ail of them. The US Ar-my has reDertly ssrrtr.i a mine clealing r.oiler lor,ts iil a:
series tan(s Ancther sysre- 5 l^e m ne ploJgn. w^ cn s alidcneo .o-
attempting to ciisarm them. iaid rather iike seeds bymachines ol [he tank wh ch is then driven forwards. mines in its path are then p,s:::
iowed by APCs, mlnes threaten men and vehicles alike, and aside for iater neutra ization or detonation Tne lirae i arid British arm,es l.:l
the search for effective countermeasures contrnues. lavo T ne-cie_l'ance plorgns .n seTv.cp. ;1 Lhe dtler u'ay '-ey a.e ,:-
,-
Ce^tur on AV?Fs ano Ch e'rain o-idoelayers.
warfare today nvo ves nol only the layrng of anti-tank and anti-personnel
',,1'ne Yet another^syqteTl? aI ex_plosrVe charge such as the Brrtish Grani\,i l:.
'l nes, bu1 also the r delection and clearance. As m nes have become more SVstemortheSovel M-\ The orrer Stra e-.ou^reoa^ctno-mdl\, .r=
.cphrstrcated a great deal of work has gone into detectlon and clearance a Cenrrrion AVFF. Tre v'^ clc halts'-st oulsroe 116. r;ns isl6 ano re .. i
rr. ethod s. Viper is fired from withrn the safety of the vehrcle: a 2Zg-m (7b0 ft) hose fi,e:
with explosive is carried across the m nef e d by a c uster of eight rockets, e-:
Mine detection falls {hopeiuily in a straight lrne) onto the mtneireld before beiiq detonateo i.:
fo'
many years most ant tank and antt,personnel mines had a larqe metal clear a par^ 182 /600 l, ,on9 a^d 7.6 n- ,25'tJ wop
ntent { nclud nq the case and fuse). Th s made their detectton bv conventtonal The US Army has aiso tried usrng Fuel Air Fxplosrves {or clearing minefie:ls
-' re oetectors Jfair y easy matter. Then, duflnq World War ll, mines made of a'd tr ais -d\ e Oeen qil la rJC-esbf-i. One SySte^ , l"e Slr'aCe , 3j.6.og - -
.. o cdroooa'd cno ovnn g ass we e nr.oducec. 1^e5e plo\ :^q \ -.\ oi"icJll lo fuel A r fto os ve rS- rr ALr o^d baseo o- an V5,1d trac. eo cargo ca e- -
::iect, and in recent years most of the new m nes introduced into service are we l enror seTv ce i- the not loo disranr luture
--:ce of plastrc with just one or two small metal parts in thetr fuses Thls has
--"de their locatron by conventtonal devices almost iilpossible, so constderably . ..As the Bltrsh army discovered rn the Falklands conf ict and the US Arml
Vietnam, m nes are a malor probiem and at present there are no systems inai
'-cre sensrtive nnine detectors har,re now been developed and placed in service. can detect and ciear every type of mine lrlely to be encountered.'
- rr o col -rodern n' ;ne crete ro is thu N.MD-78 s,pplied oy, " ret.l q"enf iic
*^is
'- r- e1's oi tne UK. svsre- cdn delecl meta a'd ^on n-elci I c -irp',-
. - 5 eve'y lvon o[.oi. !o ^o^dtions Can also ca-se probons.r n ne
-jetection so the NMD-78 automattcally takes thrs factor into account. The
.rdlo/ -or^ a lv wol." s owll a^ead sweep nq Jne o","aLoi llo- oj"
-'. 1o rneolhpr'amne,.oetecltroasg^a isq\trn 'r'" n Lnehes-1p16p^5yyo'n
: ^e ope'ator wno lnen src,ps. l-re r^g" c61o'1ili r\a- nes Ine
"'Jr{ace to scc
' :rere are any tell tale marks' for example, f resh earth can indicate that a mine
-:s rust been laid, wh ile a trip wtre can warn of an anti,perscnnel mine or a tilt rod
:'an anti{ank mine. The operator then has to cail in a specialized mtne clearance
::arr-r with its equrpment to uncover the mine verV caref ullV and try to dtsarm t.
nes have dn a.i I oevi( C O.ro^dI ng rnp./vedpon as Sooa as t s ] 'teo
.'.,/o"re qtou^d). wh"o oin.ts aave a ou lt: a r o;st_"ba^ce svs.en .

^es rSed by lgrr6 ir'5 a-e !i't-dlrv .-pOSb O u tC Optect ds t'tey Can ta\e
. 'fslanv'orm {o'e"ar oe om ncr.rntetIaloncsroearoad ndcounltvarea
\o' e-^ l'pa'd te"or'sl" o'e- pec. ,s ^ rci a" 227,q r5OO lbl oi ^'qr-
.:xplosive in a culvert or d rarn u nder a road to be detonut"a frv rSroiu .ontiof iJ a
. Ce O- d'-VVerrCltr CdscC-. TneSe ^ i-e. ^ave.;O m.rL-'O-Ce thal ony veniCle
'lJ'e. eVeil d'r d-nnOJreO pctrO^np Carrer. u..'l be dtrS tOyed. DOq- rar.e
. -ovtsd to ba verv use u i^ sril{nq o-, ootl m nes and erplosive" n -an\
. r^tries. ano rre -SA 5 cJne^riv wor.i^q on r^e Airbor^e V .erreld DcLaction
>vstem (AMIDS), which wlll be an BPV {itted w,rth electro-optrcal sensors.

--o:.;;;;;;lare
Mine clearance
been dere.reo rrey rn-st be ce,:red, o. a wJy ndr ro oa
:cund around the minefield. Mines can be cleared by hand, but thrs is a tirne-
:onsuiring and dangercus occupatiorr. f nere are nbw'a numOeiof svst"rr ti-,ut
:an be employed to clear both anti tank and anti-personnel minef relds, a thouqh The front-mounted mine-clearing roller system fitted to this M6AA3 detonates
o^e o'rhem s IOO oer cenr errect:ve mines before the tank runs aver them. The device between the rollers sets off
tror many
Vears r^c Sor,el Jn on ,ras'irted so-e o t. -.54 --55 an^s w Lh
mines with tilt rod fuses.
'n ne-clearng rollers to the f ront of each track: the tank is dlven forward and the

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a€:; '% '' "F.__
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*tr

ThisM6AAI MBT of thelsraeliArmy is fittedwithRKM mine-clearing rollers on A,n FV432armoured personnel carrier of the British Army tows a Royal
the hull front. T&ese are essen tially an adaptatian of the Soviet RKM mine- Ordnance Bar minelayer. Bar mines are placed on the chute of the minelayet
clearing rollers, and can be mounted by two men in about I5 minutes which arms the mine, buries it and replaces the soil to make detection of ine
provided that the tank has already been fitted with an adaptor assembly. mines more difficult
 tnfZZg Combat Engrineer
=
: ne 1950s the standard MBT of the
-S ,A,rmy was the M4B, which was to
:a;e been replaced by a new vehicle
,-.Jed the T95. Using the same chassis
: :cmbat engtineer vehicle was de-
;:':ped under the designation TllB
-:- jre end the whole T95 Project was
::::e11ed atong with the T118, and
:::--ner development of the M4B took
:-ace. The result was the M60, which
::-:ered production in 1960. A decision
'r- then taken to deveiop a combat
::grneer vehicle on this chassis under
--:: designation TI1SEL After trials
.,,--:r prolorype vehicles. this type was
-:-aliy accepted for service as the
l,!28 Combat Engineer Vehicle in
-333. So far some 300 M72Bs have been
al'i at the Detroit Tank Plant, which is
r.:-,v operated for the US ArmY bY
3:neral Dynamics. In addition to
::.nqused by the US ArmYthe M72B is
:.-rc rn service with Saudi Arabia and
S:-gapore,
The M72B is essentiallY an M60Al
LIBT with its 105-mm (4, 13-in) M6B qun
r:placed by a short-barrelled 165-mm
-i.5-rn)
demolrtion gnrn for neutralizinqt
i:aitlefleld fortifications; 30 rounds of
:-qh explosive squash-head (HESH)
A operated dozer blade which can be
ai:rnunition are carried for this gnrn.
- c2-mm (0,3-in) machtne-gun is
r:urled co-axtal wilh the marn arma-
rent. ard the commander has a cupo-
la mourted 12.7-mm (0,S-in) machine-
Pivoted at the front of the hull is an
l--rame which can lift a maximum load
:r 13876 kq (35,000 1b); when the vehi-
The M 7 2 8 C ombat E ngineer Vehic Ie
is usedby engineers inforward
areas to cleat and prepare
futtlefreld obstacles. In addition to
E Counter Obstacle Vehicle
-:- :::sent the M72B Combat Engineer
-,-::-:-:
ls the standard vehicle of its
--{€ -:- ite US Army. Althouqh excel-
,=:- ,:r neutralizingt battlefield for-
-'::-::is Lhls type has verY limtted
capabilities and none at
==,:i:rr,Lr]qf
=
'
-:: :;ea-rmq mtnes, The Belvoir Re-
s=-'-::- a::d Development Center near
',',--=:,:l1cr. DC, has designed the
C€unter Obstacle Vehicle (COV) to
r:rr-; l'*- crr the battlefield a wide
:-:=- :: r:les such as mine clearance,
-::=-1 ,--r-j:: aln-tank drtches and cra-
,:e lemoval of trees. The
=:s
:l,l: --i
:: rpa:::l wtuch currentlY manu-
=:-::. -:-: M88AI Armored Recov-
e:1 Vehicle ard a comPlete familY of
.-; =;1-;e'ed arnllery weapons, has
:-- ir: ll-'-s. whrch were com-
:!::=: =.:]-; -:: 1383. One of these rs for
:-= ,l -1::,; :::d the other for Israel
Vehicle
The standard combatengineervehicle of theUS Army is theMTZS,whichis a
M60 tankwith its 105-mm ganreplaced by a 165-mm demolitiongun, an
A-frame for lifting pivoted at the front ot huL| and a hydraulically-opelated
dozer blade for itearing obstacles. It is also used bySingapore andSaudi
Arabia.
cle is travelling the A-frame is normal-
lv swirns lhrough about 120" to lie back
on the rear engtne decking. The rmnch
to operale with the A-lrame is mounted
at rhe rear of the Lurret and controlled
by the tank commander. Mounted at
the front of the hull is a hydraulically-
used for fiilinq in holes, clearing obsta-
cles and preparing fire positions Stan-
dard equipment on all vehicles in-
cludes night-vision equipment (includ-
ing a searchligiht mounted above the
main armament), an NBC sYstem and
provision for installing deep fording
apparatus.
its I65-mm demolition grun it also has
a 7.62-mm co-axial machine'gun and
a cupola-mounted I 2.7 -mm
machine-gun.
The prototypes are based on a mod-
ifled MBBA1 with a much more Power-
ful engine. The driver, telescoPic
arms' operator and vehicle comman-
der are seated one behind the other at
the front of the vehrcle: each crew
member has a rearward-opening
halch cover and observatton Peri-
scopes, and is seated slightly higher
than the man in front to allow good
obsewation of the terrain,
Mounted at the front of the hul1is the
hydraulicatly-controlled dozer blade,
which rs also used to clear mines bY
pushing them to one side, Mounted
above the blade are three sensor arms
which control the operatinq height of
the blade automaticaily,
Pivoted at the front ofthe hull, one on
each side, are two telescoPtc arms
each fltted with a digglng bucket
For some 20 years the US ArmY has
been developing a vehicle called the
Universal Engineer Tractor (or UET).
This was subsequently renamed the
M9 Tractor, Full Tracked, High Speed,
Armored Dozer-Scraper Combination,
and more recently still the M9 High
Speed Armored Combat Earth Mover,
or ACE for short. Each year the US
Army has requested funding for this
vehicle so that full-scale production
can stafi, but each time the Congress
has hrrned the request down. The M9
highly flexible piece of equrpment,
rs a
and can be used as a dozer, qrader,
scraper, dumper, pioneer vehicle or
This M728 Combat EngineerVehicle
(CW) A-frame lowered over
has an
the rear engine decks for travel.
When required for use the A-frame is
When travelling, the arms are re-
tracted and traversed to the rear to
reduce the COV's overall length, If re-
quired, the bucket at the end ofeach
telescopic arm can be replaced by
other attachments such as an auger for
boring holes in the gnound, grrapples,
liftinq hooks, clamshells and hammers.
Another useful feature of the two arms
is that they can also be used to assist
the vehicle in getting rtselfout ofobsta-
cles. Mounted at the front and rear are
hydraulic outlets for a vadety of hand
tools.
If required the COV could also be
fltted with mine-clearing rollers at the
front of the hull, and a Clear Lane
Markrng System (CLAMS) at the rear
to show following vehicles the clear
path.
If trials with the prototype of the
carrier, It can be transported by air-
craft or helicopters such as the Sikors-
ky CH-54, and has a limited amPht-
bious capabilily.
Specification
M728
Crew:4
Weight: 53200 kg (l17,285 tb)
Powerplant: one Teledyne Continentai
AVDS- 1790-2A 12-cylinder dlesel
developing 559,3 kW (750 bhp)
Dimensions: lenqrth (travelling) 8.92 m
(29 ft 3 in); width (overall) 3.71 m (12 ft
2 in); heisht (travelling) 3.20 m (10 ft
6 in)
Performance: maximum road speed
48.3 km/h(30 mph); maximumrange
451 km (280 miles); fording 1,22 m(4 fr.
0 in); gradient 60 per cent; vertical
obstacle 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in); trench 2.5 I m
(B ft 3 in)
swung forwards through about 120
degrees andcanlift amaximum load
of 1 5876 kg (35,000 tb).
COV are satisfactory, production is ex-
pected to start iater this decade rf
money is made available bY the Con-
gress,
Specifi cation (provisional)
cov
Crew:3
Weisht:loaded 61779 kq (136,200 lb)
Powerplant: one Teledyne Contrnental
Motors AVDS-1790-5 V-12 diesel
developing 677. I kW (908 hP)
Dimeniions: length (overall) 1 1,48 m
(37 ft B in); width (vehicle only) 3,43 m
(1I ft 3 in); helqht 2.87 m (9 ft 5 in)
Performance: maxrmum road sPeed
43,5 kn/h (27 mph); maximumroad
range 402 km (250 miles); fording
L42 m (4 ft B in); gnadient 60 per cent;
verticalobstacle L07 m (3 ft 6 in);
trench2.62 m (B ft 7 in)
@ ifit'h%phibious Bridse and Ferry System
In the 1950s the West German com-
pany Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern
Goppner GmbH undertook production
of the Gillois bridge and ferry system
based on the design of the French
General J, Gillois, The Gillois system,
which is still used by the French army,
consists of two basrc umts, bridge and
rampr each of these is mounted on a
4x4 vehicle fitted with large 18x25
cross-country tyres and powered by a
164,l-kw (220-hp) V'12 Deutz diesel
engine, Before the equipment enters
the water a pneumatic float is attached
on each side and inflated to provide
additional buoyancy. When the units
are in the water the roadway or ramp
units are rotated throuEth 90" and cou-
pled up to form a bridge or ferry.
When afloat each unit rs propelled by a
propeller unit. The major disadvan-
tage of this system is that it takes almost
30 minutes to prepare each umt for
water use and the pneumatic floats are
prone to damage, not only from small
arms fire and shell splinters but from
river debns,ln the 1960s EWK and
Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz developed
the M2 Amphibious Bridge and Ferry
System to meet the reguirements of the
West German army, After the usual
troop trials this was accepted and en-
tered sewice in 1968. The M2 systemis
also used by the British army and Srng-
apore, the latter havinq a version with
shghtly more powerful engines.
The M2 is based on a 4x4 chassis
wrth 16,00x20 cross-country tyres;
steering can be on all four wheels, and
the ground clearance can be adjusted
fuom within the cabin to suit the ground
being crossed. Before the M2 enters
the water, a hydraulically-operated
buoyancy tank is unfolded on each
side of the hull and the deckinq posi-
tioned by an onboard crane. This grives
a total roadway lenqth of 7.62 m (25 ft)
@ i,li"ilia I Armoured Ensineer vehicle
The Leopard I Armoured Eng,ineer
Vehiclewas developed by Krupp MaK
of Ktel specifically to meet the requrre-
ments of the West German army, the
first production vehicles being com-
pleted in 1968, The company subse-
quently built six for Beigium, 36 for
West Germany, 12 for Italy and 25 for
the Netherlands. More recently OTO
Melara of Italy has burlt an additional
28 Leopard I AEVs for the ltalian army,
The Leopard I AEV rs alrnost iden-
tical to the Leopard 1 Armoured Re-
covery Vehicle, the major difference
being that the AEV carries demolition
charges and fuses but has no spare
powerpack,
Mounted at the front of the hull is a
hydraulically-operated dozer blade
that can be used for preparing f,re
and a width of 5.480 m (lB ft 0 in). The
units then enter the water, where they
are coupled together to form a ferry or
bridge, The latter is to Class 50,
although introduction of the Challen-
ger MBT has meant that British army
M2s have had to be beefed up to take
the additronal werght,
The M2 has two enqines. When
afloat one of these ddves two prop-
ellers for lateral propulsion whrle the
other powers a single steerrng prop-
eller. The main advantage of the M2
over the earher Gillois system is that it
can be brought into action more quick-
ly and is less susceptible to damage.
The Japanese Ground Self-Defense
Force uses a system similar to the M2:
this is called the Type 70 Self-
Propelled Pontoon Bridge but has a
capacity of 40000 kq (BB,1BS lb).
Specification
M2
Crew:4
Weight 22000 ks (48,502 lb)
Powerplant: two Deutz Model F B L
7 ]4a V-B diesels each developinq An M2 amphibious bridging and enter the water. Each M2 has three
132.7 kW(178 hp) ferry system with its hydraulically- propellers, one for steering and two
Dimensions: length (travelling) operated buoyancy tanks in position for sideways propulsion. Maximum
I 1.315 m (37 ft 1.5 in); width (travelling) each side of the hull prepares to waterspeedis 14 km/h(8.7 mph).
3.579 m ( I I ft 8.9 in); height (travelling)
3,579 m(11ft8.9 rn)
Performance: maximum road speed
60 knih(37.3 mph); maximumrange
1000 km (621 miles); endurance
(water) 6 hours; fordinq amphibious;
grradient 60 per cent; trench no
capabrlity
B elow : T hree M 2 amp hibiou s
bridging and ferry units are coupled
together in thewater toform three-
bay ferry capable of carrying tanks
such as the Leopard 2 or Chieftain. It
rs a/so usedby Singapore and
England.
Above : The introduction into British additional weight of these vehicles.
Army s ervice of the C hallenger M BT This has been accomplished by the
has meant that B ritish M2 systems fitting of inflatable bags along the
have had to bemodified to carry the sides.
positions, or for clearing roads and
other obstacles. The width of the blade
can be extended by addinq pieces to
each end and four scanfrers can be
fitted to it for npping up the surface of
roads when the tank is being driven in
reverse. The dozer blade is also used
to stabilize the vehicle when the u,rnch
or crane is bernq used,
T he Leopard armoured engineer
vehicle is identical to the Leopard
arrnoured recovery vehic le, ex cept
that itcarries no powetpack and is
fittedwith a heat exchanger and
auger, and its dozer blade is fitted
with special scarifiers to rip up the
surfaces ofroads.
treopard I Armorued Engineer Vehicle (continued)

I
I

The leopard I
Armoured Engineer
Vehicle
The Lapard Armoured EngineerVehicle is based
on iiechassisof theLeopard I MBTandhasbeen
desig:nd to carry out a wide variety of missions on
uhe battietreid, rn cluding drilling holes for infantry
or demolitions, rippingup surfaces otroads to
ma&e &em imp assable to wheeled vehicles, lifting
ioa.ds with iE hydraulic crane, using its dozer
br'ede fo remove obstacles or to prepare fire
pwitions for other vehicles and anti-tank
rseapns, andthe preparationof riverbanks to
e.rabje facked and wheeled vehicles to enter and
err't-
Modern Combat Engineer Equipment

FETER 54$?96r.1 -TtlNY BssfAn

-:h-l
Leopard 1 Armoured Engineer Vehicle (continued)
Fitted at the front of the hull on the
right side is a hydraulically-operated
crane which can lift a maximum load of
2000Okq (44,0921b), It can also be
fitted at one end with an auqier that can
drill holes in lhe gtound to a maximum
depth of 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Mounted in the
lower part of the crew compartment at
the front of the hull is the main winch
with a capacity of 35000 kq (77, 162 1b),
a fignre which can be doubled with the
aid of a pulley,
Standard equipment includes de-
molrtion blocks and detonators, tow
bars and shackles, and electric weld-
ing and cutting qear,
Installed in the front ofthe hull on the
left srde is a ball-mounted 7.62-mm
(0.3-in) machine-gmn, a similar weapon
berng located on the roof for anti-
aircraft defence, A bank of sx electrt-
cally-operated smoke discharqers is
fitted on the left of the hull, firing for-
wards.
The Leopard I AEV is used for a
wide range oI roles such as preparmg
fire positions, recovery of bogged-
down vehicles, prepalng bridges and
other high-value targets for demoli-
tion, fllling in holes and keepinq roads
clear, to name but a few.
@ lTil:]f Armoured Vehicle-Launched Bridse
As wlth the Leopard 1 MBT program-
me, the West German army decided to
build two different bridgtelayers for
comparative trials, these betng known
as the Type A and the T1rye B, After
troop lials the latter was selected by
the West German army and flrst pro-
duction vehicles were completed by
Krupp MaK Maschinenbau in 1975. In
addition to the 105 Leopard armoured
bridgelayers burlt for the West ,Ger-
man army, sx were built for Canada
and 14 for the Netherlands; flve were
bullt by Australia, More recently the
Italian company OTO Melara has built
64 vehicles for the ltalian army. In the
West German army the vehicle ts com-
monly called the Biber (beaver)
although rts offlcial desigrnation is the
Briickenlegeparzer Biber, or BRLPZ- I
for short.
The hull of the Biber rs virhnlly iden-
trcal to that of the Leopard i MBT, but
wlth its turret replaced by a two-part
aluminium bridge. When opened out
the bridge has a total lengrth of 22 m
(72f1 Ztn) and can be used to span
gaps up to a maxrmum of 20 m (65 ft
7.4 in), As with all bridges of this type
the actual gap depends largtely on the
height and condition ofthe banks. The
bridge can take vehrcles up to a max-
imum weight of 50000kg (110,231Ib)
or 60000 ks (132,277 ]b) in an
emergency.
Standard equrpment on the Biber in-
cludes nrght-vision equipment, an
NBC system and four electrically-
operated smoke dischargers mounted
on each side flrinq forwards, The Biber
can ford to a depth of 1,2 m (3 ft 11 in)
without preparation, thougth with some
preparation this can be increased to
1.65 m (5 ft 5 in), Mounted at the front of
the hull is a support blade which is
normally lowered before the bridqe ts
placed in positron, although it can be
r:sed as a dozer to make certain the
surface under the bridge is level, Nor-
matly such levelling and qrading op-
erations would be carried out by other
vehicles.
i952
For many years the West German
army has had a requrement for a GPM
Enqineer Vehicle which would be
used durinq river crossing operations
to keep vehicle entry points clear. Pro-
totypes were built by EWK and KrUPP
MaK, but because of a shortaqe of
funds production of these vehicles has
yet to start. EWK has also built pro-
a 4x4 Amphibious Engineer
totypes of
Reconnaissance Vehicle called the
APE, but this too has fallen victim to
defence cuts.
Specification
Leopard lAEV
Crew:4
Weight: loaded 40800 ks (89,949 lb)
Powerplant:one MTU MB B3B
Ca, M500 10-cylinder diesel
developlng 618,9 kW (830 hp)
Dimensions: length (overall) 7.98 m
(26 ft2.2 in); width (overall) 3.75 m
(12 ft 3,6 in); heisht (with MG) 2,69 m
(B ft 9,9 in)
Performance: maximum road speed
65 kn/h(40,4 mph); maximumroad
range 850 kn (528 miles); gradient 60 A W est G erman army Leop ar d maximum load of 20 tonnes
per cent; fording 2, 10 m (6 ft 1 1 in); Armoured EngineerVehicle uses its (44,09 3 1b). Mounted at the front of
vertical obstacle 1. 15 m (3 ft 9.3 in); auger to bore holes in the ground. the vehicle is a hydraulically-
trench3 m (9 ft 10 in) The crane can alsobe used to lift a operated dozer blade.
Above: AWest German Biber
armoured veh icle Jaunched bridge
(AVLB) is shown in the travelling
configuration. It is also used by
Australia, Canada, Italy and the
Netherlands . When opened out, its
bridge is 22 m (72 ft) long, and can
spanagapof 20 m(65 ft).
The Biber bridete is normallY em-
ployed as follows. Forward elements
know that ahead of them is a gaP that
has to be crossed wrth the aid of a
Biber. Tanks are deployed as far for-
ward as possible to give coverinq fire
while the Biber is brougiht up. On arriv-
ing at the river the Biber first lowers its
support blade. The lower half of the
bridge then slides forward until its end
is lined up with the end of the uPPer
half, The tvvo sections.ofthe brtdgre are
then Iocked together and the complete
bndge is extended across the qap and
lowered into position. The cantilever
arms are then withdrawn, the suPPod
blade is raised and the vehicle is
driven away so that the tanks can Weight: with bridge 45300 kg The B iber arm oured vehicle -
cross, The bridge itself can be picked (99,B6e lb) launched bridge is based on the
up from either end and used aqaln, Powerplant:one MTU MB B3B chassisof theLeopard I MBT.An
Ca,M500 10-cylinder multi-fuel engdne advantage of the Biber bridge over
Specification developing6lB.9 kW (830 hp) some other types is that it is laid
Biber Dimensions: lensrth (with bridge) horizontally, rather than vertically,
Ctew:2 I I 82 m (38 ft 9,4 in); width (with so making detection more difficult.
:,tdqe)4 00 m(13 ft 1.5 in); herght
''. Lth brrdge) 3 57 m (11 ft B 6 rn)
Performance: maximum road speed
r : l<m/h (38.5 mph); maxrmum ranqre
::! km (342 miles) fordrngr 1 2 m (3 ft
- rn) gradient60percent vertlcal
rstacle0.T m (2 lt3 6 rn) trench2 5m
: 112 4 Ln)

A WestGerman army Biber i.9$*.s€3

armoured bridgelayer extends the ii.i;; S
:cwer part of its bridge. The two
parts are then locked together and
:he camplete bridge is extended .'. .6'-
) "
: cross fhe gap . Under the nose of the
Stber is a hydraulic blade, which can . 1r..",:'.
i:e used as a sla bilizer or dozer _,tr.ie -!b"r.a +::l
n!ade-

MTU-20 Armoured Vehicie-Launched Bridge

.r,r:r the end ol Worid War II at leas: l:-,.,ered ai the lront ol the vehrcle and span a gap i l5n (52 lt 6rn) The
:-ree armoured brrdgtelayers basei :r: ercis of the brrdge are unfolded bndqe takes abo:t 3 mrnutes to be
-: rhe chassis of the T 34 tank -i,ier: arci locked lnto posltlon A chain sys- positionecl arlc 6 nlnutes to be reco-
. . . eLoped and ploced -n s6rv-c. . arr, Inen moves the complete brrdge vered Tre lt'ii :r has an NBC system,
a-; the Sovlet Unron and cne br' alrrg the cantilever Launching gdrder mght-r,sron eq lr_orreat and a system to
l:echoslovakra (MT 34). In the 19il: -.:.Ll ile end of the brrdge reaches the ensure tjra: tire bldr: Ls lonq enougth
:-e Sr:vret T 34 armoured bridgeLavers -:r lank The launchrng qrLrder is then to span tie :b:.a:l: In addition to
''ere replaced by the MTU systen :i:lr=ssed and the end of the bndqe berng useC C:e:r:slcvakia and the
b-.-
'-esed on a T 54 or T-55 tank chass -:'.-.':red onto the far bank The tank USSR L. las aa:l :,iporred to a num-
-
''rth rts turret replaced by a cantLle.':: .::r ,,.;Lthdraws and vehLcles can ber oi coulrr ,-s ,r.:l-dLiE Yugtoslavta
:.unchrnq mechanrsm and a bnr;: :r-.: The brrdge can be recovered The Israel :ln. :rc.rreC a quantity of
,le iatter is launched over the fro: : .-:: :L:her end rn a srmilar trme. The MT 55 alrrr-r--d cirilqelayers Ln the
re vehrcle and is 12 3 m (40 ir - : I: , 2a and older MTU have been 1973 MroC.e :a:: :::-irict
g dnd con spon o gol-'
: o 1 :. r----. rr srgnrflcant numbers and ex- A S oviet MTU armoured br idg e lay e :
t6 ft I in) r-:r:l la many countrLes Specification on aT-55 tankchassisisseen in l.he
In 're I rre 1960s rnrs \4o. r 1 - .
''.: mernbers oi the Warsaw Pact MTU-20 travelling configuration. T his mo d e i
ri- the MTU-20 in front lLne So',,r-: -.'-:::rslovakia and East Germany Crew:2 entered service with the Soviet armi
-r-
, the m"in dr{ference o€-'.'':: : :--'.': burlt therr own armoured brrdqe- Weight: 3l5r:i <g .;2 clr3 lb) rn lhe I950s as a replacement for an
:ngrnal MTU and the more l::=:. ..'.:rs The East German system is cal Powerplant: arr: -, :: 2 cvhnder earlier system mounted on the T-34
'..:-U 20 is t1 d' tLe ond . -=: BLG-60 and was developed wrth dieseL cer'=i,-or:g -32 i rtrv (580 hp) fankcftassis"
: : -- 11 Ce ol Poroncl. l- h"s a scis-
o' 'tf-gn nPalaO OU 15
- T. Dimensions: L:irrttr r r,.,'Ii brrdge)
o.rd..n sp n o oop
r :,:-: ;.e bldge that is launched over 11 64 m i3E fr :r 3 -n; -,,;ri.h (v"'rth
.n/ Io leouce ih- o.e' .:.: r:r.. of tne vehrcle. In posrtion this brrdge) 3 ;i :r i1 I ii -c -c Lrl herqrht An MTU-20 armourcd bridgelayer a:
'- sysrem for -rove...n; -n .. :.' ... . : - : :. i10 lt lC Ln) iong and can span (wtthbndqe;; lrl m i.. ft I 9 Ln) the Finnish army approaches its
.ear parts of the brrdge are s','-,:.r -:- .. ;:c 'l up to 20m (65f1 7in) The Performance: r:ax,rrun road speed launch position on a recent exercise
..oros rhlorgh lB0',o 1." :. l :--:- :','s:em Ls the MT-55 and rs 50 km/h (31 . :rii) maxLmumrange When fully open the bridge is 2a m
'po'lhecent'al porLi -'. - :,.-.=:l -r a T 35 chassrs Thrs has a 500 km(31 I n-l:s; -ordrng 1.4 m (4 ft (65 ft) long, and can span a gap of up
.aunched as follows. The I.l --.- :: -:,r--..pe bndge that Ls launched 7 tn); gracreri,i; per cent, vertical to 1 8 m (59 ft), representing a
oprode l.es th* obs , -l- : - . - :'. -r:ri oirhe vehrcle In posrtron
--. obstacle 0 3 n l2 i.3 rn); trench 2.7 m considerable improvement over the
ind comes to a halt. The stabil ::r: . r- . . . I t: i:-q ii . in) long and can (B ft 10 rnl older MTU.

::: ::r : .;.,€+

:: i ,r. ..,::1*,.;:!:r... irF:i:
r:.af l,:rin
_::i:;i::;::t, 6t'j ::r.i:i . -:,
fi+: . i1-- .
.lt.!r:i:r rii,-r_.i:
:1:1,.:i:.:. ::i;.. .: .:.

.. rr.,1-ii:-i-::,.j:
.!::rt ,i._j: !1::. ,ji ,

. .l l - ,:"-
 innnn Truck-Mounted Tread.way Bridge
-ly
The TMM treadway bridqe was rmtral-
carried and launched from the
KrAZ-214 6xO truck. In most front-line
umts the truck itself has now been re-
placed by the KrAZ-255B 6x6 truck,
resulting in the revrsed desiqnation
TMM-3.
The TMM truck-mounted treadway
bridge consists of fow spans, each of
which are launched and recovered
over the rear ofa KrAZ-2 14 truck chas-
sis. Three ofthe spans have adjustable
trestle legs while the fourth does not as
it is the link between the third span and
the far bank,
The TMM can be used to span both
wet and dry qaps and is employed as
follows. First the height of the tread-
way legs are carefully adjusted for the
correct height so that when the bridge
is laid in positron it rs level. (lf the exact restdcts the type of vehicle, especially Above : A S oviet TMM truck-mounte d
depth of water rs not lanown in advance armoured, that can use the bridge. treadway bridge system in the
or if the bottom is muddy this can be a West Germany developed a system travelling mode is mounted on the
major problem.) When travellinq the srmilar to the TMM called the SAS rear of the older KrAZ- 2 I 4 ( 6 x 6 )
treadway legs are folded up and bridgelayer but based on a Leopard 1 cross- country truck. M ore r e cent
stored under the folded scissors chassis. At the forward end of each models are mounted on the more
bridge, while the treadways are bridge are two legs which are hyd- powertul KrAZ- 2558 ( 6 x 6 ) truck
closed up to reduce the overall width raulically opened and then lowered cfiassiS which is also used to carry
of the vehicle, Once the treadways into positron, The SAS system has not and launchthe PMP system.
have been extended, and the trestles so far been placed in production,
fitted and adjusted for height, the truck
backs up to the edge of the grap, A Specification Powerplant: one YaMZ M2068 6-
hydraulically-operated launching qir- TMM cylhder water-cooled diesel
der raises the folded span into the ver- Crew:3 developins 152.9 kW (205 bhp)
tical position, where it ts opened and Weight: 19500 ks (42,990 lb) Dimensions: length (with bridqe)
locked in position, As it is lowered 9.30 m (30 ft 6. I in); width (with bridge)
down by the winch system the integral A KrAZ- 2 5 58 (6 x 6) cross- country 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in); heisht (withbridqe) Above: AKrAZ-Z14 (6x6) cross-
hestle legs swinq into place. Once the truck lays its openedscissorsbridge 3.15m(10ft4in) countrytruck lays aTMM treadway
trestle legs are emplaced the cables in pos i tion. A complete TMM sy s tem Performance: maximum road speed bridge into position, and shows its
are disconnected, the launching gir- consists of three spans with 55 kn/h (34,2 mph)i maxrmumroad adjustable trestle legs starting to
der retracted into the travelhng posi- adjustable legs, and a shore span range 530 hn (329 miles); fording 1.0 m unfold. A complete set of four
tron on the rear of the truck, the truck is which does nothave an adjustable (3 ft 3 in); gradient 60 per cent; vertical treadway sections can be /ajd across
drlen off to pick up the next span and leg and is thelinkbetweenthe third obstacle 0,4 m (1 ft 4 in); trench no a gap by a well-trained crew in 45- 60
the sarne procedure is repeated until span and the far bank. capability minutes in daylight.
the far shore span is emplaced, As
mentroned previously a basic unit con-
sists of three spans and one shore
span, but more can be used if re-
quired. A basic unit can span a gap of
40 m (131 ft 3 rn) in between 45 and 60
mnutes under good conditions. Each
bndgre section werghs about 7000 kg
i154321b), has a capacity of 600Okg
(13,228 Ib) and is 10.5m (34ft 5in)
long.
The older KMM truck-mounted
zeadway bridge system is similar in
concept but is carried on the rear of
ZIL-157 6xO truck chassis, with one
-.nlt consisting of four spans and one
srore span. The KMMunit can, howev-
er. spall a qap ofonly about 34 m (l I I ft
I ra) and has a capacity of about
-2C00kq (26,455 1b), which severely

ilrvrP Heavy Floatins Bridse

--:: Pomtommo Mostovoy Park (PMP)
:-ea-,ryfoldrng pontoon bridgie entered
s::ice wrth the Sovlet Union in the
-:6ls and has since been adopted by
:;:ry member of the Warsaw Pact ex-
::p: Poland (which uses the locally-
;::iuced PP-64 system) and Romania
;r::h uses the RR-60). The PMP has
been exported on a Iarge scale
-i:
=:j was successfully used by the
:.;_,pnan army while crossinq the Suez
la:-J rn 1973.

Tke Soviet PMP heavy folding

pntoon bridge system consists of
and shore Pontoons that are
rm'er
catried andlaunched from 6xG
RrAZ-214 or the more recent KrAZ'
2558 ttlrck.
PMP HeavyFloating Bridge (continued)

The PMP originally entered service boats, This rs suflicient to make a pon-
mounted on the rear of the KrM-214 toon with a capacity of 20000 kq
6x6 chassis, but Soviet PMP systems (44,092 lb)some3B9m(425yards)long
are now on the more recent KrAZ-255 or a 60000 kg (132,277-lb)brtdge227 m
6x6 chassis, although many foreigrn (248 yards) long, The former takes ab-
couniries use local chassis: for exam-
out 50 minutes to position, while the
pleEgypthasfitteditssystemsontothe latter takes about 30 minutes, The
rear of West German Magnrus-Deutz bridging boats are used to hold the
6 x 6 chassis while Czechoslovakra pontoon bridge in position, especially
uses the Tatra-813 BxB chassis. Some in fast-flowing rivers, The pontoons
ofthe latter have been frtted at the fronl can also be used to form fernes which
of the hull with a hydrau[cally- are then pushed across wide rivers by
operated dozer blade that can be used bridqing boats, A 60000-kq ferry can
to clear obstacles or prepare river be conslrucled lrom three ponloons rn
banks before the launching ofthe pon- l0 minutes,
toons, The USA has reverse-engdneered
The PMP system consists of two the PMP into the Ribbon Bridge, and
main elements, both of which are car- thrs entered service with the US Army
ried folded on the rear of the truck. The In the mid-1970s, The American ver-
tvvo pontoon types are the river and sion has many improvements and is
shore, each of them of all-steel con- also much lighter as it is made of alumi- A KnAZ-? I 4 (6 x 6 ) cross-country 12 bridgingboats,which areused to
struction and launched in the same mum rather than steel. It is also made truck carries a PMP shore pontoon. A hold the completed pontoon bridge
manner, The truck backs up to the wa- under hcence by EWK in West Ger- standard PMP set consists of 32 river in position or to push rafts of PMP
ter's edge, the catches are released many as the Bundeswehr Ribbon pontoons, four shore pontoons and pontoons.
and the pontoon rolls offthe back ofthe Bridge, and this model has been
1ruck into the water, where lt automatr- adopted by Belgium, Egypt, the Specification
cally unfolds. Once the pontoons have Netherlands and Sweden. EWK has RiverPontoon Shore Pontoon
been locked they are coupled up to also supplied steel versrons which are weight:6676 kq (14,718 Ib) Weight:7252 kq (15,988 lb)
form a bridge, A complete PMP pon- interchanqeable with the original Dimensions:lenqith (open) 6,75 m (22 ft Dimensions: lenqrth (open) 5,58 m (18 ft
toon set consists of 32 river pontoons, Soviet pontoons; these have been sup- 1.75 in); width (open) 7. i0 m (23 ft 3,7 in); width (open) 7,02 m (23 ft
fow shore pontoons and 12 bridging plied to Egrypt, 3,5 in); depth (open) O 915 m (3 ft 0 in) 0.4 1n); depth (open) 0.73 m (2 ft 4.7 in)

m irvrn Combat Engineer Vehicle

The IMR Combat Engineer Vehicle This I MR C ombat Engineer Vehicle
was introduced into the Soviet army in has its turntable-mounted hydraulic
the early 1970s, and is also used by crane ttaversed to the rear and its
some members of the Warsaw Pact as pincer type grab in travelling lock.
well as by Yugoslavia, The IMR con- Lowered at the front of the IMR is the
sists essentially of a T-55 tank with its dozer blade which can be used in
standard turret replaced by a new tur- either straight or angle
ret with a hydraulic crane and an configuration.
armoured cupola for the crane oper-
ator, The crane has a telescopic 1ib,
and when travelling is normally
traversed to the rear to reduce the
overall length ofthe vehicle, The crane
is usually fitted with a pincer{ype de-
vice for rippingr trees out ofthe ground,
The pincer can be replaced by a
bucket which rs normally carried on
the left side of the hull when not re- sively minded than Westem armres. Specification Below: An IMR Combat Engineer
qured, Thrs bucket is quite small, and The Sovret army does have a wide IMR Vehicle uses its pincer grab to
so has only limiled earthmovrng capa- variety of specialized trench digtqters Crew:2 remove a tree trunk during
bilities. in service, these normally beinqt Weisht: 34000 kq (74,957 lb) operations in a forward batUefield
Mounted at the front of the hull is the mounted on full-tracked chassrs such Powerplant:one Model V-55 V-12 ar ea. The hy dr aulically - oper ated
hydraulically-operated dozer blade, as that ofthe AT-T hearry tracked afiil- diesel developing 432.5 kW (580 hp) dozer blade mounted at the front of
which is controlled from within the lery tractor, One of these is the BTM Dimensions: lenqth (overall) 10. 60 m the IMR is in theV-configuration to
safety of the IMR by the driver, The ditching machine, which is essentially (34 ft 9.3 in); width (overall) 3,48 m clear a path through debris as
dozer blade can be used in the normal the AT-T fitted wrth the ETR-409 ditch- (1 I ft 5 in); height (cupola) 2.48 m (B ft quickly as possible.
straigrht confign-uation or at a V-angle, ing machine at the rear, This machine 1,6 in)
The IMR has night-vision equipment. is quite capable of digging a trench Performance: maximum road speed
and like most vehicles based on the 1.5 m (4 ft 1l in) deep and 0.8 m (2 ft 48 km/h (29,8 mph); maximum range
chassis of the T-54/T-55 tank can also 7,5 in) wide at the rate of about i iOO m 400 lcn (249 mrles); fording 1.40 m (4 ft
lay its own smoke screen, Mounted at (1,203 yards) per hour, althouqh this 7 in); gradient 60 per cent; vertical
the rear of the hull is an unditchingr very much depends on the type of soil obstacle0.B m(2 ft7.5 in); trench2,7 m
beam, another common feature on cur- and the time of year, (B ft 10.3 in.)
rent Soviet tanks, although such a de-
vice was pioneered by the British dur- An IMR Combat Engineer Vehicle of pair of pincer-type grabs, which can
ing World War I: if the vehrcle becom- the Soviet amy is seen in action with be used tor avariety ofroles on the
es stuck in the mud the unditching thejib oI the hydraulic crane battlefield such as ripping out trees
beam is removed from the rear and extended to the rear and fittedwith a and other obstacles.
attached under the lower forward part
of the tracks to improve traction.
Compared wrth Western vehlcles,
the Sovtet IMR has very limited capa-
bilities as it has no demolition device
(as is fitted to the French EBG, Amer-
ican M72B CEV and British Centurion
Mk 5 AVRE), cannot lay a minefield (as
can the French EBG) and would re-
qutre some time to prepare fire posr-
tions for other vehicles. In the Soviet
Union many of these roles are under-
taken by other vehicles, and in any
case the Soviet army is far more offen-
 Diggrng ftor Victorg
For an army on the defensive, prepared positions are of enormous value. In 1973 the
israefis defe ated vastly superior forces by the skilful use of tank firing positions and
measured killing grounds. NATO's defensive posture in Germany would be
dramaticallyenhancedbythe construction of similarearthworks, butthiswouldbe
politicallydifficult, soif theSoviets ever doinvadetheRoyalEngineerswillhaveto
workvery fastlndeed.
Jeacetime rlvalry between army units runs
:.-gh, ranging from the friendly variety to out-
drslike. Often there rs no good reason
=C-out
::r:: or rf there is a reason it is buried in history.
l:,en it is a result of the fear that there may just
:: another reglment or corps that is not only as
--<-,led as your own, but is posstbly a llttle blt
::::er, So the infantry squabble amongst them-
.:--,'es and then unite against the tankies or
::*:ners, and they are all disparaging about
:r:-teeth arms, or those who mlght hear a shot
-ed in anger but are themselves unllkely to do
:-::h shooting, And, of course, those other
-::is tend to be slightly contemptuous of the
;:-nts' and'gruntcrushers', who are deemed
::apable of understandrng the fact that other
=::-rs do play a vrtal role in today's army, And so
-. ;ices on, all very harmless really and all total-
::rgotten when the shooting starts (but not in
--.-
:e subsequent post-mortem) - except poss-
-;-'' in one instance. In the British army at least
,:sre ls one regiment rarely, if ever, 'bad-
:::uthed'j one regiment that contrnually im-
::esses soldier and civihan alike wlth its abili-
.-:s anci out-and-out professronahsm; and one
r:;r:nient whose members are all trained soi-
:-:rs of the tooth arm variety (tralned and
:::'.'ed in past wars), who handle the most
:::iplex machinery and equipment. That reg-
-::eit naturally, the Royal Engineers. This is
rs,
-:: :c say that the Royal Electrical and Mecha-
..-:-- Engineers, the Royal Corps of Transport,
-:.= Royal Army Ordnance Corps and other
-:::ratrons are not as skilled, but that the Royal
::-;-neers do have an rncredibly complex role
: ;-ay, and play it exceedingly well. It is, by
-.--cgy, the difference between the Parachute
- =;inent and Royal Marines: both are superb
-,-:s that having the edge being decided by
-.= s partrcular point o[ view.
German border and are starting their inexor-
able advance towards the Channel, The main
Warsaw Pact advance is undertaken by the 3rd
Shock Army (it was once caled the 3rd Mecha-
nized Army, but Shock Army pleases prop-
agandists on both sides), accompanied by va-
rious East German, Polish and Hungarian units,
none of which is rea1ly trusted by Moscow and
thus used only in supporting roles.
The Royal Engrneers have always been well Sapper combat engineer unlts (those who
rn the thick of thrngs. They got their nickname, are trained to do their jobs rrght in the thick of
the Sappers, because centuries ago they were things, often far in advance of their own iines)
the men who dug the way forward rn ditches come in a variety of shapes and sizes, There
(called 'saps') in order to breach fortress walls, are fleld engineers, armoured engineers,
Sappers led the way through mrneflelds at El amphibious engineers, parachute and com-
Alamein in 1942, and cleared the beaches at mando engineers, They operate with regular
Normandy rn 1944 They have the reputation of infantry and armoured detachments, and often
being able to turn therr hands to anything: in totally on their own, You can flnd them travell-
the army, when in doubt, you send for a Sapper, ing in Stalwarts, Scorpions (used as command
vehicles), Chieftarn tanks complete with
bridgelaying unrt, armoured personnel car-
The ubiquitous Sapper riers (oiten frtted wrth a special minelaying
Sappers are to be found throughout the plough called a Bar Minelayer), MZ amphi-
world, throughout the army and ali over ihe bious units, medium wheeled tractors, Land
battlefleld. They burld bridges, make maps, Rovers and assault craft, No doubt thrs list omits
burld airfields and bulk petroleum installations, a few items, because part of the Sappers'
burld ferries, clear and lay mines and booby- genius lies in having available the right piece of
traps, dispose of unexploded bombs, repair equipment at the right time, an abrlity that
heavy vehicles, 1ay brlcks, drill we1ls, survey leaves the rest oi the army, accustomed as it is
anything that needs surveying, drive cranes to the wrong piece of kit arriving at the wrong
and also manage to provide the postal and time, frankly dumbfounded but very, very
courier service for the forces - worldwide. grateful, The rest of the army have also grown
Their motto ts Ubtque (everywhere), and for accustomed to small detachments of Sappers
once it is a motto that means exactly what it (often far smaller than expected) turning up,
says, doing whatever is required, and then vantshing
Thus rt is certainly true that the Sappers are as mysteriously as they arnved. It is aimost as if
the most versatrle combat engineers in any there are, in addition to those Sapper units on
armed forces any'where, It mrght be interesting permanent attachment to larger formations,
now to look at the Sappers in action, not in some other Sapper units with a roving battlefield
past war, but in a future war that, hopefully, will commission to wander around, generally right-
never take piace, The scenario ls that the War-
saw Pact iorces have crossed over the West
The Royal Engineers will have a vital role to play on any future battlefield in Europe as part of the
combined arms team, which also includes infantry, attillery, armour and helicopters. HereFV432
armoured personnel carriers towing Bar Minelayers rush to the forward area to lay anti-tank mines to
disrupt and slow down enemy units, while a Combat Engineer Tractor stails to prepare fire positions for
MBTs andanti-tankguided weapons. Once themrneshadbeen laidRoyalEngineers wouldmake the
road r'mpassab,le by making deep craters with high-explosive charges.

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-rQrwronqs and bringlng some element of
rrder to a farrly confused situation.
However, back to the scenario The 3rd
Shock Army has poured across the border and
-s even now hotfooting it towards the Rlver
Weser, This river forms a natural secondary a,
?.*e----,-
oarrier, and is anl.way the river that NATO war
games and exercises assume to be the 3rd
Shock Army's oblective, However, assuming
.rF €f
Fa:f
:hat the Weser is still as important an objective
as ever, the 3rd Shock Army must be held up
there for as long as possible to give time for the
USA io begin airliftinet troops from America to
Europe, to allow NATO forces tn sttu time to
regroup, and to compel the Soviet advance to
telescope upon itsell which leads to conQles-
tron and easy targets for regular artiliery, the
new NATO multiple rocket launchers and air The British Combat Engineer Tractor has been range of battlefield roles such as clearing debt::
strikes, It is hoped, moreover, that a delayed designed to meet the demanding requirements of and preparing fire positions for armoured
theRoyalEngineers, and can beused for awide vehicles. It is fully amphibious,
advance may result in the Warsaw Pact begin-
ning to drsintegrate, as there is ltttle or no natu-
ral love between many of its constituent coun- sing under fire or in bad weather conditrons is ance troops. Their arrival may be hera,j=: : '
iries, For all these reasons the Weser is an one of the hardest and most dangerous milLtary a chemical weapon strrke; rt certarnly -: !:=-
rmportant objectrve, either to galn or to hold, operatrons one can imagine, So the 3rd Shock faced by the arrival of thousands ol re::;=:.
Army rs interested in findtng those brldges fleeing the Sovret advance and cars-:,;r =.
Amphibious capability intact, or at least in gaining control of the most much mayhem (albeit unintentional c: .:,,:,:
By all accounts, river crossinq ranks high in advantagteous river crossing posrtions belore part) as any incapacitating chemrcar -. --
:he Soviet skill at arms The Sovtets have, or the main armour force arrives, So forward e1e- against this background that our Sappel -:-,
rather had, a greater amphrbrous capabrlity ments have been dispatched to achteve those has to achieve its objective, whtch is str::p-
than most other armies in the world, and for thrs objectives: regular paratroops and Spetsnaz deny 3rd Shock Army the western ban< :- :.=
reason are unlikely to rely too hea,rily on (Sovret special forces trained to operate in Weser for as long as possible
rnding bridges intacL. Howevol a Ilvel clos- enemy unlform), plus armoured reconnarss-

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Diggring for Victory
Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) has drs-
patched whatever Sappers in whatever num-
bers and with whatever equipment needed to
do the job. As a result of the general confuslon it
is unllkely that this detachment bears any rela-
tionship with the standard ones as laid down in
Staff Dutres in the Freld, This particular detach-
ment is to mine whatever bridges it can; sow
minefields wherever it can; place booby traps
wherever it can; and help any NATO forces in
the area, It is also ready to conduct its own river
crossing, or rather set one up, ifa counterattack
or flanking movement appears possible. It is to
operate independently and to use its own in-
itiative. Depending on the state of the battle, tt
may be accompanied part of the way by
another special Sapper unit that specializes in
setting up landing clearings for BAe Harrier
V/STOL close support aircraft,
This rs not a large, ungainly column of Sap-
pers plus klt flghting rts way throuqh the
oncomlng refugees, Much of therr kit will
already be in position; other rtems can be sum-
moned very quickly from rear echelon,
Nonetheless, the Sappers have APCs with Bar
Mrnelayers, Scorpion command vehicles, Stal-
warts and Land Rovers. They are accompanied
by infantry (Sappers are good, but they cannot
be expected to do everything themselves) and
artillery, probably the new tracked multiple
rocket-launchers. But the first detachment of
Sappers is either arrhfted or parachuted in.
Optrmum river crossing sites were surveyed
years ago, and the Sappers make directly for
these, plus any likely bridges, The bridges are
blown, quickly, economicaily and very thor-
oughly. Mines are lard on the east bank of the
Weser opposite river crossing sites. One
group of Sappers is setting up booby traps in
locatrons likely to be of use to the oncoming 3rd
Shock Army, locations such as power statrons,
telephone exchanges, airfield control towers,
even local hotels that look as rf they could use-
fully be commandeered as a 3rd Shock Army
forward headquarters,
Other Sappers are helping the infantry and
qlrnners set up their own defensive positions;
specially shaped charges 'dig' trenches and
foxholes far faster than even a detachment from
the Pioneer Corps (and that is very quick in-
deed); tractors are buildrng earthworks; other
Sappers are blowing up roads (and buildings
so that they fall across roads), River banks are
blown away, and mines laid in the river rtself.
But (and this is a very important 'but' lndeed),
it would be wrong to get the impressron that
thrs is a bunch of Sappers out to cause as much
damage and destructron as it can, The truth is a
little more subtle than that,
Warsaw Pact supremacy
NATO forces reairzed a long time ago that,
short of building up their own conventional
forces to equal those of the Warsaw Pact
(which appears to be economically and politr
cally unacceptable), there is no way that NATO
can resrst the initial Soviet advance, short of
using tactical nuclear weapons from the outset;
even though the British and one or two other
NATO armies are, man for man, the finest
troops in the world; even though their equip-
ment is (finatly) berng dictated as much by
military as political considerations; and even
though NATO troops are better 1ed, better
motrvated and less prone to arqlle amonqst
themselves. The fact is that there are simply too
many Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces, and that
these forces will advance on a fairly broad
front,
The modern NATO strategy ls to force the
Warsaw Pact advance into 'ktlling zones', areas
already known and srghted by divrsional artil-
lery, In terms of the scenario, the rdea is to
force the 3rd Shock Army into a narrower line
of advance, where it can be attacked not just
from the front but from the sides as well. This
strategry extends down to the battiefield, cer-
tainly as far as brigade and often to company
level,
So the Sappers at the Weser are not simply
trying to deny the 3rd Shock Army access to
the entire west bank, but are tasked with the
role of ensuring that lf the 3rd Shock Army does
cross, it will be at a time and a place of NATO's
own choosing, For that reason, the Sappers
may leave one bridge standing, They may
leave one potential river crossing site a little
less destroyed than the others. They may leave
one major hlghway more usable by tanks and
armoured personnel carriers than others to its
north and south,
And this poses the enemy commander a
very awkward problem. Even if he knows (and
undoubtedly he does) what is being done to
him, what can he do about it? If he lgnores the
'gift' offered and attempts to fight through on a
front ol his own choosing, setting up his own
river crossinq points, he ls going to suffer
casualties. If he accepts the 'glft' offered he is
also going to suffer casualties, If he does allow
his advance to be narrowed, he faces fire from
both flanks. If he does not, he runs the risk of
having varlous unrts slowed or even forced on
the defensrve, and that can lead to counterat-
tack, And the enemy commander rs probably
(hopefully) as unwilling to use tactical nuclear
weapons at this stage as is his NATO counter-
part.
Incldentally, it is worth remembering that
one of the reasons that the Brrtrsh Expedition-
ary Force managed to evacuate so many men
at Dunkirk was because ihe advancing Ger-
man Panzers were being attacked from the
flank as well as the front, which was made
easier by the fact that the Panzers used to
attack on a comparatively narrow front.
But back on the River Weser, one can
appreciate that while the Sappers are acting in
a tactical battlefield role, their actions also have
enormous strategic significance, As combat
engineers their role is to do just that: engineer a
sltuation whereby combat takes place in the
most favourable circumstances, and NATO is
fortunate that the Royal Engrneers do thrs su-
perbly well.
Oneof themanyroles performed by theCombat
EngineerTractor is the preparation ofriver banks
for bridging by pontoons. Here theCET, having
done its job, waits as the pontoon bridge is fitted
intoposition.
+tu=

Centurion Mk 5 AVRE
Du-rinq World War II the British 79th
Armoured Division employed a large
number of specialized vehicles which
'w-ore successfully used during the D-
Day landings and the subsequent push
through France and on into Germany,
One of these vehicles was the Chur-
ch1ll Assault Vehicle Royal Engrneers
(AVRE), which was fitted with a de-
nolition gmn for destroying battlefield
iortiflcations such as pillboxes; it could
also carry on its hull front a short assault
bridge or a fascine, The latter was a
Iargre bundle of wood which could be
dropped into enemy anti-tank ditches
so that tracked armoured vehicles
could cross,
The Churchill AVRE continued in
semce with the British army after the
end of World War II, but by the mid-
1950s these vehicles were becoming
dfficult to maintain and operate as the
basic Churchill gun tank had by then
been phased out of service.
The Churchill AVRE was finally re-
placed in the 1960s by the Centurion
Mk 5 AVRE, which was based on the
chassis of the Centurion Mk 5 tank. The
main armament of the Centunon Mk 5
AVRE is a 165-mm (6.S-in) demolition
gun, which flres a hrgh explosrve
squash-head (HESH) projectile to a
maxmum range of about 2400 m (2,625
yards), although its effective range rs a
good deal less than this fignle, Co-
axial with the 165-mm gnrn is a 7.62-mm
(0.3-in) machine-qun, and a similar
weapon rs located on the turret rooffor
arti-aircraft defence. Mounted at the
front of the hull is a hydraulically
cperated dozer blade which can be
A Centurion Mk 5 AVRE is shown with
the dozer blade at the front of the hull
in the raised position. More recently
thisvehicle has become known as
the Centurion AVRE I 65, as
Centurion grun tanks are also now
being used by the Royal Engineers.
used to clear battlefield obstacles or to
prepare fire positions. The vehicle can
also carry and lay a length of Class 30
or 60 alumiruum trackway across mud-
dy grrourd so that followingr wheeled
vehicles will not become bogged
down. A fascine can also be carled on
the foont of the hull, The Centwion Mk
5 AVRE can also tow a special trailer
carrfmg addrtlonal enqtineer supplies,
for example explosives or extra 165-
mm rouads, or a trailer for the Royal
Ordnance Grani Viper mrne-
clearance syslem.
More recently the Centurion Mk 5
AVRE has been fitted with mine-
clearLng ploughs at the foont ofthe hull:
when a minefield has been detected
the ploughs are lowered to the ground
Modern Combat Engineer Eguipment
hydraulically in front ofeach track and
the tank rs drrven forwards, the
plougrhs then ripping up the ground
and pushing any anti--ank mtnes lo one
stde, These mine ploughs, developed
to meet the requirements of the British
army by T.B, Pearsonand Sons Ltd, are
also being fitted to Chieftatn Armoured
Vehicle-Launched Bridges of the
Royal Engineers,
Centurion Mk 5 AVREs are used by
armoured engineer squadrons based
in the Brltish Army of the Rhine, As
there are now insufficient of these
vehicles to go around, a number of
Centurion gun tanks with 105-mm
(4. i3-in) L7 series gn-lns are now being
fltted with the ptough mine-clearinqr
devices and rssued to the Royal En-
gineers. These are known as Centu-
rion AVRE I05 vehicles.
Specification
CenturionAVRE
Crew:5
Weight: loaded 51809 ks ( 1 14,220 lir'
Powerplant: one Rolls-Royce Metecl
Mk IVB 12-cylj nder petrol engnne
developing 484.7 kW (650 bhp)
Dimensions: length 8.69 m (28 ft 6 Lr,
wldth 3.96 m (13 fr 0 in); heishr 3.00 r_
(9 ft 1O in)
Performance: maximum road speei
34.6 km/h (2 i.5 mph): maximum roa:
range 177 km ( I 10 miles); fordinq
1.45 m (4 ft 9 in); gadient 60 per cen.
vertical obstacle 0,94 m (3 ft I in);
trench3,35 m(l1ft0 in)

This is a Centurion Mk 5 AVRE of 32 raised position, with the device M ain arm ament of the C e nturion M k prcjectile to knock out pillboxes and
Armoure d E ngineer R egiment above this on the hull front being 5 AVRE is a short-barrelled 165-mm other battlefield fortifications. It can
stationed in the BritishArmy of the used to carry afascinewhich can be demolition gun which fires a HESH also tow a GiantViper mine-clearing
Rhine. The dozer blade is in the quickly dropped in anti-tank ditches. (H igh Ex plos ive S qu as h H ead) system.

>K tar and Ranger Mine Systems

Bar Mine
For many years the Mk 7 was the
standard anti-tank mine of the British
army. This clrcular anti-tank mine has
row been largely replaced by the Bar
Mine which was designed by the
Royal Armament Research and De-
relopment Establishment at Fort Hal-
stead, production being undertaken
by the Royal Ordnance Factories. The
Bar Mine system is composed of two
inain parts, the mine itself and rts
nechanical layer.
The Bar Mine is of virtually all-
plastic construction with just a few
netallic components in its fuse, This
:eature makes it very difficult to detect
with standard mine detectors, The
long shape of the Bar Mine not only
doubles the chance ofrt being run over
by a tank and therefore being acti-
vated, but also means that less mines
are required than of the older Mk 7.
The Bar Mine is normally fitted with an
TheThorn EMI Ranger anti-
personnel mine system includes 72
tubes, each containing l8 mines. The
tubes are in magazines of four
barrels (top) which can he quickly
reloaded. Below the magazine is one
of the tubes, and below this are its
contents including the mines
ffiemse/ves.

1959
Bar and Ranger Mine Systems (continued)
impulse fuse which is operated by the
pressrtre of a vehicle passing over-
head. To make the Bar Mine even
more effective Marconi Command and
Control Systems and the Royal Ordn-
ance Factories have developed a num-
ber of add-on fuses, and with these the
Bar Mine is called the Full Width
Attack Mine. In combat use, Bar Mines
with different fuses would be laid to
make clearance more difficult,
The Bar Mine can be laid by hand,
but is normally laid by the Bar Mine-
layer built at the Royal Ordnance Fac-
tory Nottingham, Thrs is towed by a
truck or an armoured vehicle such as
the FV432 armoured personnel car-
rier. The mines are placed on a load-
ing chute and armed as they pass
througrh, and are then buried under the
grround, so makinq detection more dif-
flcult.
The laying rate depends on the type
of soil, but is normally between 600
700 mines per hour,
Ranger anti-personnel mine system
The Ranger system was developed
to meet the requirements of the Brittsh
ffi bombat Engineer Tractor
The Combat Engineer Tractor (CET)
was designed by the Military En-
gineerrng Experimental Establish-
ment to meet the requirements of the
Royal Engineers for a vehicle that
would combine the characteristics of
an armorued vehrcle and an earthmov-
er. At one time France, the UK and
West Germany were to have worked
together on such a type, but in the end
each country went its own way. TWo
test dgs to prove the basic concept
were burlt in the late 1960s by
Royal Ordnance Factory Leeds, and
these were followed by seven pro-
totype vehicles in 1973-4. In 1975 the
CET was accepted for service with the
Royal Engineers, and a total of I41
vehicles was subsequently built at the
Royal Ordnance Factory Nottingham
between l97B and 1981, In 1984 india
placed an order for a quantity ofCETs,
so qroduction wtll soon gtet under way
aga1n.
The CET can carry out a wide range
of roles such as the recovery of dam-
aged and disabled vehicles (especial-
ly at river crossinq pornts), the clear-
ance of fire positlons, the preparation
and clearance ofobstacles, the prepa-
ration of river banks, and so on.
The vehicle is normally driven wrth
its hydraulically-operated bucket to
the rear. The bucket can be used for
normal earthmoving duties or bulldoz-
ing, or as an earth anchor when the
8000-kq (17,637-1b) wrnch is beins
used,
Mounted on top of the hull is a rock-
et-propelled self-emplacing earth
anchor, Should the CET become stuck
in mud or a river, the earth anchor is
fired, this falling to the grround about
90 m (295 ft) from the vehicle, The CET
can then winch itself out of trouble.
The vehicle can ford to a depth of
1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) but with some prepa-
ration can be made fully amphibious,
so making rt especially useful during
water crossings. When afloat the CET
rs propelled by two waterjets mounted
one on each side ofthe hull, Standard
equipment includes six smoke dis-
i960
army by the Royal Armament Re-
search and Development Establish-
ment at Fort Halstead and Thorn EMI
Electronics Ltd, and entered servrce
with the Britrsh army some years ago, It
consists essentially of 72 tubes
mounted on a frame which can be car-
ried on top oi a vehicle such as the
FV432 armoured personnel carrier. or
mounted in the back of a truck or other
load carrier. The tubes are mounted in
magazines of four, each tube contajn-
ing lB circular Ranqer anti-personnel
mrnes; each of these is 62 mm (2.44 in)
in diameter and 32 mm (1.26 in) deep.
The operator has a flrinq unit con-
nected to the launcher and each time a
button is pressed a cartridge is fired
and 1B Ranger anti-personnel mines This 1Y432 armoured personnel minelaying system at the rear. This
are ejected to a drstance ofup to 100 m carrier has a Thorn EMI Ranger anti- combination enables a deadly
(328 ft) dependingi on wind conditions, personnel minelaying system on the combined anti-tank and anti-
The launcher can be elevated and roof and tows a Royal Ordnance Bar personnel minefield to be laid.
traversed as required. The mine is not
and armed untrl 20 seconds after it leaves Mrnelayer while a Ranger antr- Specification
the launcher and then lies on the personnel minelayer is mounted on BarMine
ground until it is activated by pressure. the rool This enables a combined antr- Weight: total I ] kg (24,25 lb) explosive
Special traininq mines of compressed tanl</antr-personnel minefield to be 8,39 ks (18 50 lb)
peat are also available, laid very quickly, so making clearance Dimensions:lenqth 1,194 m (3 ft I I in);
In the Royal Engineers an FV432 of the minefield very drfficult and time- width ]OB mm(4.25 in); height82,6 mm
armoured personnel carrrer tows a Bar consummg. (3.25 in)
Mounted on the roof of the Combat
Engineer Tractor is a rocket-
propelled earth anchor. If thevehicle
gels stuck, the rocket is fired and the
earth anchor falls to the ground. The
vehicle then uses its on-board winch
to get itself out of the obstacle or
mud.
the
chargrers and an NBC system, which
allows the vehrcle to work in a con-
taminated area,
The CET can also tow the trailer-
mounted Grant Viper mtne-clearance
system, and can be fitted with a num-
ber of kits for different roles. These
latter include a jib crane attachment
installed in the bucket, Class 30 or 60
aluminium trackway, and a pusher bar
for launching pontoons,
The CET was used by the Royal En-
edneers for a wide ranqe of roles dur-
ing the Falklands campaign, and parts
of the chassis are being used for a 122-
mm (4,8-in) D-30 seJf-propelled gmn
developed by the Royal Ordnance
Factory Leeds to meet the require- 6-cylinder inhne dresel developingt The Royal Ordnance Combat
ments of the Egryptian government. 23B o kW (s20 hp) Engineer Tractor was deployed by
The Combat Engineer Tractor is Dimensions: Iength (overall) 7.54 m the Royal Engineers to the Falkland
considered to be one ofthe most useful (24 ft 9 in); width (overall) 2,90 m (9 ft Islands in 1982. A totalof 14l was
vehicles in sewice with the Royal En- 6 in); helqht (overall) 2.67 m (B ft 9 in) built by Royal Ordnance Nottingham
g[neers today. Perforrnance: maximum road speed by 198 1 , but production has since
56 krr/h (35 mph); maximumwater resumed to meet an order placed by
Specification speed B lfl/h (4.9 mph); maximum the I ndian Army in I 984 for I 5
CET range322 km (200 miles); fordinqr vehicles.
Crew:2 1.83 m (6 ft 0 1n); gradient 60 per cent;
Weisht: 18000 kq (39,683 lb) vertical obstacle 0.6 I m (2 ft 0 in);
Powerplant: one Rolls-Royce C6TFR trench 2,06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Armed Forces of the World

Soviet Na
-lthough weli furnrshed with surface combatants,
Part 3

.ne Soviet navy actually conslders these ships to be

:uxiliares for use in support of ts primary arms,
ramely the naval aviation and submarine Jorces.
rccording to their s ze and ro e, the warships are
I v ded into groups (for small sh ps only), brigades
'cr groups of small sh ps and medium-sized units),
:nd divisions and squadrcns i:or the largest units
',,atiable). 'Kiev'
The four class a;rcra:l carr e rs and the two
\loskva' class he icopter c'.r sers currently avail-
=bie
provrde both the af o:: lSr'!'otary wing forces
the experience requ.3: ..,entJa iy to operate
':d ;'
..e follow-on 'Krem n' c :ss r'rc ear powered
' red-w ng aircraft-carr e's :' ',.' cir tie first is
. - Jer conslrucl on at \ - .. i : . '': \o. 444)
:xtto a third'lvan Rogo'," :.:: -rl ine vessel is
.(pected to enter operai a^: ::', la i ihe iate
't30s.
-:backupll-ecar';e . . r.. : 1 - -e-.ce
' oruclear-powereo b. ..- <'q.
. \irovand Frunze t l' : . - -'- -:.rle
. jer construclion A t- ; .'-". "*,)
; g^, lne "div o-ai >- - ,
- -prentandol-oTe .-'- ::-r c

'. -ombine lne surfac.

.^ comncand and tt '
-- -
'nch they carry extensr,i? :r--^--.- ti t-: S,S
- 5 ForsuT'aceacr'o- g- , 'Pol' classof coastalASWvesse \,1r- :'.- from' K rupnyy' class SS-/V-/ an lr-sfi ;p
C onv er te d
.' ava lable, lne Sor etc - . . ,: : o asses such as the'Osa l'and'Poi' a'a
-' -- missile-carrying vesse/s, the eight'Kanin' cIas s
gradual replacement by new desgns :-,- received a twin SA-N- I Goa SAM launcher aft.
- :ss of gas-turbtne potlerel :- :,i : ,-- .a' 'a.a:-
-.'v kreysef . Fitted with s n ?':- ::: :' :-: .: Tarantu' class small missrle sh p :-: -:
- rsh:p 'aciril'es, tne 'S'a. . .
., : ,. -- c ass smallASW craft -^eC rm and three T-55 flamethrower tan<s . -.
.-e ne\rJ gas-turblne powe'ei .-:: :. : .:: *S,', Also designated as an adjunct to ir: :-::orting units. The regiment can be broken c: ,. -
..slroyers a"d the sted. '-: ... .... : , matn strike elements are the amc' :: g ve three independent battalion anding te:^- -
' T enny class sr' 'ace l a -'a
= : . forces. The Baltic, Northern and B : :::r wrth its own light tank company er: :-
--- cu'renlly in ser ps o'or . . each have a naval infantry (morska":. ^^:c um tank support.
'avy's major shipyards. The o cer r.:-. --: (':si: ;ment This is similar in concept :: -ne Pacif ic Fleet has a brigade-sized nava n':- -

class ASW crursers, whicr tre '-:: :.: :-a :-c- regiment of the Soviet army, but s ' :' -r i attached to it {which US intelligence so-':-:
. -menting, will re-a" - ;. .-" ^' . j: equivalent in capabilitles to a moi. ;:"era ly describe as a 'division'). Thrs con-pr.=.
.. possibly wrth r"jor ^ l- -'. - The major difference is that the n:. :..: iank battalions, five motor rifle battalrors :-:
. e' '(ynda' and 'Krestd - i: -- .' - - i : - r- ful y trained in all aspects of an :- s-:c.rt units which include an amphibious s:'
. SerS W l, alSO COnt n-a ' :5'. :: . : 't.- operations, including assault ar: - :'::e ed howitzer battallon of 18 122-mm tL 3 '
.'easwhereenemyoffenstve capab . as :': :!me- special equipment in the f orm of tra - :: 2S1 guns, a type found in the other fleet areas -
.1at restricted. A few 'Sverd ot,' c:ass ':2 ^^r' '6- arr-cushron vehicles (ACVs) to oer^- . :-, a s ngle six-gun battery.
-, gun crursers rema n in actve seT,,':: .- :':'. ce e'olions well away 'ror l^e So,
+ nuclers of naval g.^i '' :-oL : .:' '.' across all types of coastal terrain \:-.'
. r:phibious warfare unlts ent has three 400-man motorized -':- :' :'l' : The17,000-toncruiserMoskvaenteredservicein
i96T.followedayearlaterbyhersrslersitp
The comparable v ntage 'Skory' and (:t '' c ass (each with 34 BTR-60 wheeJed Atrl. - : . :- Carrying 18 Kamov Ka-25 helicopters.
Ler,rngrrad.
--.lventronal gun and torpeoo deslio'te's r3,,e also lion of one medium and three tgri :--: - -: :- i.heclassrepresentedasignificantaugmentation
::en retarned in some areas for th s ro e, '''!i e lhe companres (equipped wlth 31 P---a -- - :: o!Sovietanti-submarinecapability.
: r or so obsolete'Rrga' class f r;gates are ior'rt belng
: -tased out or reduced to reserve slatis o.r a gradual
::s s. Replacements ln the form of tre ght ASW
--gaie 'Grisha lll' class and the larger hel copter
,:rrying 'Krlvak lll' f rigate (wh ch replaced the 'Kr
:k l'and'Krivak ll'desrgns on the bui dlng stocks)
.'e beinq acquired at accelerated rates To aid both
-rastal and oceanic ASW elements the Soviets
-alntain a number of SAM-equlpped destroyers of
-e' Kashin','Kanrn' and'SAM Kot in' classes. There
.': also six 'Kashin (Mod)' and three 'Kildin (Mod)'
iistroyers {itted with aft-firing anti-ship cruise mts-
: es; these ships operate ln the 'tattletale'target-
::srgnating role wrth the f leet of intell gence- 'i
l:thering vessels as part of the Soviet navy's ocean
-,rveillance system.
\umerically the rnost rmportant part of the
:rvets' surface-warship force remarns its mixed
:nplement of small ASW and torpedo- or missile-
:'r-led coastal craft. The rnost important of these
--e the'Osa l'and'Osa ll'classes of m ssile boats,
-e 'Nanuchka' seres of small miss le ship, and the
Armed Forces of the World
ln the last year or so further improvements to the
naval infantry have been observed, these including
\Z ?x== SovietNavy L

the addition of af -72 main battle tank company to

the tank battalion as a means of improving its anti-
armour capabilities, the introduction of the AT-4
'spigot' and AT-5 'spandrel' ATGWs to replace the
AT-C 'sagger', the addition of SA-13 'Gopher' and
SA-14 SAMs initially to supplement and then to
replace the SA-9 'Gaskin' vehicle and SA-7 'Grail'
shoulder-launched systems, and the adoption of the
new generatlon of 5.45-mm (0 21s-in) small arms
and infantry support weapons.
Each fleet also has a brigade of Spetsnaz diver-
sionary troops, under the dlrect command of the
lntelligence Directorate at naval headquarters ofthe
tank and personnel landing craft. This is one ofthe firstpictures ever released
Tasked primarily with attacking enemy naval in- missile cruiser Kirov, faken on her trials in the
stallations (including nuclear submarine bases) the A major area in which the Soviet navy is consi-
Baltic as she undergoes a high speed turn.
Spetsnaz operate from surface ships (including dered highly by most Western analysts is in mine
trawlers converted to carry swimmer-delivery vehi- warfare, a iield in which both the US and Royal
cles, midget submarines and high-powered small Navies are currently lacking, principally in terms of submarines. A completely new ground mine type
offensive weapons and numbers of countermea- has been developed, and reduced-charge versions
craft), large submarines (lncluding the mlni-
submarine mothership 'lndia' class of rescue sub- sure vessels. With nearly half a million sea mines of with magnetic and acoustic f iring mechanisms were
all types in its inventory, the Soviet navy has the used recently by what is believed to be Libya to
marine) or aircraft as required.
Each brigade is divided into a headquarters com- potential literally to close Western European waters mine the Red Sea.
pany of specialist assassination and sabotage ex- to any major movements of shlpping. which makes To match their minelaying capacity the Soviets
perts, a signal company, a parachute battalion, two an effective mockery of the various NATO state- also use the largest number of mine-counter-
or three combat swimmer battalions and a division ments mentioning resuPPlY bY sea. measures vessels amongst the world's navies.
of 12-18 midget submarines. There are also another The main offensive laying platforms in wartime These are divided into three basic types: the sea-
would be aircraft of the Soviet naval aviation fleets, going minesweeper \morskoy tral'schchick or Mf),
20 or so company-sized units attached to the f leets,
with conventional submarines, converted trawlers the base minesweeper (bazovyy tral'schhchikor Bfl
and these are tasked with specific assassination and
sabotage missions. and merchant ships providing an extensive covert and the roadstead minesweeper \raydovoY tral's-
laying capability in any period of tension before the chchik or RT). The first operates as part of the fleet
For coastal defence the fleets have regiments and
outbreak of hostilities. Defensive fields to protect during open-ocean operations, and often has secon-
independent battalions of the navy's Coastal Rocket
and Artillery Troops armed with both siationary and Soviet bases and transit routes would be lald by the dary ASW capabilities, whilst the latter two are
surface combatants and maritime patrol aircraft, the equivalent to NATO's coastal and inshore categor-
mobile missile launchers and artlllery weapons
majority of which have inbuilt minelaying capability ies of minesweepers respectlvely. They use under-
Their task is to provide defence for the approaches
to principal naval bases and ports As the Soviet The main ground mine types are the aircraft-laid water TV sleds, minehunting sonars, unmanned
500-kg (1,102-lb) AMD-500 and the aircraft-, sub- radio-controlled drones, mine disposal divers and
navy adopts the same reserve system as the Soviet
marine- or ship-laid 1000-kg \2,205'lb) AMD-l 000' submersibie mine identification and disposal craft
army, in wartime the number of naval infantry and (together with the more conventional towed wire,
Spetsnaz units would be doubled within a matter of both of which may be {itted with a magnetic, acous-
tic, pressure or combination type influence fuse. To magnetic loop and acoustic generator sweeps) to
a few days as each individual formation has an 'in-
support these weapons is a small quantity of nuclear achieve their aims.
visible' double of the same slze staffed by additional
sea mines, plus a large number of older moored All four fleet areas have large numbers of mlne-
officers. Each such formatlon serves in peace with
types such as the MOB and MKB contact, the MAG sweepers, and would be able to keep open the
the parent unit, and is equipped with reservist en-
antenna, the KRAB influence, and the MZ26 sweep major proportion of the ports and bases within their
listed men and NCOs, operating older equipment
obstructor devices. All of these (with the exception areas in the face of a determined offensive mine-
from the navy's war reserve stocks.
of the nuclear type) are probably also used by the laying campaign, as well as to support fleet opera-
To transport the naval infantry overseas, there are
Warsaw Pact navies and by the more favoured tions in enemy-controlled waters.
two 'lvan Rogov' class LPDs, 31 'Ropucha' and
'Alligator' class LSTs and 50 of so 'Polnocnyy' class Soviet cLient states. For their own use the Soviets
LSMs. These are being backed up in areas near have also developed special ASW mines under the
NATO targets and the Japanese islands by an in- titles Rising Mine and Sectionalized or Electrical The 'Kresta I' missile crurser cla ss, consisting of
creasing number of small, medlum and large ACVs, Potential Mine. Both are apparently laid by sub- four units, were the firstSovietsurface combatants
marine and are targeted against NATO's nuclear to have ahelicopter hangar fitted.
which are taking the place of the more conventional