Army deploys new amphibious bridging vehicle

The Army deployed a new amphibious bridging vehicle for the first time Wednesday as part of efforts to improve troop readiness and capabilities in river-crossing operations. A ceremony marking the deployment of the KM3, a South Korean version of Germany's M3 Amphibious Rig, took place at the VII Maneuver Corps' river-crossing training ground in Namyangju, 25 kilometers northeast of Seoul, the Army said. In August 2021, South Korean defense company Hanwha Aerospace signed a deal with General Dynamics European Land Systems for cooperation to build the variant, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The amphibious bridging vehicle allows swift troop maneuvers over streams and rivers by acting as a bridge or a ferry to transport various heavy equipment, including tanks and armored vehicles. Compared with the existing ribbon floating bridge equipment that required around six hours of preparation time, the KM3 does not need any, the Army said. It can also transport up to 64 tons of equipm ent, 10 tons more than the ribbon bridge. The Army said the vehicle is expected to play an important role in ground operations, considering the numerous streams and rivers on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea is home to more than 3,800 streams and rivers, according to the environment ministry. Source: Yonhap News Agency