Lt. Col. Jeff Biggans is the Army’s product manager for Bridging, assigned to Project Manager, Force Projection in the Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support, headquartered at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Mich. He explained that tactical bridging systems like the BEB are increasingly important to America’s Soldiers and Marines.
The BEBs can also operate on several different types of fuel, and will be used by Soldiers deploying the Improved Ribbon Bridge in wet-gap crossings. The boats provide propulsion, maneuvering, thrust, and anchoring to the IRB bays, enabling tactical float bridge and rafting operations.
“The Army Operating Concept describes a future that is constantly changing, and that means commanders need flexibility in maneuver,” said Biggans. “Soldiers can use IRB equipment including these boats as bridges, rafts, or in other ways that increase the speed and manner of maneuver, which is always important. These platforms have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we’re proud to make the equipment even better for the future.”
The BEB, the IRB and their transporter are required to construct and retrieve up to 210 meters (nearly 690 feet) of floating bridge. The IRB has a Military Load Class (MLC) 96 wheeled (normal) and 110 (caution); MLC 70 tracked (normal) and 85 (caution); and is used to transport weapon systems, troops, and supplies over water when permanent bridges are not available.
The BEB maneuvers to emplace the Improved Ribbon Bridge bay. Photo by Erika J. Jordan
Rand Ponting, the BEB’s outgoing assistant product manager, noted, “The BEB is key to employing the IRB because the boats actually assemble the rafts and bridges by maneuvering five to seven bay combinations of ramp and interior bays forward, reverse, and sideways in water where currents flow at speeds of up to six feet per second.”
Fleming explained the legacy Bridge Erection Boat was developed in the 1970s and served Bridge Engineers well for its time. “Today, the new Bridge Erection Boat is a vast improvement over the legacy system,” he said. “It has a wide-beam hull that provides excellent load carrying capacity and stability. It’s stronger, faster, more reliable, much easier to operate and maintain. Maneuverability is greatly improved, and most importantly – crew survivability – the new boat also has ballistic protection for the crew,” he added.