The increased need for a self-sufficient gap-crossing capability for ground forces has lead to the development of the Medium Trackway Bridge (MTB), an aluminium-construction modular lightweight bridge for military and civilian vehicles up to MLC 40 that can be connected to form bridge lengths of 4, 6 or 8m. Developed by General Dynamics, the single bridge modules can be transported directly on the vehicle, including light tactical vehicles, and can easily be launched and recovered by the crew of the same vehicle with a simple adapter. The launching / retrieving time for a 4 m MTB is approximately 5 minutes with 4 soldiers. The MTB enables tactical vehicles with no or very little gap-crossing capability to enhance their mobility on the battlefield without being reliant on bridging engineer units. This is not only increasing their manoeuvrability but also their protection as it allows troops options to detour potential risk areas.
