U.S. Army buys 20 Abrams-based bridge vehicles

The United States Army has awarded DRS Sustainment Systems (DRS SSI) a $44.98 million contract modification for the procurement of 20 Joint Assault Bridge (JAB) systems and associated spares, according to a contract notice released this week.

The procurement is directly tied to one of the Army’s core operational requirements: ensuring armored formations can continue maneuvering through wet and dry gaps without losing tempo. Heavy bridging assets such as the Joint Assault Bridge are designed to keep Abrams-based units moving during offensive and defensive operations where rivers, ditches, craters, and damaged infrastructure can otherwise slow or halt armored advances.

According to the contract announcement, DRS SSI, Bridgeton, Missouri, was awarded a $44,978,691 modification (P00171) to a firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 20 Joint Assault Bridge systems and associated spares.

The notice states that work will be performed in West Plains, Missouri, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2027.

The Army said Fiscal 2024, 2025, and 2026 Procurement of Weapons and Tracked Combat Vehicles, Army funds in the amount of $44,978,691 were obligated at the time of the award. The contracting activity is listed as Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan.

According to Leonardo DRS, the Joint Assault Bridge is intended to provide Mobility Augmentation Companies supporting Armored Brigade Combat Teams with a survivable, deployable, and sustainable heavy-assault-bridging capability.

The JAB allows armored units to rapidly cross battlefield obstacles while remaining under armor protection. This includes crossing both wet gaps, such as rivers and canals, and dry gaps, including anti-tank trenches, craters, or destroyed road sections. The system is built on an M1A1 Abrams tank hull with a heavy M1A2 suspension, integrated with a hydraulic bridge launcher system that deploys the existing Military Load Class 85 Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge.

Because it uses an Abrams-derived chassis, the vehicle is able to move with armored formations at similar speed and under similar protection levels. This is operationally important for keeping engineer support vehicles aligned with front-line tanks during high-tempo maneuver warfare.

According to the manufacturer, the bridge has a scissor bridge capacity of MLC 115, or MLC 120 with caution, allowing it to support the passage of modern heavy armored vehicles, including main battle tanks and tracked support systems.

The bridge itself measures 18.3 meters in length, while the JAB vehicle is approximately 12.8 meters long, 4.15 meters wide, and 3.95 meters high.

Leonardo DRS states that the system can launch the bridge in 3 to 5 minutes and retrieve it in 6 to 10 minutes in its primary mode. The platform is also rated for operation in temperatures ranging from -32°C to 52°C, and is transportable by both C-5 and C-17 aircraft.

Heavy assault bridging systems are especially relevant in large-scale ground combat where freedom of maneuver is often shaped by prepared defenses, destroyed infrastructure, and layered obstacle networks.