The Dry Support Bridge (DSB) is the new generation of tactical military bridging. Deployable by just eight soldiers and a single launch vehicle, the DSB can get traffic moving over a 46 metre gap in less than 90 minutes. Its primary mission is to support the momentum of attack. Its secondary mission is emplacement on main supply routes to the rear of the combat zone to help keep military and civilian traffic flowing. The DSB is made from a specially manufactured lightweight aluminium alloy under licence to WFEL.

The DSB’s military load classification (MLC) of 120 at 46 metres and width of 4.3 metres makes it one of the most advanced tactical bridging systems ever designed. Covering wet or dry gaps up to 46 metres, the DSB offers incredible operational flexibility and has already proven itself in the field following deployment in the USA, Germany, South Korea and during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Over the next 10 years in excess of 100 DSB systems will have been fielded.

Development and testing

In the late 1990s, the U.S Department of Defense identified a requirement for a new generation of tactical bridging systems that were rapidly deployable, versatile, modular, reliable and user-friendly. Following the most high profile procurement contest in military bridging history, WFEL was awarded a production order for the design of what was to become the DSB. Bearing the hallmarks of WFEL’s near century long history of engineering excellence, early testing showed that the DSB was surpassing all the operational demands placed upon it including 18,000 simulated crossings without a single failure.