Hitachi Type 70 Bridging Vehicle
Notes:
This is a Japanese self-propelled pontoon bridge that can also be used as
a ferry, similar to the German EWK M-2.
It should not be confused with the Type 70 AVLB. The Japanese designed
the Type 70 to be stable in both still water and rapids. The Type 70 was first
designed in 1969 and went into service in 1970.
The vehicle has
a length of 11.4 meters, can float, and can carry a weight of 40 tons in water,
but is unable to carry that weight on land.
Several Type 70 units may be connected together to form bridges of any
unlimited length. It is in many
ways similar to the German EWK M2, though they are independent developments.
Upon entering the water, the deck may be floated turned 180 degrees if desired;
side to side like this is the preferred method of forming repetitive bridging
from the Type 70. Up to three Type 70s can be linked this way for a length of 34
meters at a trackway width of 3.9 meters. Once afloat, built-in cranes on the
bridging vehicles level the decks.
All work is done within the cab, which like other such vehicles is watertight
and often underwater when in use.
Engine is a Nissan V-8 heavy truck 330-horsepower diesel engine, modified for
functioning underwater with snorkels, exhaust extensions, water-sealing, and
batteries equivalent to a 2.5kW APU, and operating for two hours before the
batteries are discharged. The Type 70 has NBC overpressure protection, a cab
heater, and a cab air conditioner.
The four-man crew consists of a vehicle commander, driver, and two bridge/ferry
operators. The crewmembers sit in
two rows of seats and access is though watertight doors on either side of the
cab. There is a large
bullet-resistant windshield to the front, and bullet-resistant windows to the
sides.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$78,747 |
D, A |
500 kg |
26 tons |
4 |
12 |
Headlights |
Enclosed |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config* |
Susp |
Armor* |
125/63 |
34/18/6 |
1400 |
121 |
CiH |
W(2) |
TF4 TS4
TR4 HF4
HS4 HR4 |
*The Turret AV shown is for the bridge.
Mitsubishi Type 81
Bridgelayer
Notes: This
truck-mounted bridgelayer is actually a system of two vehicles, each based on
Type 74 heavy 6x6 trucks. The base
vehicle of the pair, the Type 81a, carries a set of trestles mounted in a
swing-down-lock out position on a pier that actually carries the bridge when it
is laid. This is a single-span pier
which is laid as close to the center of the stream or obstacles to be crossed,
and slides out from the rear of the truck. The bridge-carrying truck, the Type
81b, then slides out the two spans of the bridge along the pier, laying on top
of the pier as much as possible. The bridge and pier together are MLC 40 and can
take up to 42 tons, or 50 tons with a cautious, one-vehicle crossing. The
maximum span is 10 meters at 3.75 meters wide, though up to 10 Type 81 teams can
lay consecutive bridges, sliding the piers and then bridges out along each
other, to span a maximum of 60 meters. At both ends, drive-on/drive-off ramps
can be taken from the pier-carrying truck and bolted on to each end of the
bridge(s). The end or beginning
point of the bridge may be up to 4 meters higher of lower than the other end.
The trestles can also be adjusted to become more even at the beginning, end, and
between the bridge sections. The individual bridge section in multisectional
bridges may be up to two meters higher or lower; the pier truck carries these
ramps as well. All bridging and
piers slide out from the rear of the trucks. Each truck has a modicum of armor
and a bullet-resistant windscreen; it has a vehicular NBC system and has extra
filters for the crews’ protective masks and extra NBC suits. It has a heater,
but not an air conditioner. The crew has no night vision, but often wear night
vision goggles. The Type 74 truck base is a diesel engine developing 300
horsepower.
The Type 81 is
still in use; it alone has the capacity to bridge wider streams and obstacles,
though it can carry only lighter vehicles under most circumstances. As such, it
has been equipped with a GPS system and a BMS system. It has also been equipped
with a small computer with bridging solutions.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
Type 81a |
$782,228 |
D, A |
200 kg |
21.8 tons |
2 |
17 |
Headlights, WL/IR Spotlight (C) |
Enclosed |
Type 81b |
$893,828 |
D, A |
200 kg |
24.8 tons |
2 |
19 |
Headlights, WL/IR Spotlight (C) |
Enclosed |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config* |
Susp |
Armor* |
Type 81a |
119/68 |
33/16 |
275 |
110 |
CiH |
W(3) |
TF4 TS4
TR4 HF2
HS2 HR2 |
Type 81b |
109/54 |
30/15 |
275 |
110 |
CiH |
W(3) |
TF4 TS4
TR4 HF2
HS2 HR2 |