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