A package of 17 new Medium Girder Bridges (MGB) has been ordered for the Royal Engineers under a £46M contract with Stockport-based WFEL. Once delivered they will be deployed by the sappers for both military operations and humanitarian tasks.
These MGB bridging sets can be configured in several different ways to provide flexibility to the Commander on the ground. Configurations include concurrent deployment of both a 31-metre double-storey and a five-bay single-storey version. They provide interoperability with any other MGB of any age and are already adopted by many NATO members.
Major Tom Exelby, of the Royal Engineers, said: “The MGB will provide light weight medium gap capability to Very High Readiness forces and will form a significant element of the STRIKE Brigade’s manoeuvre support capability. MGB was chosen for its versatility and deployability to meet the challenges of the future integrated operating concept.”
The first sets of the rapidly deployable bridges will be delivered by December 2021, with the rest due to be delivered by the end of 2025.
The MGB will provide light weight medium gap capability to Very High Readiness forces and will form a significant element of the STRIKE Brigade’s manoeuvre support capability Maj Tom Exelby RE
The contract, secured by DE&S following a review of the MOD’s modular gap crossing capabilities, will also provide continuing employment for 50 direct production-related personnel and is expected to create 15 to 20 skilled and production support jobs, whilst securing 100 supply chain jobs in the North of England and Scotland.
Jeremy Quin, Minister of Defence Procurement, said the contract of new military bridges, “not only secures jobs within Stockport, but also supports significant numbers of jobs in the wider UK supply chain.”