Polish media reported that the Armaments Agency of the Ministry of National Defense of Poland, within the framework of the Daglezja-P program, signed a framework contract with the French company Constructions Industrielles de la Méditerranée (CNIM) for the supply of new generation PFM NG pontoon bridge parks for Polish engineering troops by the end of 2026. The cost of the framework contract is about 1.5 billion zlotys (about 320 million euros).
Image of the transport set of the bridge module of the new generation CNIM PFM NG French pontoon bridge fleet purchased by Poland, made on the chassis of a Polish Jelcz (6x6) car with a semi-trailer (c) Ministry of National Defense of Poland
These pontoon-bridge parks (PMP) should replace the PP-64 Wstęga parks in the Polish Army, which have been supplied since 1970, representing the Polish version of the Soviet PMP park. The exact number of new PFM NG fleets acquired by Poland is not reported, but according to Polish resources, the cost of one set of PFM NG is about 115 million zlotys, so we are talking about the purchase of 12 or 13 sets.
Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak, reporting on the contract, said that the acquired fleets will be able to provide the crossing, including the M1A2 SEP v.3 Abrams tanks purchased by Poland.
PFM NG PMP (previously designated as PFM F3) is a new variant of the PFM PMP developed and produced by CNIM since 1985 (Front Flottant Motorisé), consisting of supplying the ground forces of France (where it has been undergoing modernization since 2018, receiving the designation PFM F2), Italy, Switzerland and Malaysia. The company announced the development of a new variant of PFM NG (PFM F3) in 2018, announcing its readiness to start its deliveries from the end of 2020. Poland has actually become the starting customer of PFM NG, although this PMP is also considered the most likely candidate in the future for the purchase by the French army to replace the cash PFM F2 under the SYFRALL program launched in 2021.
The PFM NG kit allows you to build a 100-meter pontoon bridge (consisting of 8-9 modules) or two self-propelled ferries (consisting of three modules each) capable of transporting MLC 90 class tracked vehicles and MLC 100 class wheeled vehicles, the actual permissible weight for a unit of equipment reaches 120 tons. The length of the bridge modules is 10.1 m with a weight of 14 tons, they are equipped with Evinrude engines with a capacity of 115 hp. The construction of the bridge takes up to 30 minutes.
Polish PFM NG kits will be made on the chassis of Polish military vehicles Jelcz (6x6). Each PFM set will include 12 transport sets consisting of a Jelcz tractor and a semi-trailer transporting eight bridge modules and four ramp modules. Thus, the PFM NG fleet requires only 12 vehicles for transportation instead of 48 vehicles from the PP-64 or the Soviet PMP, with a much larger load capacity. It is reported that for the assembly and maintenance of the PFM NG kit, 22 to 32 personnel are required, compared to more than 120 for the PP-64.
Image of the PFM NG (c) CNIM Pontoon Bridge Park Application
Video of the application of the upgraded PFM F2(c) CNIM PMP:
