§ Mr. GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the origins, purpose and state of progress of the bridging for the 1990s military bridging system; which elements of the system will be(a) wheeled or (b) tracked; which equipment it is proposed to replace; how much has been (i) spent and (ii) committed to date; which units, based in which country, will receive the proposed equipment; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Aitken"Bridging for the 90s" (BR90) is needed to replace in-service bridging as it comes to the end of its planned life. The purpose of BR90 is to enhance the mobility of armoured formations. The system will enable longer bridges to be built faster with less manpower.
BR90 is a modular system. Most of its elements can be launched and recovered by bridge-laying and by wheeled bridge-laying vehicles. Some 60 per cent. of the bridges are intended to be tank launched. The tank launched bridges have completed contractor trials and are now undergoing user trials with a British Army unit. The truck launched system has commenced contractor trials.
BR90 will replace the No 8 and 9 tank bridges and Crusader tank bridge transporters. Some medium girder bridges will also be replaced.
96WPayments to date total £26.4 million, and a further £7.9 million is committed to the completion of the development phase. We have recently committed £15.3 million to preparation for production.
The BR90 system will be deployed with Royal Engineer units in both Germany and United Kingdom.