Image Gallery: May 2007
1st Combat Engineer Regiment fixed modular bridge
25 May 2007
The biggest military bridge ever built on mainland Australia has been successfully trialed with the crossing of a 61.3-tonne M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, and a massive 98.6-tonne combination of a 63-tonne M88 Abrams recovery vehicle on a 35.6-tonne Heavy Tank Transporter.
It took 35 Sappers and DMO staff five days to build the bridge which is designed to replace destroyed bridges and cross obstacles on main supply routes to and from the battlefield.
The section built at Robertson Barracks was 50 metres long, but could stretch an incredible 1.6 kilometres given the materiel and the time to build it.
"The Sappers have really enjoyed being a part of this project - there's 150 tonnes of steel out there and it's exciting for us to be working at something on this scale," said Major Michael Say, Acting Commanding Officer 1 Combat Engineer Regiment.
But the Sappers hardly had time to stand back and admire their creation. After a break for lunch they started pulling it apart again, a job which may take nearly as long as the construction itself.
| 20070521adf8243523_04 Sappers from the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment prepare pins that will hold together the framework of a new two-laned Fixed Modular Bridge that has been built to validate its load-carrying ability at Robertson Barracks in the Northern Territory. (Date taken: 21 May 2007) Low Res | High Res |
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| 20070521adf8243523_14 Sappers from the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment and Defence Materiel Organisation staff manouvere the side framing pieces of a new two-laned Fixed Modular Bridge into place. (Date taken: 21 May 2007) Low Res | High Res |
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| 20070521adf8243523_35 The framework of a new two-laned Fixed Modular Bridge, built by Sappers from the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment and DMO staff to validate the load-carrying ability of the system, starts to take shape at Robertson Barracks in the Northern Territory. (Date taken: 21 May 2007) Low Res | High Res |
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| 20070521adf8243523_47 Sappers from the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment inspect the framework of a new two-laned Fixed Modular Bridge that has been built to validate the load-carrying ability of the system, at Robertson Barracks in the Northern Territory. (Date taken: 21 May 2007) Low Res | High Res |
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| 20070523adf8522862_013 The Australian Army Engineers load test a truss bridge using armored vehicles and a tank transporter. (Date taken: 23 May 2007) Low Res | High Res |
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| 20070523adf8522862_024 The Australian Army Engineers load test a truss bridge using an armored vehicle. (Date taken: 23 May 2007) Low Res | High Res |
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| 20070523adf8522862_028 The Australian Army Engineers load test a Truss bridge using Armored vehicles and a tank transporter. (Date taken: 23 May 2007) Low Res | High Res |
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| 20070523adf8522862_068 The Australian Army Engineers load test a Truss bridge using Armored vehicles and a tank transporter. (Date taken: 23 May 2007) Low Res | High Res |
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| 20070523adf8522862_083 The Australian Army Engineers load test a Truss bridge using Armored vehicles and a tank transporter. (Date taken: 23 May 2007) Low Res | High Res |
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