Leonardo DRS recently delivered its 100th Joint Assault Bridge (JAB) system to the U.S. Army, providing upgraded combat bridging capability for current and future operations. JAB systems are critical combat support platforms giving freedom of maneuver to mounted and dismounted units on the battlefield.
A ceremony with Army and DRS program personnel recognizing the delivery of the 100th unit was held at the Leonardo DRS facility in West Plains, Mo. where the systems are built.
“DRS is proud to achieve this milestone and providing our customer with a robust, reliable system with advanced vision, rapid assault launch and retrieve capability, as well as superior mobility,” said Aaron Hankins, senior vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Land Systems business unit. “As a trusted partner to the U.S. Army, our team of dedicated professionals has worked closely with our customer to design and build a high-quality product that will enable our warfighters to successfully accomplish critical assault bridging missions.”
The JAB system provides Mobility Augmentation Companies supporting Armored Brigade Combat Teams with a survivable, deployable, and sustainable heavy-assault-bridging capability. JAB provides gap-crossing capability to cross wet or dry gaps, and freedom of maneuver on the battlefield to keep pace with Abrams Heavy Brigade Combat Team operations.
The DRS-designed JAB is a significant upgrade to its predecessor with advanced sensors systems for the driver and commander. The system is built around an M1A1 Abrams tank hull with heavy (M1A2) suspension integrated with a hydraulic bridge launcher system to deploy the existing Military Load Class 115 Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge.
The U.S. Army has ordered a total of 169 new JAB systems to date.
JAB is another example of the deep DRS experience as a leading integrator supporting a wide range of missions for the U.S. military and allies around the world. The company’s integration capability extends across all domains to support space missions, force protection, computer networking and C5I, as well as naval power and propulsion systems.
You can find out more about the JAB program on the DRS website.