Army engineers demo scissor bridge improvements

Photo By Christopher Estrada | Ed Knoch, the lead engineer for the technology developed for the Heavy Assault Scissor Bridge, briefs on the design and implementation process March 10 at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. This technology development was the result of a contract with GS Engineering, whose experts worked closely with the GVSC Bridge Technology Lab at Selfridge to effectively design and produce a prototype that works for the modern warfighter.  

SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES

03.10.2023

Story by Christopher Estrada 

DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center

SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE —A heavy snowstorm here earlier this month did not deter U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center engineers and its contracting partners from demonstrating their achievements in integrating a new linkage mechanism on a scissor bridge.

The demo was the culmination of several months of work dedicated to enhancing the performance of the Heavy Assault Scissor Bridge (HASB).

The linkage mechanism is designed to improve the control of the HASB during deployment, while also providing a significant weight reduction for the system itself. This demonstration helped identify what improvements must be considered for the final product before pushing it forward in the development process.

Development of this technology was the result of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with GS Engineering, whose experts worked closely with the GVSC Bridge Testing Lab at Selfridge to effectively design and produce a prototype that works for the modern warfighter.

“When executed correctly, SBIRs reflect a successful collaboration between small business and the Army in driving innovation while providing the Army with needed improvements in technology,” said Pete Marrero, GVSC division chief for Force Projection Technology. “Demonstrations are performed when the technology is developed to a point in its lifecycle where it makes sense to showcase the technology for immediate, or future warfighter benefit.”

This demo showcased what improvements could be possible for Soldiers to utilize in the short-term. Improving the capabilities of existing technologies by means that can be measured, such as weight reduction, is one way GVSC and its partners work to impact the modern force.

“These demos provide real-time evidence of a successful development from concepts and ideas to tangible hardware or software products,” said Steve Aamodt, GVSC Branch Chief for the Bridging Life Cycle Engineering Team in Force Projection Technology Group.

“In this case, it resulted in more reliable tech that requires no additional training for the operator, and is in effect transparent to the warfighter, but allows for a less than four-minute launch cycle and emplacement and or retrieval of the bridge,” he said.

The success of this bridging improvement gives credence to GVSC’s ability to work effectively with its partners to achieve forward progress in modernizing today’s ground combat systems. “It is testament to the volume of effort that is required to fulfill the mission set laid out by Army Futures Command, and what is required to build the Army of 2040,” Aamodt said.

• Date Taken: 03.10.2023
• Date Posted: 03.29.2023 10:27
• Story ID: 441329
• Location: SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, MICHIGAN, US