BLG-60 Polish Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge (AVLB)

This system is mounted on the adapted chassis of a T55, where a launching unit replaces a combat turret. The BLG- 60 armored bridge-layer was a joint development between the former East Germany and Poland. The bridge is launched in a similar fashion to the Csechoslovakia MT-55. The BLG 60 and BLG 67 armored bridge-layers were used by the East German Army and other countries. The bridge initiating equipment is controlled by a system of hydraulic cylinders; the allocation of hydraulic oil can be controlled both manually by mechanical levers and automatically. The pressure of the liquid is provided by high-pressure piston pumps motorized by the tank engine. All mechanisms of the MT-55A used for laying and recovering of the bridge can be controlled by the crew from the inside of the tank, with hatch covers closed. To begin the launching process, the vehicle stops short of the gap; then, the bridge swings ahead and down while its two sections open like scissors. The MT-55A span is 18 meters long and can hold up loads up to 50 tons. Later the MT-55A was modified with gap measuring mechanism and infrared equipment for bridge laying at darkness. The MT-55A was designed and produced by TS Martin from 1962 (the former Czechoslovakia was one of the countries that build the T-54/55 series under licence). The development phase ended in 1967 after which 5 pre-series vehicles were built. Series production started in 1969. The transformed T-55A chassis differs only by the arrangement of the compartments in the hull. The bridge tank is proposed for an easy and swift crossing of antitank barriers (trenches) and other obstacles with the purpose of facilitating the passage of mechanized and tank units. The bridge initiating equipment is controlled by a system of hydraulic cylinders; the allocation of hydraulic oil can be controlled both manually by mechanical levers and automatically. The pressure of the liquid is provided by high-pressure piston pumps motorized by the tank engine. All mechanisms of the MT-55A used for laying and recovering of the bridge can be controlled by the crew from the inside of the tank, with hatch covers closed. To begin the launching process, the vehicle stops short of the gap; then, the bridge swings ahead and down while its two sections open like scissors. The MT-55A span is 18 meters long and can hold up loads up to 50 tons. Later the MT-55A was modified with gap measuring mechanism and infrared equipment for bridge laying at darkness. Of the MT-55A, a total of 1,762 were produced between 1969 and 1983, including 183 export versions MT-55KS (from 1971) and 301 hulls for East Germany's BLG-60 program.