L&T set to bag Rs 530 crore project for army bridges

NEW DELHI: Defence sector major L&T is set to bag a Rs 530-crore contract to manufacture new bridges for the Indian Army. The bridges are urgently required for deployment along the western sector which is crisscrossed with canals and water obstacles that hinder movement of vehicles and armoured formations.

Source told ET that the Army has moved a proposal to purchase over 100 new short span bridges and the project is likely to be given a nod by the defence ministry soon. The ‘short span bridge’ contract will be awarded to L&T on a single vendor basis as it has acquired the technology for construction of military grade systems.

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L&T has built significant capability in military mobile bridging systems for the Army in partnership with the Defence Research and Development Organization and is a prime manufacturer of the Sarvatra bridging system. “The short span bridges are mainly for use on the western front where movements by armoured formations are common. It will add to our inventory of similar mobile platforms that also have a strong utility in disaster management where communication lines are cut off. This has been the case in Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir that were affected by floods,” an Army official said.

L&T , which has designed the bridges to be carried by heavy combat vehicles and across difficult terrain, also manufactures the armoured LT -T72 Bridging System that is meant for use during an armoured assault across enemy territory.