UK and Germany expand defence bridging system cooperation

The United Kingdom and Germany have reinforced their defence partnership through a new agreement aimed at deepening collaboration on military bridging systems, according to a UK Ministry of Defence news update published on 15 April.

In a “Letter of Intent” signed this week, UK National Armaments Director Andy Start and his German counterpart, Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, committed both countries to ongoing cooperation on two key projects: Wide Wet Gap Crossing (WWGC)—also known as Project TRITON—and the General Support Bridge (GSB), also referred to as Project TYRO.

WWGC is described as a modular and scalable bridging and ferrying system for military crossings over wet gaps greater than 40 metres. The capability will be delivered by a joint UK-German multinational bridging battalion based in Minden, Germany, and fulfils a NATO requirement for wide wet gap crossing capacity.

Project TYRO, meanwhile, involves the production of rapidly deployable bridge systems by British industry. Manufactured by KNDS in Stockport, the GSB enables the construction of a 46-metre military bridge in under 90 minutes, capable of supporting all current NATO main battle tanks, including the UK’s Challenger 3.

The Ministry of Defence noted that the agreement builds on the Trinity House Agreement, a bilateral UK-Germany pact signed in October 2024, which committed both nations to deepen defence cooperation across all domains in response to the shifting security landscape following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As part of the expanded collaboration, Germany intends to procure the GSB system—ensuring maximum compatibility with the UK’s bridging capabilities. The goal is to increase interoperability and improve shared support capabilities within NATO.

“This Letter of Intent reinforces our already strong co-operation agreements and ties with our German partners, particularly in the bridging support capability area, with a strong focus on increased interoperability,” said Andy Start, UK National Armaments Director.