Joint Assault Bridge

The Joint Assault Bridge (JAB) is a procurement initiative of the Army aimed at replacing the existing Wolverine and M48A5/M60 series chassis Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge (AVLB) to meet current maneuver force survivability, suitability, and supportability requirements. The JAB is an M1A1 Abrams Chassis-based engineer vehicle with a heavy M1A2 Abrams suspension that launches and retrieves the 18.3-meter Heavy Assault Scissor Bridge (HASB), currently rated at Military Load Class (MLC) 115. The program aims to upgrade Armored Vehicle Launched Bridges (AVLBs) to the MLC 115 HASB as part of the JAB production program at Anniston Army Depot (ANAD). The JAB system will be employed with Army Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCT) in the Brigade Engineer Battalions (BEB), Engineer Mobility Augmentation Companies (MAC), and Combat Engineer Companies - Armored (CEC-A).

The specific objectives of this program include enhancing readiness and survivability for Combatant Commanders, improving mobility and sustainability over legacy AVLBs, and meeting homeland defense missions, domestic emergency responses, and providing military support to civil authorities as mandated by Section 1815 of the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. The production/acquisition strategy includes a partnership with Anniston Army Depot for the production of the Abrams chassis. Initial Operational Test was completed in November 2020, and Full Rate Production approval decision was granted in March 2021. The Army Acquisition Objective for JAB is 297 units. In FY 2024, the program plans to procure twenty-four JABs for $145.434 million to support the organic industrial base with work performed at Anniston Army Depot, including purchasing long-lead material and subsequent production efforts. Additionally, $14.370 million is allocated for procuring two JABs in support of the European Deterrence Initiative.