French PFM Motorized Pontoon Ferries Delivered to the Ukrainian Troops

The 47th Engineer Brigade has been equipped with French PFM (Pont Flottant Motorisé) motorized pontoon ferries.

Footage from training exercises was published on the brigade’s official Facebook page.

Ukraine placed the order for these pontoon ferries in October 2022.
PFM motorized pontoon ferries are mobile systems developed by the French company CNIM that can be used as floating bridges or platforms to cross water obstacles.

The design consists of autonomous modules approximately 10 meters long, which can be connected to form a bridge or operate independently as self-propelled ferries.

The width of a module in the deployed position is 10.2 meters; in the folded transport configuration, it is about 3.6 meters, with a height of 1.3 meters.

The weight of a single module is approximately 10.5 tonnes, and the 4-meter-wide roadway allows the movement of both wheeled and tracked vehicles.

Each module has a load capacity of 20 tonnes, and in a bridge configuration, the system can support the crossing of heavy combat vehicles in accordance with MLC 90T standards.

Each module is equipped with integrated engines for propulsion and positioning in the water, with 360-degree maneuverability.

The ferry system can operate in currents of up to 3 m/s and negotiate riverbanks up to 3 meters high without additional preparation.

The deployment time for a 100-meter-long bridge is approximately 30 minutes, involving 42 personnel. The modules are transported on special semi-trailers that enable their deployment and launch into the water.