The company CEFA conducted a demonstration of the capabilities of the EFA ferries, which are being prepared for the Ukrainian military.
France's Special Envoy for Assistance and Reconstruction, Pierre Heilbronn, reported personally verifying their effectiveness.
"I verified their incredible efficiency, for example, they can be deployed in 5 minutes," said Pierre Gaylard.
The French company has a contract to supply Ukraine with eight EFA ferries and 8 engineering unmanned vehicles SDZ from its inventory.
The claimed EFA complex can be used as a ferry for transporting personnel and equipment and, if necessary, as a pontoon bridge composed of several such systems.
The 43-ton, 12.6-meter vehicle is equipped with a turbocharged Baudouin diesel engine, developing 730 hp. It is paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The amphibious installation has permanent all-wheel drive, with all four wheels being steerable.
The vehicle has a land range of 700 km. If it travels on the road at a speed of 70 km/h, it can move on water at only 12 km/h. The ferry is capable of making 10-12 crossings over a river 100 meters wide and 8-10 crossings over a river 200 meters wide in one hour.
It can be used in conjunction with other EFA units as a floating bridge. One block has a span of 23.6 meters. Four units can be connected in less than 10 minutes to form a bridge 100 meters long. The EFA is operated by a crew of four – two drivers, a commander, and an operator.
SDZ
The SDZ from the same CEFA company is a medium-class demining system called Système de Déminage de Zone (Zone Demining System). French engineering battalions have traditionally been equipped with such installations.
The machine is resistant to anti-tank mines. It can be operated remotely, either visually or from armored vehicles or other equipment equipped with cameras and GPS. Its weight with the cultivator is 12 tons. The strip width is 2.2 meters, and the productivity is at least 2000 sq. m/h.
The SDZ is specifically designed for the mechanical clearance of mined areas and the rapid creation of safe passages.
The main advantage is that after the passage of this machine, various activities, whether military or civilian (roads, agriculture), are allowed under guaranteed safe conditions.
