23 Feb 2026

Ice Cutting and Removal for Cold Weather Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) Crossings

Frozen rivers provide an obstacle for any military force, as ice impedes the use of Improved Ribbon Bridges (IRBs) or other bridging vehicles. Finding an efficient way to cut and remove ice to allow for the emplacement of bridging assets is critical. The US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory’s (CRREL) Cold Weather IRB team went to Camp Grafton, North Dakota, to collect data for the North Dakota National Guard who were conducting a frozen wet gap crossing in February of 2022. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected to evaluate strategies for ice cutting, removal, and IRB placement. After ice cutting and removal, an IRB bay was successfully placed in the frozen pond. Laboratory tests were conducted in March 2022 to examine different chainsaw chains for cutting an ice sheet grown in the Geophysical Research Facility (GRF) at CRREL. Chainsaws were determined to be an effective tool for cutting ice, and the speed and comfortability of different chains were documented. The data collected from this project will help to drive the North Dakota National Guard creation of a winter bridging course and will be used to update the Army’s Tactics Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) for cold weather bridging operations.

24 Nov 2025

Ice Demolition Techniques—Rapid Improved Ribbon Bridge Placement and Enemy Forces Denial: Using Traditional Military Explosives Under Ice

Abstract: As the United States military focuses on furthering their lethality across cold regions, developing new techniques for equipment usage is necessary. On 19 March 2025, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center–Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (ERDC-CRREL) collaborated with the Army Engineers from the 50th Multi-Role Bridge Company (MRBC), 6th Brigade Engineer Battalion (BEB), and Sapper Leader Course (SLC) to determine whether explosives can be used for Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) placement in ice-laden environments. As the US Army adapts to meet the evolving threats from foreign adversaries, there is an increased tactical necessity for enhanced bridging capabilities in frozen terrain. Developing an expedient method of removing ice from these waterways and placing IRBs for easy crossing of heavy military equipment is essential. Through this experiment it was determined that the use of a 40 lb cratering charge primed with M152 boosters significantly fractures the ice cover expeditiously. However, the ice expulsion rate found in this experiment was insufficient for IRB deployment which requires 60% expulsion rate. Although the experiment fell short of IRB requirements, it proved to be an efficient and effective countermobility tool for units who use frozen water ways as avenues of approach.