ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- Sitting in Anniston Army Depot's Combat Vehicle Repair Facility, the two tanks look similar to other M1 Abrams in the building.
But, the differences in the vehicles go beyond the two large appendages atop the M1 hull. These vehicles are the first of their kind ever repaired on this installation.
They are M104 Wolverine Armored Bridgelayers. The Wolverine is the only bridge system in the Army's arsenal to deploy a bridge horizontally, rather than the scissor-like motion of the Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge or Joint Assault Bridge.
That unique capability makes the Wolverine a valuable asset, keeping Soldiers unseen from a distance as they move across obstacles.
The 20-ton bridge system sits atop a M1A2 chassis and hull, meaning much of the testing and repair work, known as reset, is familiar to depot employees.
"The first two vehicles we are resetting will be a type of unofficial pilot program," said Mike Epps, maintenance management specialist for the program.
Epps said there are 10 Wolverines in the program, which will bring $6.5 million of work to the installation.
A field service representative from General Dynamics, Joe Porter, is on the installation through completion of the first vehicles; ensuring employees have the information needed for repairs.
Porter knows these vehicles well. He fielded these same bridge layers in Southwest Asia in 2009 and is anxious for them to receive the care and repairs Anniston can provide.
"These vehicles have been sitting for about 18 months now," said Porter. "So they need a lot of work."
Though the depot won't repair the bridge panels, one bridge is on the installation to test each Wolverine's launch system, which the depot will refurbish through its component repair shops.
The Laser/Thermal Electronics Branch will work on the Integrated Launching Computer Electronic Unit, the brains of the bridge launch system, which tells the hydraulics when and how far to extend.
Joe Adams, a lead man for the Laser/Thermal Electronics Branch, said this will be the first time the depot has repaired this component.
"We've got the training to do it and each employee has years of electronics experience," said Adams.
Adams said part of the training was a trip to Fort Hood, Texas, last year to work hands-on with the Wolverine. There, in addition to learning about the electronic components of the launch system, employees saw it in action as a bridge was extended and retracted.
Once each Wolverine is ready for final testing, the launch system will be put through its paces, deploying and retracting the bridge four times, each time under different conditions.
"There are different stages we have to go through to test the launch system, different ways to launch," said Owen Randall of the Vehicle Final Acceptance Branch.
Joe Cox, division chief for the Final Operations Division, said operating the bridge laying system has been a learning experience.
"We're learning as we go," said Cox. "We have the skill to do it here and the folks with the intelligence to make it happen."
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