Support Equipment

PMM-2 / PMM-2M

Also known as
  • PMM-2
  • PMM-2M
  • ПММ-2
  • ПММ-2М
  • Paromno-mostovaya mashina-2
  • PMM 2
  • PMM 2M
  • ferry-bridge vehicle PMM-2
  • self-propelled ferry PMM-2M

The PMM-2 is a Soviet tracked amphibious ferry-bridge vehicle built to carry tanks and other heavy equipment across water obstacles, with fold-out side pontoons that let a single vehicle operate as a ferry or several vehicles link into a larger crossing. The PMM-2M modernization appears in Russian service coverage, including the 2017 Syrian Civil War Euphrates crossing near Deir ez-Zor.

PMM-2 / PMM-2M, Amphibious ferry-bridge vehicle, Support Equipment
Image source: Wikimedia Commons Armiya 2021 PMM-2M image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Amphibious ferry-bridge vehicle
Service note
Late Cold War-present
Designer
Kryukiv Railway Car Building Works engineering crossing-equipment design bureau
Designed
1970s
Produced
Late Cold War production; no longer in production in public references

Specifications

Crew
3
Role
Tracked amphibious ferry and floating bridge element
Single-ferry capacity
40 tonnes for PMM-2 in surplus specifications; 42.5 tonnes for PMM-2M in reference coverage
Linked-ferry capacity
Two vehicles about 80-85 tonnes; three vehicles about 120-127.5 tonnes
Dimensions
About 13.35-13.38 m long, 3.3-3.36 m wide, and 3.8-3.85 m high in transport configuration
Weight
About 36 tonnes
Engine
V-46-5 / W-46-5 multi-fuel diesel family, about 522 kW / 710 hp in reference specifications
Speed
55 km/h on road; about 10 km/h in water
Range
About 500-520 km by road
Protection
Unarmed; public references describe no general armor beyond a protected cab in some descriptions
Ferry And Bridge Configuration

The PMM-2 family is built around a tracked floating hull with hinged side pontoons and ramps. In road order the pontoons fold onto the vehicle; at a water obstacle the vehicle deploys them to create a ferry deck that can load and unload vehicles from either bank.

Single ferry

German Wikipedia lists a 42.5-tonne PMM-2M load rating, while surplus-specification sources list 40 tonnes for PMM-2.

Linked ferry

Two or three PMM vehicles can be joined for heavier loads; public references list roughly 80-85 tonnes for two vehicles and 120-127.5 tonnes for three.

Bridge role

Army Recognition says PMM-2 units can be connected into floating bridges and describes the PMM-2M as part of Russia's 2017 Euphrates crossing package in Syria.

Variants

Public sources usually discuss PMM-2 and PMM-2M as the same tracked ferry-bridge family. The PMM-2M raised the ferry load rating to handle heavier tanks, while keeping the same basic folding-pontoon layout.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
PMM-2MImproved ferry-bridge vehicle

Army Recognition described PMM-2M as a floating bridging and ferry system that can connect multiple PMM-2 units into floating bridges and was sent by Russian forces to Syria in 2017.

Sources: Army Recognition Syria PMM-2M

Timeline

PMM-2 / PMM-2M Key Events

  1. Kryukiv crossing-equipment design bureau formed

    LB.ua reports that Kryukiv Railway Car Building Works created a main Soviet engineering landing and crossing-equipment design bureau in 1954.

    Sources: LB.ua Kryukov dossier

  2. PMM-2 developed

    Reference coverage places PMM-2 development in the 1970s as a tracked successor to earlier Soviet ferry and pontoon-crossing equipment.

    Sources: PMM-2 - German Wikipedia

  3. Russian bridge reported near Deir ez-Zor

    TASS reported that Russian road-service military experts erected a bridge across the Euphrates near Deir ez-Zor to move military equipment, troops, and aid to the eastern bank.

    Sources: TASS Euphrates bridge

  4. PMM-2M identified in Syria crossing

    Army Recognition identified PMM-2M amphibious bridging ferries among the Russian systems used for the Euphrates crossing operation.

    Sources: Army Recognition Syria PMM-2M

Media

PMM-2 / PMM-2M Images

PMM-2 / PMM-2M, Amphibious ferry-bridge vehicle, Support Equipment - view 1
Source: Wikimedia Commons Openwater 2016 PMM-2M image
Related Weapon Systems
MTU-20, Armored vehicle-launched bridge / tank bridgelayer, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentMTU-20Armored vehicle-launched bridge / tank bridgelayerThe MTU-20 is a Soviet armored vehicle-launched bridge built on the T-54/T-55 tank chassis. It carries a twin-treadway metal span that can be launched from under armor to move tanks and other heavy vehicles over ditches, rivers, and other tactical obstacles. Recent open-source reporting documents Russian MTU-20 use near the Donetsk and Pokrovsk axes in Ukraine, where Ukrainian drone units targeted bridge-layer vehicles supporting attempted armored movement.
BRDM-2, Amphibious armored scout car, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesBRDM-2Amphibious armored scout carThe BRDM-2 is a Soviet amphibious armored scout car built for reconnaissance, patrol, liaison, and specialist battlefield-support tasks. Its family includes radiological and chemical reconnaissance versions such as BRDM-2RKh and BRDM-2RKhb, which add contamination-detection and marking equipment to the scout-car chassis. Oryx loss records keep both base and chemical reconnaissance variants visible in the Russia-Ukraine War, while older export fleets appear in Nagorno-Karabakh, Yemen, and other post-Soviet or Soviet-supplied conflicts despite the vehicle's light armor.
BMK-130M towing motor boat, Pontoon-bridge towing motor boat, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentBMK-130M towing motor boatPontoon-bridge towing motor boatThe BMK-130M is a Soviet steel-hulled towing motor boat for engineer river-crossing units, used to move pontoon ferries, bridge elements, anchors, and small craft rather than to fight as an armed boat. Vessel references place it in the BMK-130 family built at Vympel's Rybinsk yard, Russian patent literature cites a 1990 Vympel BMK-130M technical manual, and Russia-Ukraine War loss tracking records a Russian BMK-130M/BMK-150-family boat as captured.

Sources

Army Guide PMM-2Publisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports PMM-2 identity as a floating bridging and ferry system and the armored-vehicle-launched bridge classification. | Accessed: 2026-07-06ODIN PMM-2Publisher: U.S. Army ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide | Note: Supports PMM-2 identity as a Russian self-propelled amphibious floating bridging and ferry system, replacement context for earlier ferry systems, and multi-vehicle ferry/bridge configuration claims. | Accessed: 2026-07-06PMM-2 - German WikipediaPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Used as baseline terminology and leads for PMM-2 development period, PMM-2M variant distinction, dimensions, weight, engine, road/water speed, range, and linked-ferry capacity figures. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Mortar Investments PMM-2 specificationsPublisher: Mortar Investments | Note: Supports PMM-2 ferry mission, 36-tonne vehicle weight, 40-tonne single-ferry carrying capacity, crew of three, road speed, road range, dimensions, and two- or three-vehicle ferry capacities. | Accessed: 2026-07-06LB.ua Kryukov dossierPublisher: LB.ua | Note: Supports Kryukiv Railway Car Building Works engineering crossing-equipment design bureau context and PMM-1, PMM-2, PMM-2M development attribution. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Army Recognition Syria PMM-2MPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct use: Russian forces sent PMM-2M amphibious bridging ferries to Syria for the Deir ez-Zor Euphrates crossing, and identifies PMM-2M as a floating bridging and ferry system. | Accessed: 2026-07-06TASS Euphrates bridgePublisher: TASS | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct operational context: Russian military road-service specialists erected a Euphrates bridge near Deir ez-Zor to move military equipment, troops, and aid to the eastern bank. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Defence Blog Syria engineering vehiclesPublisher: Defence Blog | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct use: PMM-2M self-propelled ferry vehicles were used by Russian-supported Syrian government operations to cross the Euphrates near Deir ez-Zor; also gives a 42.5-ton loaded-vehicle crossing figure for PMM-2M. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons Armiya 2021 PMM-2M imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the primary PMM-2M image provenance and CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Wikimedia Commons Openwater 2016 PMM-2M imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance for a PMM-2M ferry carrying a UR-77 mine-clearing vehicle. | Accessed: 2026-07-06