Yahoo Autos How a Korean Tank Crosses a River
A South Korean K-2 "Black Panther" tank sports an unusual-looking piece of equipment in this YouTube video. The tank, crossing a 13 foot deep river during a military exercise, is using a so-called fording kit to allow it to drive across the river bottom.
Bridges are often destroyed in wartime, and the pace of operations may mean only a limited number of portable bridges may be available. The solution to a potentially deadly traffic bottleneck: unlike many military vehicles, tanks are usually waterproof and their tracks still work underwater-so why not drive them underwater?
During World War II, fording kits were developed separately by the U.S. and Germany to allow tanks to cross water obstacles. The kits allow a tank to drive directly into a river, cross the bottom, and drive out the other side. The U.S. kit also consisted of a canvas screen that surrounded the tank, giving it buoyancy and an alleged resemblance to Donald Duck.
