Amphibious vehicle that can be used as an independent ferry and able to form a pontoon bridge

In an amphibious vehicle of the type having a hull equipped with retractable wheels and inflatable lateral, longitudinal floats for crossing stretches of water, and having two series of ramps hinged to the front walls of said hull which, in the folded position rest on the upper wall of said hull and, in the unfolded position, extend the upper wall of said hull, the improvement wherein:

• the length of each of said lateral hull floats corresponds to the length of said hull;
• each of said lateral hull floats have, connected to the surface thereof which is uppermost when inflated, a lateral hull flap, said lateral hull flap being hinged to said hull in a manner such as to occupy a horizontal position extending the upper wall of the hull in the inflated position of said lateral hull floats, said lateral hull flaps having a length slightly less than that of said hull, whereby each said lateral hull float acts as an elastic recall system between said hull and the corresponding said lateral hull flap when deflated;
• said hull includes portholes near the ends of the lateral walls thereof between the ends of said lateral walls and the ends of said lateral hull flaps when in the folded postition of said lateral hull flaps;
• each said series of ramps includes a first ramp section hinged at one end thereof to said hull and having a width corresponding to the width of said hull;
• each said first ramp section is equipped with two lateral, longitudinal ramp floats of a length corresponding to said first ramp section so as to come to rest on the corresponding lateral hull float in the inflated and unfolded position;
• each said lateral ramp float has, connected to the surface thereof which is uppermost in the inflated and unfolded position, a ramp flap, each said ramp flap being hinged to said corresponding first ramp section in a manner such as to occupy a horizontal position extending the upper surface of said first ramp section in the inflated and unfolded position thereof;
• and
• each said lateral ramp float is retractable, in the deflated position, between the corresponding said ramp flap and said first ramp section.