Armored bulldozer
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Its armor allows it to work under heavy fire.
An armored bulldozer is a bulldozer which features armour; they are a standard tool for combat engineering. These combat engineering vehicles combine the earth moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armor which gives the vehicle and its operator protection when operating in or around a combat situation. In most cases they are civilian models that have been modified by the addition of armor and military equipment but there have been cases where a tank has been stripped of its armament and fitted with a dozer blade as in the British Centaur of the Second World War which were used at the Normandy landings alongside armored versions of the Caterpillar D8 bulldozer. Tanks have been fitted with bulldozer blades while retaining their armament but this does not make them armored bulldozers as such.
Caterpillar does not manufacture a military version of the D9 per se, but the attributes that make the D9 popular for major construction projects make it desirable for military applications as well. It has been particularly effective for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and for the United States armed forces (the Marine Corps and the US Army) in Iraq.
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[edit] Israeli usage
The Israeli Armored D9 — nicknamed Doobi (Hebrew: דובי; lit. teddy bear) — is a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer that was modified by the IDF and Israeli Military Industries to increase the survivability of the dozer in hostile environments and enable it to withstand heavy attacks. The main IDF modification is the installation of an Israeli-made armor kit which provides armor protection to the mechanical systems and to the operator cabin. The operator is protected inside an armored cabin, with bulletproof windows to protect against bombs, machinegun and sniper fire. The IDF also developed an armor add-on to deflect RPG rounds. The fitted armor package adds roughly 15 additional tons to the production-line weight of the D9. Individually modified D9 bulldozers may be found with disparate features, such as crew-operated machine guns, smoke projectors, or grenade launchers. The Israeli Engineering Corps uses the D9 for a wide variety of engineering tasks, such as digging moats, clearing landmines, mounting sand barriers, building fortifications, clearing terrain obstacles and opening routes to armored fighting vehicles and infantry.
[edit] United States usage
During the first Gulf war the USA purchased tractor protection kits (TPK) from the Israel Military Industries (IMI) for their Caterpillar D7 bulldozers. The armored bulldozers were mainly used in mine clearing applications.
The United States Army has purchased several D9 armor kits from the IDF and used them to produce similarly fortified D9s. These have been used to clear destroyed vehicles from roads, dig moats, erect earthen-barriers, and construct field fortifications. D9s have also been used to raze houses which hosted snipers who shot at American forces (similar to the Israeli usage). Military reports on the Conflict in Iraq say that the D9s were found very effective and "received highly favorable reviews from all that benefited from their use" (Field Report: Marine Corps Systems Command Liaison Team , Central Iraq , 20 April to 25 April 2003).
[edit] See also
- Caterpillar D9
- Bulldozer
- Israeli Defence Forces
- Israeli Engineering Corps
- Al-Aqsa Intifada
- Operation Defensive Shield
- Combat Engineering
- Combat engineering vehicle
- Engineering vehicles
- Killdozer (bulldozer)
[edit] External links
- Army's new D9 bulldozer digs into duty in Kuwait - The US army tests the armoured D9R for the Iraqi campaign
- Engineering News: Combat Engineering in Iraq - including reviews on the D9 Dozer performance in Iraq and nice pictures of it and other CEVs
- IDF D9 bulldozer (Israeli-Weapons website)
