The armored bulldozer is a basic tool of combat engineering. These combat engineering vehicles combine the earth moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armor which protects the vehicle and its operator in or near combat. Most are civilian bulldozers modified by addition of vehicle armor/military equipment, but some are tanks stripped of armament and fitted with a dozer blade. Some tanks have bulldozer blades while retaining their armament, but this does not make them armored bulldozers as such, because combat remains the primary role — earth moving is a secondary task.
Modern armored bulldozers are often based on the Caterpillar D7 and D9, or russian dozer ChTZ B10. 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 and for the United States armed forces and the Canadian Army in Iraq, both using an armor kit developed and manufactured by Israel. Following the success of the armored D9, Caterpillar Defense Products started to manufacture and sell armored bulldozers, mainly for the United States Armed Forces.
Armored Bulldozer CAT D9L
The Israeli Armored CAT D9 - is a Caterpillar D9 bulldozer that was heavily modified by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli Military Industries and Israel Aerospace Industries to increase the survivability of the bulldozer in hostile environments and enable it to withstand heavy attacks, thus making it suitable for military combat engineering use. The IDF Caterpillar D9 is operated by the Israel Defense Forces Combat Engineering Corps for combat engineering and counter-terrorism operations.
Armored Bulldozer CAT D9N
Armored Bulldozer CAT D9R
The D9R, the latest generation of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers in IDF service, has a power of 405–410 horse power and drawbar pull of 71.6 metric tons. Older generations, such as D9L and D9N are still in service, mainly in the reserve forces. The D9 has a crew of two: operator and commander. It is operated by the TZAMA units of the Combat Engineering Corps.
Armored Bulldozer CAT D9T
The IDF uses the CAT D9 for a wide variety of combat engineering tasks, such as earthworks, digging moats, mounting sand barriers, building fortifications, rescuing stuck, overturned or damaged armored fighting vehicles, clearing land mines, detonating IEDs and explosives, handling booby traps, clearing terrain obstacles and opening routes to armored fighting vehicles and infantry, as well as structures demolition, including under fire.
Russian Armored Bulldozer ChTZ B10M2
Other military forces, such as the Lebanese army and the Egyptian army, also used armored bulldozers, to suppress insurgency and support urban warfare.
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