The D9 Bulldozer, modified and globally known as the Caterpillar D9, is an armored bulldozer designed by Caterpillar for specific operations in urban areas. Its primary use lies in its ability to remove fortifications and tunnels, famously utilized by Israel in all its wars. The latest version is known as the D9T.
Origin and Manufacturing:
The D9 Bulldozer was designed and produced by the American company Caterpillar, specializing in the manufacturing and sale of heavy equipment, in the United States in 1955. Although the company does not manufacture any specific military version of this bulldozer for any country, it is utilized in military applications and plans.
Cost:
The D9 Bulldozer costs at least $900,000, but with armor reinforcement to support its offensive capabilities, its total cost may exceed $1.2 million.
Deployment of Israeli D9 bulldozers on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip on November 16, 2012. (French)
Features of the D9 Bulldozer:
It is equipped with an 18-liter diesel engine with a turbocharger generating 474 horsepower. It has a pulling force of 71.6 tons, a height of 4 meters, a width of 4 meters, and a length of 8 meters. Its maximum speed is 15 kilometers per hour.
The armored cabin provides protection against small arms fire and artillery shell fragments, with reports suggesting that Israeli Defense Forces’ bulldozers have withstood massive explosions from explosive devices, even deflecting RPG shells.
Combat Missions:
Armored D9 bulldozers are used for various tasks, including disposing of explosive ordnance, clearing booby-trapped areas, demolishing fortifications, opening roads, recovering stranded armored vehicles, constructing sand barriers and different barricades, and preparing defensive positions.
The Israelis also use them in aggressive incursions and urban warfare to reduce human losses, as well as in civilian confrontations to sweep neighborhoods, demolish houses, fill tunnels, and excavated sites.
They are also utilized in relief and evacuation operations in emergency situations following extensive operations, with the Israeli Army relying on them to tow main battle tanks and other combat vehicles weighing over 70 tons that sustain injuries and malfunctions on the battlefield.
Military Utilization:
The combat use of bulldozers in Israel dates back to the wars of 1956, 1967, 1973, and the 1982 Lebanon War, in response to reports from combat zones and confrontations with Palestinian resistance, necessitating the development of means to protect against small arms fire and artillery shell fragments.
Israel turned to the D9 bulldozer due to its engineering structure and mechanical strength, as well as the possibility of making significant modifications to it. The Israeli Army owns approximately 100 armored bulldozers of its model, in addition to the modern version, the D9T.
The US Army used them during the Vietnam War to clear forests and open paths to reveal forested areas, which served as launching points for Vietnamese Army operations. Following the Vietnam War, these machines were replaced by smaller Caterpillar D7G bulldozers.
In 2003, the US Army and Marine Corps received a total of 14 armored D9 bulldozers developed by the Israeli Military Engineering Corps for deployment in Iraq.
Engineering Modifications:
The engineering forces of the Israeli Army, known as “Tzama,” made several modifications to the D9 bulldozer, equipping it with a large detachable blade and rear crusher attachment while retaining all the functions of the armored bulldozer – including the tractor blade and crusher – remotely controlled through a portable control panel.
The bulldozer weighed 55 tons, and with the modifications made by the Israeli Army, it now weighs 62 tons.
Additional armor sets were designed for Caterpillar D9 bulldozers by Israeli military industries, adding a series of structural armors to protect mechanical systems and the command cabin.
In 2015, the bulldozer was fitted with “slat armor,” also known as “cages,” to ensure protection against RPG missiles, primarily used by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). These armors completely surround the D9 bulldozer, in addition to providing it with bullet-resistant glass to protect the crew.
It has two doors for entry at the front of the command cabin, and a rear door was introduced as an emergency exit, in addition to a roof hatch for monitoring.
A 7.62mm machine gun can be mounted, and grenade launchers on the roof for firing controlled by the bulldozer commander. The bulldozer has 3 front gears, and 3 were added to support its ability to deflect shells and light weapon bullets.
The Israeli Army also changed the standards for closing the command cabin, enabling the vehicle to operate in areas contaminated with gases resulting from chemical weapon attacks.
