Caterpillar D9 - Military Applications

Military Applications

See also: Armored bulldozer and IDF Caterpillar D9

Caterpillar Inc. 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, and in this role - with Israeli modifications and armor - it has been particularly effective for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and also used by KBR in Iraq.

The Israeli Engineering Corps used armored versions of the D9L, D9N and D9R to clear booby-trapped areas, open routes, rescue stuck armored fighting vehicles, and build sand mounds. During the Second Intifada D9 bulldozers were used to demolish houses under fire, as the dozers withstood IEDs of 200 kg to 500 kg of explosives and deflected RPG rounds and machinegun fire. The armored D9 bulldozers were cited by experts as one of the key factors for the low casualties of the IDF in urban warfare. While Israel saw the utilization of bulldozers as a security necessity, it drew controversy for the destruction it caused to Palestinian property (mainly the destruction of Palestinian houses), especially in Rafah and in Jenin (during Operation Defensive Shield).

On February 7, 2006, the Synod of the Church of England decided to divest itself of approximately US$2.2 million in Caterpillar Inc. shares, property of the Church of England. This was seen as a move to distance itself from the Israeli army's documented use of the Caterpillar bulldozers to destroy Palestinian homes.

The US army used D9 bulldozers to clear forest in the Vietnam war but after the war they were replaced with smaller and cheaper Caterpillar D7G bulldozers. D7G dozers are still very common in US combat engineering battalions, but there is a resurgent high demand to replace the lighter D7Gs with the newer and more heavily armored D9s.