The armoured bulldozer is a basic tool of combat engineering. These combat engineering vehicles combine the earth-moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armour that protects the vehicle and its operator in or near combat. Most are civilian bulldozers modified by the addition of vehicle armour/military equipment, but some are tanks stripped of armament and fitted with a dozer blade. Some tanks (called tankdozers) have bulldozer blades while retaining their armament, but this does not make them armoured bulldozers as such, because combat remains the primary role—earth moving is a secondary task.
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In this Dossier
Armored bulldozer in the context of Slat armor
Slat armor (or slat armour in British English), also known as bar armor, cage armor, and standoff armor, is a type of vehicle armor designed to protect against high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) attacks, as used by anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
Armored bulldozer in the context of Military engineering vehicle
A military engineering vehicle is a vehicle built for construction work or for the transportation of combat engineers on the battlefield. These vehicles may be modified civilian equipment (such as the armoured bulldozers that many nations field) or purpose-built military vehicles (such as the AVRE). The first appearance of such vehicles coincided with the appearance of the first tanks, these vehicles were modified Mark V tanks for bridging and mine clearance. Modern military engineering vehicles are expected to fulfill numerous roles such as; bulldozer, crane, grader, excavator, dump truck, breaching vehicle, bridging vehicle, military ferry, amphibious crossing vehicle, and combat engineer section carrier.
Armored bulldozer in the context of IDF Caterpillar D9
The IDF Caterpillar D9 — nicknamed Doobi (Hebrew: דובי, for teddy bear) — is a Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozer used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It is supplied by Caterpillar Inc. and modified by the Israel Defense Forces, Israeli Military Industries and Israel Aerospace Industries to increase the survivability of the bulldozer in hostile environments and enable it to withstand attack.
In the 1980s the IDF began modifying D9 bulldozers to incorporate armour. The bulldozers can also be fitted with weaponry such as machine guns and grenade launchers. There are various models, including a remote controlled version.