Armor: March 10, 2003

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"The Beast" has arrived in Kuwait. Nine of the 62 ton, armored D9 bulldozers have landed in Kuwait. The D9s have long been used by the Israeli army for urban warfare, and is a major reason why they keep their casualties down. The D9 can plow right through small buildings, and knock down larger ones. The dozer can clear just about any obstacles from a street and it's dozer blade will set off landmines without harming the vehicle. The D9 was nicknamed "The Beast" by Palestinians and Israelis. An Israeli firm makes the armor kit for the D9. Three D9s were given to the marines to use. The D9s cost about a million dollars each. The armor kit is extra. The operators cab carries two men and the dozers will be equipped with a machine-gun. The D9s can do all sorts of engineering tasks, but if it comes to urban warfare, the D9 will lead the way. The D9 is made by Caterpillar, a major manufacturer of bulldozers. The D9 is one of the larger (but not the largest) models available. The US used the smaller D7 model during the Vietnam war to clear jungles away from roadsides.