M9 ACE (Armored Combat Earthmover)

Military Bulldozer / Engineering Vehicle [ 1986 ]

While not being a direct-combat vehicle, the M9 ACE earthmover has seen its fair share of conflicts.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/01/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The M9 ACE ("Armored Combat Earthmover") is a frontline military-grade tracked bulldozer utilized by the United States Army. The system was developed to allow forces the ability to dig entrenchments for various artillery pieces while also fulfilling the roles of minefield breaching/clearance, trench crossing/filling, general bulldozing, grading, excavation, route-/area-proofing and pushing/towing of vehicles and/or obstacles. The M9 ACE entered service in 1986 and upgrade programs have kept the machine a viable battlefield piece for American forces. Despite it not being armed, the M9 series has seen its fair share of combat in other ways.

As designed, the M9 weighs in a 36,000lb and features single crew member. The vehicle showcases dimensions of 6.25 meters long, a width of 3.2 meters and a height of 2.7 meters. The crew sits protected under the armored hull superstructure allowing them to continue to operate even when under threat of direct fire from the enemy. Protection is adequate against small arms and fire and artillery spray. Vision ports allow for the necessary situational awareness and project direction. The vehicles configuration is conventional with a dozer blade set to the front of the hull and the crew compartment aft. Running gear includes a track-and-wheel arrangement featuring four road wheels to a hull side with the drive sprocket at rear. The vehicle can promote its own smokescreen through the bank of eight smoke grenade launchers fitted to the hull roof. The M9 line features an amphibious quality as well as an integrated Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) suite.

Power is served through a Cummins V903C 8-cylinder diesel-fueled engine outputting at 295 horsepower. This provides the vehicle with a top road speed of 30 miles per hour and an operational range out to 200 miles.©MilitaryFactory.com

Key to the M9's success is its 8.7-cubic-yard "scraper bowl" and bulldozer blade. The hydro-pneumatic suspension allows the front of the vehicle to be raised, lowered or tilted to permit either dozing, excavating, rough grading or ditching functions. The system sports a 2-speed winch with a 25,000 pound pull capability. As the vehicle features no armament for self-defense, it is typically fielded along with other allied units such as Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs).

With its introduction in the mid-to-late 1980s, the M9 ACE was featured by U.S. Army forces in the 1991 Persian Gulf War as Allied ground forces moved against Iraqi units in Kuwait. The vehicles played a critical role in removing road obstacles for the main ground force and in breaching prepared Iraqi Army fortifications. Combined with other elements for protection, M9's served dutifully in their role when dismantling the "Forth Largest Army in the World" at that time.

Due to the rather compact dimensions of the M9 ACE vehicle, it is easily transportable in the hold of a Lockheed C-130 "Hercules" transport as well as the larger Lockheed C-141 "Starlifter" and Lockheed C-5 "Galaxy" heavy lifters.

Approximately 448 M9 ACE vehicles were taken into the U.S. Army inventory by the end of 1992. There were plans for an unmanned, remote-controlled version as the "Standardized Robotic System" (SRS) vehicle through Omnitech Robotics International though this does not appear to have been furthered.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1986

Origin

United States

Crew

1
CREWMEN

Production

448
UNITS

BMY Combat Systems / United Defense LP - USA

(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)

Egypt; South Korea (as KM9); United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Amphibious Assault
Traverse bodies of open water under own power with / without preparation.

✓ Engineering
Onboard systems provide solutions to accomplish a variety of battlefield engineering tasks.

✓ Special Purpose
Special purpose design developed to accomplish an equally-special battlefield role or roles.

Length

20.3 ft
6.2 m

Width

10.5 ft
3.2 m

Height

9.8 ft
3 m

Weight

53,793 lb
24,400 kg

Tonnage

26.9 tons
MEDIUM

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base M9 ACE (Armored Combat Earthmover) production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)

Powerplant: 1 x Cummins V903C 8-cylinder diesel engine developing 295 horsepower.

Speed

30.0 mph
(48.3 kph)

Range

198.8 mi
(320.0 km)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base M9 ACE (Armored Combat Earthmover) production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)

8 x Smoke Grenade Dischargers.

Supported Types

Graphical image of tank /armored vehicle smoke grenade dischargers

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

8 x Smoke Grenades.

M9 ACE - Base Series Designation; model of 1986

M9 ACE System Improvement Plan (SIP) - Multi-phased improvement program for upgraded existing M9 ACE fleet.

M9 ACE Standardized Robotic System (SRS) - Proposed unmanned remote-controlled variant.

KM9 - Korean Army designation

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