Caterpillar lands massive Department of Defense order

Caterpillar has won a long-term order worth US$ 641 million to provide wheeled tractor scrapers to the US Department of Defence (DoD). The machines will be used by the US Marine Corps and US Army for tasks such as road and airfield construction.

The contract is initially for five years, with the option to extend it for another five years. If it were to run for that long, the DoD could order as many as 909 scrapers.

The model being supplied by Caterpillar is a variation on its 621G wheeled tractor scraper. They have an open bowl design and feature a 246 kW engine on the tractor unit and a 178 kW engine on the scraper. The heaped capacity is 17 m3 for a rated load of just under 24 tonnes. Modifications for the DoD include the addition of lifting and tie-down fittings to allow for military transport. They also feature keyless ignition systems.

Commenting on the deal, Bill Springer, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for diversified products said, "This contract marks the largest single award Caterpillar has won from the US Department of Defense."