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The commercial equivalent
of the ADF’s new
John Deere 850J bulldozer
|
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The commercial equivalent
of the ADF’s new
John Deere 672D graders |
Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) has selected Hitachi Construction Machinery Australia Pty Ltd (HCMA) as preferred tenderer to supply Army’s new medium sized bulldozers, graders and through life support.
The $2.6 million acquisition contract will provide Army with 39 John Deere 850J bulldozers and 40 John Deere 672D graders with through life support under a separate contract.
HCMA will provide Army with a slightly modified version of their commercial-off-the-shelf John Deere product. Modifications include a rifle rack, disruptive paint pattern and extra lifting and tie-down provisions.
The John Deere 850J bulldozer fleet will consist of two variants a bull blade with a ripper variant and a bull blade with a winch variant. While the distinctive features of the John Deere 672 grader are a six-wheel drive capability and its ability to be transported via air in the Australian Defence Force’s C-130 aircraft.
DMO Project Manager Medium Bulldozer and Grader Project, Les Gentner said bulldozers and graders are essential equipment for construction and maintenance of airfields and roads, provision of disaster relief and construction of field fortifications and defensive positions.
‘This type of equipment has been in high demand in recent times in support of operations in East Timor and the Solomon Islands, providing disaster relief in Banda Ache following the tsunami and providing valuable assistance through development of projects in remote aboriginal communities across Australia,’ he said.
Army’s combat engineer regiments and construction squadrons located in Darwin, Townsville, Sydney and Brisbane will receive the new equipment which replaces bulldozers and graders procured in 1981 and 1979 respectively. |
