US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Israel of Caterpillar D9 bulldozers and related equipment, the US Defense Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) announced on 28 February 2025.
According to the DSCA, the US Secretary of State “has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended”.
The FMS package, which includes D9R and D9T bulldozers, spare and repair parts, corrosion protection and various aspects of technical, logistics and programme support, is worth an estimated USD 295 million (EUR 281 million). The DSCA did not specify how many D9s were included in the deal.
US-manufactured D9 bulldozers have an operating weight of around 50 tonnes when exported, but are upgraded for use by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with around 8 tonnes of additional armour. They are frequently used in combat operations to deal with threats such as improvised explosive devices and have played a significant role in the IDF’s ongoing operations in Gaza.
The principal contractor for this FMS will be Caterpillar out of its facilities in Irving, Texas.
Also on 28 February Rubio approved two separate FMS packages covering munitions for the IDF that are worth USD 2.04 billion USD 675.7 million, with the DSCA again stating that the Congressional review requirements of the sale were being waived.
The first package covers 35,529 MK 84 or BLU-117 general-purpose (GP) bomb bodies, or a combination of both, and 4,000 I-2000 penetrator warheads, with deliveries expected to begin in 2026. The second package covers 201 MK 83 MOD 4/MOD 5 GP 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb bodies; 4,799 BLU-110A/B GP 1,000 lb bomb bodies; 1,500 KMU-559C/B Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits for the MK 83 bomb body, and 3,500 KMU-559J/B JDAM guidance kits for the MK 83 bomb body, with deliveries estimated to begin in 2028.
The prime contractors for the first package will be General Dynamics, located in Garland, Texas; Ellwood National Forge Company, located in Irvine, Pennsylvania; and McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, located in McAlester, Oklahoma. The principal contractors for the second package will be Repkon USA, located in Tampa, Florida; and Boeing, located in St Charles, Missouri.
