Troops call up JCBs

News

UK defence secretary, John Hutton, has announced a £7m order for JCB’s High Mobility Engineering Excavators (HMEEs) for use by troops in Afghanistan.

According to JCB, the HMME provides increased levels of mobility while supplying flexible plant control capability to commanders on the ground. The vehicles are designed to clear routes ahead of soldiers and can work in long-range, high-speed operations.

Originally developed for the US army, the 60mph vehicles will be manufactured at JCB’s factory in Georgia, North America. The 16-tonne HMME combines the capabilities of the JCB backhoe loader and the JCB Fastrac agricultural tractor. It is capable of lifting more than two tonnes and can dig to a depth of almost 13ft.

The order comes as part of a £700m investment in new vehicles by the British Army. HMEEs are expected to be operational in

next year.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address