British construction equipment giant JCB celebrated its biggest-ever order after landing a contract expected to be worth up to $140 million ($247.6 million) to build a unique high-speed digger for the American armed forces.
It is the biggest, fastest and most expensive backhoe loader to ever go into production.
The US Army has recruited a special version of the famous JCB backhoe loader - a legendary piece of British engineering pioneered by Joe Bamford, founder of the JCB success story, more than 50 years ago.
The 12-tonne machine will have a top speed of 57 mph - more than twice the speed of a standard backhoe - so it is fast enough to travel by road in a military convoy and is designed to be airlifted by a Hercules C-130 to wherever it is needed.
The machine is based on the innovative high speed JCB Fastrac agricultural tractor, which is the only tractor to have full suspension and anti-lock brakes.
The deal to build the High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE) to carry out front-line engineering duties was clinched after a three-year project, which included JCB managing director and CEO John Patterson having a personal meeting with President George W Bush at the White House.
The four-wheel drive HMEE, powered by a 5.9 diesel engine, can lift more than two tonnes and dig to a depth of almost 4 m. It has taken three years to develop and will be built by JCB Inc in Savannah, Georgia. The first armoured JCB super-diggers to join the ranks of the US Army will roll off the production line in 2007 and they will be built at Savannah until 2012.
