Did you ever think the day would come when a crane was painted in U.S. Army camouflage and used by the U.S. Army? Well, those days are closer than one would think.

According to a recent article in Equipment World, “the U.S. Army has awarded Manitowoc Cranes a five-year, $192 million for all-terrain cranes.” The Pennsylvania-based company will build custom 60-ton Grove GMK4100B cranes suited for the battlefield. In addition to having the ability to be fitted for armor, the cranes will be painted in the U.S. Army’s traditional colors – no one will see them coming!

The cranes will also be customized with a crew protection system, built to ford up to four feet of water, as well as have “the ability to operate pile driver, clamshell, concrete bucket and concrete barrier lifting attachments.”

With a 390-horespower Mercedes engine, a 108-foot boom, and an 8x6x8 drive system with two-step transfer case, these cranes are the best of the best. Designed for the Army’s use and specifically for the Engineer Brigades Division, Manitowoc has invested more than four years in securing this contract.

In addition to the customized cranes, Manitowoc will also design a training simulator, training manuals for the soldiers that will include service, operation and maintenance information, and field-level support.

The first deliveries of the five-year, $192 million all-terrain crane contract are expected to be within the next one to two years.

As a crane company, we are more than excited to see what these bad boys will look like and how they will function for the U.S. Army. We can only imagine that they will be unlike any other crane we’ve seen before!