The M9 ACE will employed by divisional and nondivisional combat engineers to perform the essential combat engineering tasks of bulldozing, rough grading, excavation, and limited hauling to facilitate movement of friendly forces and impede the enemy. The M9 ACE will be employed both in peacetime and wartime and under any climatic weather and visibility conditions in which combat engineering tasks are required to be performed. The M9 ACE is a multipurpose, tracked, armored, amphibious, combat engineer vehicle capable of performing dozing, scraping, rough grading, and hauling. It has a limited swim capability, is airdroppable, and provides light armor protection. The vehicle features a front-loaded scraper bowl (ballast compartment) and a hydraulically operated apron and a positive-load ejector. Dozing and scraping are accomplished by raising and lowering the entire front of the vehicle by means of the hydropneumatic suspension system.