The Israel Ministry of Defense (IMoD)Tank & APC (armored personnel carrier) Directorate and the IDF delivered the first series of Eitan APCs to the IDF’s Nahal Infantry Brigade. Additionally, Nahal Brigade soldiers operated the Eitan APCs in various simulated combat scenarios in a first-of-its-kind exercise in northern Israel.
The Eitan has hulls produced by America’s Oshkosh Defense manufacturer. In January, the IMoD signed a deal valued at over $100 million for the procurements of dozens of the new APCs.
At the time, John Lazar, Vice President of International, Oshkosh Defense, said “We are honored to have been selected by the Israeli Ministry of Defense to build the Eitan APC hull. We’ve worked with IMOD on a multitude of programs for more than a decade, and we look forward to demonstrating our continued commitment to this partnership.”
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The Eitan Armored Personnel Carrier has eight wheels, can carry twelve combat personnel, and is based on Merkava and Namer technologies. The 750-horsepower Eitan APC, developed by the Ministry of Defense Tank and APC Directorate, can drive at around 90 kilometers per hour, has high all-terrain maneuvering capabilities, and can be in operational use for multiple days at a time.
Tank and APC Directorate engineers developed the APC incorporating state-of-the-art technologies such as peripheral cameras equipped with day and night vision to ensure security, front calculation and processing capabilities using computerized technology, and touch monitors and processors used for the system of systems. The Iron Fist Active Protection System will also be implemented in the near future together with additional systems developed with Israeli security industries, the IDF Ground Forces, and the Ministry of Defense Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D).
The Eitan APC assembly process is carried out in the Merkava tank factory in the IDF’s Technological and Logistics Directorate.
Head of the IMoD Tank and APC Directorate, Brig. Gen. Oren Giber, said, “After several years of hard work in developing, testing, and manufacturing, the first serial production Eitan APCs have been delivered to the esteemed Nahal Infantry Brigade. The Eitan constitutes a groundbreaking leap forward in the field of wheeled combat vehicles, and is the first of its kind in the IDF. It offers a unique set of capabilities, including superior mobility and survivability for our fighting forces. It has the capability to fight alongside the Merkava Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) and Namer Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs). This milestone achievement is the result of collaborative efforts across numerous industries, most of them domestic and some international, making it an exciting program.”