Eitan eight wheeled armor personnel carrier (photo Israel Ministry of Defense, Spokesperson’s Office)
Head of the Israel Ministry of Defense Procurement Mission, Brig. Gen. (res.) Michel Ben Baruch signed an agreement with Oshkosh Defense to produce hundreds of hulls for the IDF’s new wheeled APC valued at over 100 million dollars, financed by American aid funds.
Developed by the Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate in the IMOD, the “Eitan” APC (armored personnel carrier) is also known as an AFV (armored fighting vehicle). It is the first vehicle of its kind on wheels and it looks from the top like a tank, but without the cannon.
The hulls are expected to arrive in Israel in about a year and a half and will be immediately delivered to the production line. Once fully assembled, they will be transferred for operational use in the IDF, significantly increasing the overall number of APCs. The Ministry of Defense will deliver the first operational “Eitan” APCs to the IDF’s “Nahal” Brigade within the coming weeks.
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Israel took the American made Patton tanks and added all new cannons with computerized firing systems as well as additional armor specially developed in Israel. But then Israel developed its own tank called the Merkava. And Israel Aircraft Industries also made innovations on a number of American made fighter jets.
The deal was first revealed last December.
St that time head of the Tank and APC Directorate in the Israel Ministry of Defense, Brig. Gen. Oren Giber said, “The contract with Oshkosh Defense is an important milestone in the ‘Eitan’ project. This step allows us to expand the project’s production resources to provide advanced APCs to the IDF.”
Head of the IMoD Procurement Mission, Brig. Gen. (res.) Michel Ben Baruch:
“The tight-knit and fruitful cooperation between the procurement mission, led by the head of the delegation’s land procurement division, and the Tank and APC Directorate made this successful process possible. This agreement, like many others, is thanks to our ironclad alliance with our American partners.”
Founded in 1917 and based in Wisconsin, Oshkosh Defense produces military vehicles and mobility systems. Oshkosh develops and applies emerging technologies that advance troop safety and mission success.
