Tel Aviv: The first “Eitan” wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) will soon be delivered to the IDF’s “Nahal” Brigade for operational use.
The Israeli Ministry of Defence’s Tank and APC Directorate completed the initial serial production of the first-ever wheeled and armoured APC in the world, the “Eitan”. The first serially produced “Eitan” APC drove off of the production line during the ceremony at the “Merkava” factory in the Tel HaShomer base.
Head of the Tank and APC Directorate, Brig Gen Guy Paglin said, “The ‘Eitan’ project was initiated following Operation ‘Protective Edge’. A few months ago, we completed the development and began serial production of the ‘Eitan’ in tens of industries in Israel and abroad, with the assembly taking place here in the ‘Merkava’ factory. The ‘Eitan’ APC will gradually be integrated into the IDF’s combat units. The development of new weapons allows us to replace old and less advanced technologies, thus promising that our soldiers are equipped with the best, most advanced defence equipment for all combat scenarios.”
The “Eitan” armoured combat vehicle has 8 wheels and is based on “Merkava” and “Namer” technologies. It is equipped to carry 12 combat personnel. The 750-horsepower “Eitan”, which was developed by the Ministry of Defence’s Tank and APC Directorate, can drive at around 90 kilometres per hour, has high all-terrain manoeuvring capabilities, and can be in operational use for multiple days at a time.
The Tank and APC Directorate’s engineers that developed the APC incorporated state-of-the-art technologies, including the “Iron Fist” defence system, 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. Additionally, multiple other technologies were developed together with Israeli security industries, the IDF’s Ground Forces, and the Ministry of Defence’s Directorate of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D).
The APC’s assembly will take place in the “Merkava” factory located in the IDF’s Technological and Logistics Directorate.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
