Tel Aviv: In an another step in ‘Eitan’ APC Serial Production, the Israel Ministry of Defence has selected Oshkosh Defense to produce hundreds of hulls for the IDF’s new wheeled Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC). Following a process led by the Ministry of Defence’s Procurement Mission in cooperation with the Tank and APC Directorate, the American corporation ‘Oshkosh Defense’ was selected to produce hundreds of ‘Eitan’ APC hulls. The deal between the procurement mission and Oshkosh Defense is estimated to be over 100 million dollars, financed by American aid funds.
The IMoD’s Tank and APC Directorate developed the ‘Eitan’ APC. The hulls that will arrive in Israel in about a year and a half will immediately join the production line. Once fully assembled, the vehicles will be transferred for operational use, thus significantly expanding the number of armoured APCs used by the IDF.
The ‘Eitan’ is the most advanced wheeled APC of its kind in the world and includes advanced fire and control systems. This month, the Ministry of Defence will deliver the first operational APCs to the IDF’s ‘Nahal’ Brigade. The eight-wheeled Eitan is based on Merkava and Namer technologies. It is equipped to carry twelve combat personnel. The 750-horsepower APC, developed by Israel’s Ministry of Defence Tank and APC Directorate, can drive at around 90 kilometres per hour (56 MPH), has high all-terrain manoeuvring capabilities, and can be in operational use for days at a time. The Eitan incorporates state-of-the-art technologies, including the ‘Iron Fist’ defence system, peripheral cameras equipped with day and night vision, front calculation and processing capabilities using computerized technology, and touch monitors and processors.
Head of the Tank and APC Directorate in the Israel Ministry of Defence, Brig. Gen. Oren Giber commented, “The contract with Oshkosh Defence 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. This agreement may also present further opportunities for the Ministry of Defence and Israeli defence industries to export the ‘Eitan’ APC and its deployed systems.”
-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
