Tel Aviv: The Israel ministry of defence will allocate a special budget of US $ 1.5 billion for the procurement of additional Merkava tanks and APCs for the Israel defence force (IDF).
Defence Minister Israel Katz and Israel Ministry of Defence (IMOD) Director General, Maj Gen (Res.) Amir Baram presented the Israel Defence Procurement Committee with a comprehensive plan to accelerate production of Israeli armoured vehicles and increase their capacity by dozens of tanks and APCs over the next five years, valued at approximately US $ 1.5 billion.
Under the acceleration programme, the Ministry will increase the armoured vehicle inventory while boosting production rates of the Merkava Mk 4 Barak tanks, Namer APCs, and Eitan wheeled APCs, including those equipped with a turreted 30mm cannon.
The acceleration will be carried out in parallel with an expansion of domestic production infrastructure, as part of the defence-industrial base resilience strategy initiated by the IMOD Director General. This effort involves expanding production in industries across Israel that contribute to the Merkava programme, many of which are located in peripheral regions, and improving the infrastructure of the IDF’s depot production facility.
The decision to acquire additional Israeli-developed tanks and APCs stems directly from the advanced armoured vehicles’ combat success and supports a comprehensive initiative to enhance the IDF’s manoeuvring capabilities. These platforms have accumulated more than one million kilometres in current operation since the Swords of Iron War began.
The armoured vehicle acceleration project will now be transferred to the Knesset Joint Committee for Defence Budget. Following its approval, the IMOD will be able to proceed with signing procurement contracts with dozens of companies worth billions of shekels.
Defence minister Israel Katz said that the Swords of Iron War proved how critical Merkava tanks and Namer and Eitan APCs are for successful IDF ground operations.
”This project strengthens both the IDF’s capability and hundreds of defence companies nationwide, many in Israel’s periphery – demonstrating how national security and economic growth go hand in hand. We won’t compromise on Israel’s security and will keep investing in our forces to protect the nation’s future.”
IMOD director general Maj Gen (Res.) Amir Baram said that accelerating armoured vehicle production is part of the Ministry’s strategy to support the IDF’s needs in the current conflict and to enhance readiness for an intense decade ahead.
”At the same time, we continue to constantly upgrade the vehicles’ capabilities and develop the next generations of advanced armoured vehicles for the IDF, ” he added.
-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
