Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday that its first “Eitan” wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) has rolled off the production line.
Initial serial production of the first-ever wheeled and armored APC in the world was completed this past weekend.
The “Eitan” was greeted in a special ceremony at the Merkava factory in the Tel Hashomer military base.
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, said Brigadier-General Guy Paglin, head of the Defense Ministry’s Tank and APC Directorate.
The ‘Eitan’ APC will gradually be integrated into the IDF’s combat units, Paglin said.
“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 defense equipment for all combat scenarios,” he added.
The “Eitan” armored 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 Defense’s 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.
The Tank and APC Directorate engineers who developed the APC incorporated state-of-the-art technologies, including the “Iron Fist” defense system.
The “Iron Fist” includes peripheral cameras equipped with day and night vision to ensure security, front calculation and processing capabilities using computerized technology and touch monitors and processors.
