RAKSHA ANIRVEDA
DEFENCE PLATFORM: ISRAEL
PRODUCTION OF EITAN AFV ADVANCED VERSION BEGINS, TO BE OPERATIONAL BY 2021 END According to the IDF, the Eitan can travel at a speed of 55 miles/h and that gives it a major advantage when forces have to be transferred from one battle area to the other By ARIE EGOZI
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EL AVIV. Series production of the new very advanced Eitan 8x8 APC has begun but upgrade programs are already being evaluated. “This armored personnel carriers (APC) will perform some very important missions in combat,” an Israeli official told Raksha Anirveda. According to Israel Ministry of Defense (IMoD) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Eitan is the most advanced 8X8 APC currently operational. Some prototypes have been in use in different combat formations of the IDF. “The Eitan has improved fire power by carrying the Rafael Spike LR anti-tank missiles, and improved protection by carrying the Elbit Systems Iron Fist active protection system,” Brig. Gen. Guy Paglin, head of the Merkava tank and the Eitan APC says. The operational need for an 8x8 APC was realized especially after the Protective Edge operation in 2014. During this operation, the IDF used the little inventory of the Israeli made tracked NAMER and old M-113. To increase the protection level of the old M-113, they were loaded with sand sacks. Eitan is expected to become operational at the end of 2021, replacing the half-century-old M-113 APC. Eitan is Israel’s late entry into
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the wheeled APC type of combat vehicles. The wheeled type has become a favourite in many armed forces. This is due to speed and flexibility. The Eitan will be built in three variants – an APC, a command vehicle and an infantry combat vehicle, equipped with an unmanned turret mounting a 30mm cannon and Spike missiles. Other configurations are expected to follow. The displayed IMoD vehicles show different armor configurations, with an ‘Iron Fist’ active protection system installed on the variant with the unmanned turret. The vehicle is powered by a 750 hp engine and has a maximum road speed of 90 km/h. Operated by three crew members Eitan
can carry a squad of nine fullyequipped soldiers in its fighting compartment. The vehicle has rear ramp access and roof hatches. According to the IDF, the Eitan can travel at a speed of 55 miles/h and that gives it a major advantage when forces have to be transferred from one battle area to the other. The Eitan is 26 feet long and 10 feet wide. It weighs 30 tons and this weight includes the ballistic armor and the active armor systems. The prototypes carried different sensors that give the three men crew, a real time situational awareness. The basic turreted Eitan platform is likely to be used for moving infantry in the battle field, command and scout roles, while the turret less variant will be used to support specific configurations including weapon carriers (mortars etc.), combat engineering, recovery and casualty evacuation. The IMoD is the main contractor of the Merkava 4, Namer and now of the Eitan. The directorate uses some 200 Israeli and American subcontractors. Eitan will be equipped with an unmanned turret developed by the IMoD to the specific missions of this advanced APC. The turret will carry 12.7mm heavy machine gun and an ATK 30mm automatic cannon.
10/12/2020 7:36:38 AM
