The Israel Defense Forces on Monday unveiled its newest armored personnel carrier, considered the most advanced vehicle of its kind in the world. The Eitan ("steadfast") APC was developed in the wake of Operation Protective Edge, waged in the Gaza Strip in 2014. During one tragic clash in the conflict, seven Israeli soldiers were killed when their outdated M-113 "Cheetah" APC was struck by an anti-tank missile in the Shujaiyya neighborhood. The new vehicle seeks to bolster the protection it offers passengers, a military official said. At less than 35 tons, the 8x8-wheeled Eitan weighs nearly half of the new Merkava 4-based "Namer" heavy carrier currently in production, the Defense Ministry said Monday. Capable of autopiloted road travel at over 90 kilometers (55 miles) per hour, Eitan -- the first wheeled carrier in Israel's military history -- will "enable fast, strategic mobility, tailored to the existing threats in the arena." Both the Eitan and Namer are designed to carry 12 infantrymen and will replace the thousands of M113s still used by the IDF. Brig. Gen. Baruch Matzliah, head of the Defense Ministry Tank Production Directorate, which develops both vehicles, said Eitan "will be the most advanced, protected wheeled fighting tool in the world." Eitan is expected to incorporate defensive systems based on the Trophy active protection system, which intercepts and destroys incoming missiles and rockets with a shotgun-like blast. Trophy is developed Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and features an advanced, unmanned 30 or 40 mm turret and a full compliment of munitions and sensors. The Eitan, which is expected to become fully operational in five years, was designed as a low-cost, multi-mission platform, allowing the IDF to equip itself with more vehicles at a higher rate, compared to the Namer, Matzliah said. The IDF is currently determining how many Eitans it will need to purchase for the near and long term, Matzliah said.
IDF unveils world's most advanced armored carrier
"Eitan" developed following Operation Protective Edge, slated to be first APC on wheels in Israeli military history • Vehicle will feature state-of-the-art Trophy active protection system, making it "the most protected wheeled fighting tool in the world."
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