Israeli Defense Forces Receive First Batch Of New Eitan Armored Personnel Carriers
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have received the first mass production Eitan Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) from Israel’s Ministry of Defense Tank and APC Directorate. The first batch of vehicles to leave the production line at Tel Hashomer of the Israeli General Staff’s Technology and Logistics Directorate entered the service of the Nahal Brigade stationed at the Bislah base in the country’s south. The APCs were then transported to the north of the country for a training exercise that will take place in the coming days.
Col. Yaniv Avitan, Commander of the IDF Maintenance Center in the Technological and Logistics Directorate, gave a statement regarding the delivery of Eitan Armored Personnel Carriers, saying, “The IDF Technological and Logistics Directorate’s maintenance center is proud to lead the production of the Eitan APC among other key IDF systems and technologies. Our unit’s dedicated and professional personnel will continue to work around the clock together with our partners in the Israeli defense establishment and defense industry to ensure the Eitan APC’s operationalization. This will increase the mobility of the IDF ground forces and protect infantry soldiers in various types of combat.”
Nahal Brigade Commander Lieutenant Colonel Oren Simcha said, “The Nahal Brigade is proud and grateful for the privilege of being the first brigade in the IDF to receive the Eitan APC – a tool that will change the face of the brigade and allow it to be more lethal, independent and protected. We understand the weight of the responsibility and the professional challenge involved in adopting this piece of equipment, and we thank the hundreds of people who labored in the planning, development, production and execution of this equipment.”
Eitan, which means “steady”, “solid”, or “strong” in Hebrew, was developed by the Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate at IMOD to replace the long-serving M113 armored personnel carrier employed by the Israel Defense Forces. The vehicle, which began development in response to the lessons learned during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict (Operation Protective Edge), was originally unveiled in 2016. The Eitan is Israel’s first wheeled 8×8 APC, built to fight alongside Merkava main battle tanks and Namer infantry fighting vehicles. The vehicle, which is 8 meters long, 3 meters wide and weighs less than 35 tons, can carry 12 personnel, 3 of which being the crew (commander, gunner, and driver). The vehicles are outfitted with the Iron Fist Light Decoupled (IFLD) Active Protection System (APS) of the Israeli company Elbit Systems, and the body and the underside of the vehicles have STANAG 4569 level 4 armor protection for protection against mines, IEDs, RPGs, and anti-tank missiles.
The Eitan is outfitted with a remotely controlled weapon station that is compatible with 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine guns, as well as 40mm grenade launchers. The Eitan, powered by a 750-horsepower turbocharged diesel engine, can reach speeds of up to 90 kilometers per hour on urban roads. The vehicle can also climb 60% steep slopes and hold on 30% side slopes, as well as cross 1-meter-high obstacles and 2m ditches.