On May 28, the first batch of Eitan armored fighting vehicles (AFV) was delivered to the 933rd “Nahal” Brigade of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
The AFV, which was developed by the Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate in the Israeli Ministry of Defense to replace the IDF’s aging fleet of American-made M113 armored personnel carriers (APC), took part in a recent military exercise.
The 35-ton 8×8 vehicle is powered by an MTU diesel engine with 750 hp. It has an operational range of up to 800 kilometers and can reach the top speed of 90 kilometers per hour.
The Eitan was designed to carry 12 troops, including three crew members, and provide them with all-around protection against heavy machine gun fire, artillery shells and landmines. In the near future, the AFV will also be equipped with the Iron Fist active protection system that can counter rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles.
Several armament options are available for the Eitan, including remotely-controlled turrets armed with 30-40 mm machine guns as well as Spike missiles.
The Eitan is lighter than the Namer APC, which is based on a Merkava Mark IV tank chassis, and costs only half as much. Unlike tracked vehicles, the AFV can transport infantry units on roads without relying on tank transporters.
The adoption of the Eitan represents a major shift in the tactics of the IDF, which previously relied only on heavily-armored, tracked APCs to move infantry on the battlefield. This shift was likely the result of the losses the Israel Defense Force (IDF) sustained during its last ground operations in southern Lebanon and the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Many of the IDF’s older APCs were destroyed in ambushes during the 2006 Lebanese war and the 2014 Gaza war, which resulted in the death and injury of many Israeli troops.