Monday, February 16, 2009

Israel: New IDF Armored Vehicle Gets Trial By Fire In Gaza

Israel: New IDF Armored Vehicle Gets Trial By Fire In Gaza
(NSI News Source Info) February 16, 2009: The army's next-generation armored personnel carrier received its baptism by fire during Operation Cast Lead last month. The newest model Namer (Tiger), which is produced locally, joined the Israel Defense Forces' ranks in recent months.
Several dozen are being used in infantry training. Eventually, the IDF is hoping to replace all of its older APCs with the new model. The first infantry brigade to receive the new APC was Golani, which used three such vehicles in a brigade exercise two months ago. The Namer (Tiger) heavy armored personnel carrier is a mayor element of the IDF modernization plan. The latest design of the Namer is based on the Merkava Mk.4 main battle tank chassis. Currently it is one of the most protected APCs in the world. It provides infantry with the level of protection and mobility matching those of the latest main battle tanks. A first batch of production vehicles was delivered in 2008. Israel plans to acquire few hundreds of these heavy armored personnel carriers. Golani soldiers used their veteran Achzarit APCs during most of the offensive in the Gaza Strip, but during the final days of the operation, they also brought some of the new vehicles into battle to test their capabilities. The new APC served as a forward command position for the Golani commander. Some crews received rushed training in order to use the vehicle in Gaza. The IDF has ordered about 130 such vehicles, at a cost of $3 million each, and there are plans to acquire as many as 800.
It is seeking to replace most of the older APCs in use by the ground forces. The Namer is based on the Merkava Mark IV Main Battle Tank chassis and has some of the most sophisticated battle management and protection equipment available. The Namer was developed around the Merkava's hull in part so that ground forces and armor would have both speed and mobility, as well as protection on the battlefield.

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