Merkava Mk 4

The Defense Ministry is ordering hundreds of “Trophy” protection systems to ensure every IDF Merkava tank and Namer armored personnel carrier has active protection. The ministry says that the deal, worth hundreds of millions of shekels, will ensure that its armored vehicles have the most advanced defenses in the world. The system, made by the […]

The Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) signalled that it expects the government to approve a significant increase in the production of Merkava Mk 4 tanks and Namer armoured personnel carriers (APCs), when it announced in early March that it has doubled its order for components for the two platforms. According to defence sources, some of […]

In the middle of Thursday’s harsh winter storm in the Golan Heights, the IDF launched a regimental drill, including tanks from the 7th Armored Brigade and the Reconnaissance Battalions of the Paratroopers Brigade and the Engineering Corps. During the drill, the battalion was redeployed from its operational activities in Judea and Samaria to the northern […]

TEL AVIV — From its newest nuclear-capable submarine to vegan-considerate, leather-free boots and berets, here is a year-end list of 14 programs fielded during 2014, as translated from the official Israel Defense Forces (IDF) website: 1. Hot, healthy, low-fat meals ready to eat (MREs) supported forces for the first time in Israel’s summer 2014 Operation […]

The IDF is stepping up construction of state-of-the-art armored personnel carriers in order to better protect its troops, following lessons learned during the summer’s conflict in the Gaza Strip, Channel 2 reported Monday night. The military is allocating funds for the construction of a large number of ‘Namer’ (leopard) APCs, introduced in 2008, which sport the durable chassis […]

The IDF’s Seventh Armored Brigade is in the midst of a modernization process that will see all tank battalions equipped with the Merkava Mk. 4 tank by 2016, a senior army source said Tuesday. The brigade’s 75th battalion will complete the switch over from the Merkava Mk. 2 tank to the Mk. 4 on Thursday, […]

Senior army officials hope that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will acquire better-protected armoured vehicles and more active protection systems (APS) such as Rafael’s Trophy. Their comments came after seven members of the elite Golani Brigade were killed by an rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on their M113 armoured personnel carrier (APC) during Operation ‘Protective Edge’ […]

On July 8, the first day of Operation Protective Edge, five Hamas frogmen attempted an amphibious assault on an Israeli military base bordering northern Gaza. They didn’t get far. First, they were spotted by a Navy coastal sensor, which streamed targeting data through the Army’s new command-and-control network to air, sea and ground shooters. Almost […]

Britain is reviewing £8bn worth of arms exports to Israel in the light of the country’s military campaign in Gaza. Downing Street said on Monday that the UK government would look at each of the licences granted to British companies to ensure they were not being used for internal repression or to provoke further conflict. […]

While nine Iron Dome batteries scattered around Israel protect the lives of millions of Israeli citizens, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tanks and armored vehicles operating in the Gaza Strip have their own Iron Dome: Operation Protective Edge is the first real test of Wind Jacket (known internationally as Trophy), the first-of-its-kind active-defense system for tanks […]