Israel orders hundreds of new combat vehicles for special forces

JERUSALEM — Israel will purchase hundreds of combat vehicles from Israel Aerospace Industries for the country’s special forces in a deal worth more than 100 million new shekel (U.S. $28 million), the Defense Ministry said in a recent statement.

The Directorate of Production and Procurement is purchasing IAI’s Negeva vehicles, referred to by the company as Z-MAG and ZD. The vehicles will range in size, from 1.5 tons to 2.5 tons.

The manufacturing is being done in cooperation with Ido Cohen and The Armored Group, the ministry said in its announcement.

Yoav Tourgeman, IAI vice president and the CEO of its subsidiary Elta Systems, said the division producing these vehicles and other ground applications was established three years ago. He said the Negeva’s development follows the company’s successful work on Israel’s future armored fighting vehicle program , Carmel. IAI was selected by the Defense Ministry as the prime contractor for the program last year.

The head of IAI, Boaz Levy, said Carmel will “equip the IDF with the most advanced tactical ground vehicles in the world, which are highly reliable and have exceptional capabilities.” He added that “IAI’s wide range of capabilities in the fields of intelligence, AI [artificial intelligence], remote sensing and communications are integrated in these land vehicles and will provide significant added value to the operational capabilities in the field of combat mobility.”

“Soldiers are looking for the ability to drive in hard terrain with [a] reliable and simple-to-operate vehicle,” Tourgeman said in an interview. The IDF, he said, put the Negeva through “hard tests,” and the new vehicle didn’t lose its abilities.

“They remained operational [in the] conditions for [which they were] tested, the ability to cross land and water in a way that no other vehicle can do. And the ability to take a payload equal to the weight of the vehicle itself,” he said.

That means the 1.5-ton vehicle can take up to 1.5 tons of payload, and the 2.5- and 3.5-ton variations of the vehicle can take 2.5 and 3.5 tons in payload, respectively.

The IDF uses other vehicles, such as Humvees, and Israel’s Defense Ministry anticipates the IDF’s Nahal Brigade will soon receive its first eight-wheel drive Eitan armored fighting vehicles. Israel is also acquiring new unmanned ground vehicles. The Negeva, which will go to IDF special forces, is not a replacement for the Humvee.

The Negeva can take on new technology, including autonomous capabilities, to serve different operational needs, Tourgeman said. The ministry noted in its statement that the vehicle can be used to deliver supplies and evacuate wounded people.

The deputy director general and head of the Directorate of Production and Procurement, Avi Dadon, called the Negeva purchase a “significant procurement deal for strengthening the IDF Special Units’ force build-up.”

“This agreement will enhance the export potential for these unique tools and technologies,” Dadon added.

Seth J. Frantzman is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has covered conflict in the Mideast since 2010 for different publications. He has experience covering the international coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and he is a co-founder and executive director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis.

耶路撒冷——以色列国防部在最近的一份声明中表示，以色列将从以色列航空航天工业公司购买数百辆作战车辆，供该国特种部队使用，交易金额超过1亿新谢克尔（2800万美元）。

生产采购局正在采购以色列航空工业公司（IAI）的内盖瓦（Negeva）系列车辆，该公司将其称为Z-MAG和ZD。这些车辆的尺寸范围从1.5吨到2.5吨不等。

该部在公告中表示，此次制造是与 Ido Cohen 和装甲集团合作进行的。

以色列航空工业公司（IAI）副总裁兼旗下子公司埃尔塔系统公司（Elta Systems）首席执行官约阿夫·图尔格曼表示，生产这些车辆及其他地面应用设备的部门成立于三年前。他指出，内盖瓦装甲车的研发是在该公司成功参与以色列未来装甲战车项目“卡梅尔”（Carmel）之后进行的。去年，以色列国防部选定以色列航空工业公司为该项目的主承包商。

以色列航空工业公司（IAI）总裁博阿兹·莱维表示，“卡梅尔”将“为以色列国防军配备世界上最先进的战术地面车辆，这些车辆高度可靠，性能卓越”。他还补充道，“IAI在情报、人工智能、遥感和通信领域的广泛能力都集成在这些陆地车辆中，将显著提升作战机动能力。”

“士兵们需要的是一种能够在崎岖地形中行驶的可靠且易于操作的车辆，”图尔格曼在一次采访中说道。他表示，以色列国防军对内盖瓦装甲车进行了“严格的测试”，而这款新车的性能并未因此而下降。

他说：“它们在测试条件下保持了良好的运行状态，具备其他任何车辆都无法做到的陆地和水域穿越能力，并且能够承载与自身重量相当的有效载荷。”

这意味着 1.5 吨级的车辆最多可以承载 1.5 吨的有效载荷，而 2.5 吨级和 3.5 吨级的车辆分别可以承载 2.5 吨和 3.5 吨的有效载荷。

以色列国防军还使用其他车辆，例如悍马。以色列国防部预计，以色列国防军纳哈尔旅很快将接收首批八轮驱动的埃坦装甲战车。以色列也在采购新型无人地面车辆。内盖瓦无人驾驶装甲车将交付给以色列国防军特种部队，但它并非悍马的替代品。

图尔格曼表示，内盖瓦装甲车可以搭载包括自主驾驶功能在内的新技术，以满足不同的作战需求。国防部在声明中指出，该车辆可用于运送物资和撤离伤员。

生产和采购局副局长兼局长阿维·达顿称，内盖瓦的采购是“一项重要的采购交易，旨在加强以色列国防军特种部队的兵力建设”。

达顿补充说：“这项协议将提升这些独特工具和技术的出口潜力。”

塞思·J·弗兰茨曼是《防务新闻》的以色列记者。自2010年以来，他一直为多家媒体报道中东冲突。他曾报道过打击伊拉克和叙利亚境内伊斯兰国组织的国际联盟行动，并且是中东报道与分析中心的联合创始人兼执行主任。