Israel unveils new Barak tank with AI, sensors and cameras

JERUSALEM — Israel on Tuesday unveiled its new Barak tank for the military’s Armored Corps, a platform equipped with artificial intelligence, sensors, radar and small cameras.

The Defense Ministry said the tank’s systems will provide superiority to Israeli troops by revealing enemy locations and providing targets for combat troops on the battlefield based on 360-degree peripheral observation technology.

“The Barak tank was designed based on a concept of anti-fragility, with the aim of providing the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers a weapon system with built-in flexibility, which will allow them to win in all combat situations,” said Brig. Gen. Oren Giber, who leads the ministry’s Merkava and armored vehicles directorate.

The Barak, like the Merkava tanks of previous generations, was developed by the Defense Ministry’s directorate of armored combat vehicles, locally known as MANTAK, the ministry told Defense News.

The ministry would not specify the number of units on order, their deployment timeline nor their cost, but did say the price is similar to that of the Merkava 4M, despite the technological leap. A Merkava 4M for the Israel Defense Forces is about $3.5 million.

The Barak’s unveiling comes about two decades after Merkava 4 tanks entered the IDF’s inventory. Development for the Barak took five years, and it underwent testing over the last year.

The ministry said it expects to provide the military dozens of tanks each year, with the first Barak brigade standing up in about two years. During this process, the older Merkava 4 tanks will change hands from regular battalions to reserve battalions.

The Barak is expected to replace all Merkava 4 tanks in the 401st Brigade by the end of 2025.

The Barak includes touch screens and an operational application store to help with missions. The tank’s system is able to quickly produce and extract information, then transfer that data to strike assemblies as part of a target bank, while also transferring intelligence in real time between military branches.

According to the Armored Corps, a pair of Barak tanks will be able to carry out tasks for a combined force that previously required a platoon or a whole company worth of Merkava tanks. An armored tank company typically has 10 tanks, reserve officers from the corps told Defense News.

Mass production for the new tank began last month, and a company with Battalion 52 of the Armored Corps recently received its first Barak.

Tzally Greenberg is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has experience reporting on economic affairs as well as defense and cyber companies.

耶路撒冷——以色列周二向军方装甲部队展示了其新型巴拉克坦克，该平台配备了人工智能、传感器、雷达和小型摄像头。

国防部表示，该坦克的系统将通过360度周边观察技术，揭示敌方位置并为战场上的作战部队提供目标，从而为以色列军队提供优势。

“巴拉克坦克的设计理念是反脆弱性，旨在为以色列国防军士兵提供一种具有内在灵活性的武器系统，使他们能够在所有战斗情况下取得胜利，”国防部梅卡瓦坦克和装甲车辆局局长奥伦·吉贝尔准将说道。

据国防部向《防务新闻》透露，巴拉克坦克与前几代的梅卡瓦坦克一样，是由国防部装甲战车局（当地称为MANTAK）研发的。

该部拒绝透露订购数量、部署时间表和成本，但表示尽管技术上有所提升，但价格与梅卡瓦4M坦克相近。以色列国防军的梅卡瓦4M坦克售价约为350万美元。

巴拉克坦克的亮相距离梅卡瓦4型坦克加入以色列国防军服役已有约20年。巴拉克坦克的研发历时五年，并在过去一年中进行了测试。

国防部表示，预计每年将向军方提供数十辆坦克，首支巴拉克坦克旅将在大约两年后组建完成。在此期间，老旧的梅卡瓦4型坦克将从正规营移交给预备役营。

预计到 2025 年底，巴拉克坦克将取代第 401 旅的所有梅卡瓦 4 型坦克。

巴拉克坦克配备触摸屏和作战应用商店，以辅助执行任务。该坦克的系统能够快速生成和提取信息，并将数据传输到打击组件，作为目标库的一部分，同时还能在不同军种间实时传输情报。

据装甲兵团称，两辆巴拉克坦克就能执行联合部队以往需要一个排甚至一个连的梅卡瓦坦克才能完成的任务。该兵团的预备役军官告诉《防务新闻》，一个装甲坦克连通常配备10辆坦克。

新型坦克的批量生产已于上个月开始，装甲兵第 52 营的一个连队最近接收了第一辆巴拉克坦克。

扎利·格林伯格是《防务新闻》的以色列记者。他拥有丰富的经济事务以及国防和网络安全公司报道经验。