At the end of a competitive process conducted by the procurement delegation of Israel’s Ministry of Defense in the USA, in cooperation with the Directorate of Defense Research and Development, the American "Oshkosh Defense" company was chosen to produce hundreds of frames for the Israeli-designed "Eitan" Armored Personnel Carriers (APC).
The scope of the deal, signed by the procurement delegation with the company, is estimated to be worth more than 100 million dollars and it will be financed using American military aid for the Israel Defense Forces. This new project’s expansion is yet another product of the deep collaboration between the US and Israel, especially in the large global military industry.
The "Eitan" APC was developed by an Israeli security department called “Mantak” which is within the Ministry of Defense. The vehicles that are expected to arrive in Israel start in about a year and a half and will go directly into the production line at the Merkava factory in Tel Hashomer for the covert technological manufacturing stage. At the end of their assembly, the vehicles will be transferred to operational use in the IDF and will significantly expand the range of active APCs.
The deal between the procurement mission and "Oshkosh Defense" is estimated to be over 100 million dollars, financed by American aid funds. Once fully assembled, the APCs will be transferred for operational use.
— Ministry of Defense (@Israel_MOD) December 28, 2022
The "Eitan", which is considered the most advanced wheeled vehicle of its kind in the world, is designed to carry 12 fighters with a maximum level of protection, including the active defense system "Durvan Arrow" otherwise known as the 'Iron Fist' and advanced fire and control systems. Durvan means 'porcupine' in Hebrew as the system functions similarly to the defense mechanism of the spikey rodent. In the coming weeks, the Ministry of Defense will deliver the first operational heavy-duty APCs to the Nahal Brigade of the IDF.
Directorate of Defense Research and Development at the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Oren Giber said: "The signing of the contract with the American company Oshkosh is an important step in the ‘Eitan’ project. The move will allow us to increase the production resources for the project, not at the expense of the production lines in Israel, with the aim of providing the advanced APC to IDF soldiers. The agreement with American Oshkosh may also open opportunities for the Ministry of Defense and Israeli industries to export the 'Eitan' and the systems installed in it."
.@Israel_MOD @OshkoshDefense #APC #Eitan #Israel: New Israeli APC to be based on Oshkosh Chassis https://t.co/zkmHxJhEgI pic.twitter.com/8DdSOJSjiQ
— DefenseMirror (@DefenseMirror) December 28, 2022
The head of the procurement delegation in the USA, Brigadier General (ret.) Michel Ben-Baruch added in a public statement: "It is the close and fruitful cooperation between the procurement team, and divisions of Israel’s Defense Ministry in the delegation and among the personnel of the National Security Agency, that made it possible to carry out the project successfully. This deal, like many others, is made possible thanks to the strong alliance with our American partners.”
