Sunday, December 04, 2016

New Israeli APC may be produced in US


via Globe English
The planned new IDF armored personnel carrier (APC) - the Eitan - will be manufactured in the US and purchased by Israel with US military aid, according to internal discussions by the IDF land forces and the Ministry of Defense. Such a decision is liable to disappoint Israeli defense companies and dozens more small and medium-sized companies in Israel involved in the Merkava tank program. These companies hoped that their involvement in the new APC program would increase the volume of their business.
The APC, which is in the advanced stages of development by the Ministry of Defense and IDF, was first unveiled four months ago, and is in the midst of a series of tests. A prototype of the APC has already been built, and two more will be completed in the coming months.
The Nahal brigade is due to conduct a series of tests on the APC in the coming weeks. Defense sources said that the tests might be completed in the coming months, in which case the IDF and Ministry of Defense would discuss its procurement. If this occurs, procurement is likely to begin during the Gideon multi-year plan, under which the IDF is already operating.
Makes sense.  I wonder if they'll go with BAE, General Dynamics or SAIC?

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