Israel puts into service the world's strongest 'Desert Wolf' Eitan
The Israeli Ministry of Defense has just approved a plan to purchase hundreds of new Eitan armored personnel carriers to improve the army's combat capabilities.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense said it has begun ordering and equipping the 8x8 Eitan wheeled armored personnel carriers (APCs) designed by the country. It is known that the Eitan armored vehicle is a combination of technology from the Merkava tank and Namer armored personnel carrier.
"The need for a wheeled personnel carrier like the Eitan was drawn from lessons learned in recent combat operations in the Gaza Strip," said General Mazliah, commander of the Israeli army. "The Eitan is an effective complement to the Merkava main battle tank and the Namer heavy armored personnel carrier.
The advantage of Eitan is its ability to operate on many different terrains, on routes where tanks or Namer cannot operate. Eitan can reach a maximum speed of up to 90 km/h, very useful in quick response missions."
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| Eitan armored vehicle. |
The front arc of the vehicle can be supplemented with an explosive reactive armor module to increase the ability to deal with anti-tank weapons. Eitan has good resistance to mines and IEDs. The vehicle uses “run-flat” tires that can continue moving at high speed when the tire is punctured.
The Eitan is built using modular technology that allows it to be configured for different missions by replacing the weapon module. In the standard APC configuration, the Eitan is equipped with a remote-controlled weapon station armed with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, or a 30 or 40 mm automatic cannon. The turret can be equipped with anti-tank missiles.
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