The Eitan is one of the most notable land systems of today. It is a strong symbol of
not only changing Israel Defence Forces but Israel itself. This wheeled armoured vehicle
closes an era and opens a new one. As the weapon detective, we are investigating the
Eitan and what it really means. Please don't forget to subscribe to our channel,
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our channel. Today, the Israel Defence Forces, shortly
IDF, is one of the most effective armies in the world. Its structure does not rely on
some theoretical studies but real combat experience. Although they are popular among the world
armies for quite some time, the Israeli Ground Forces had been reluctant to adopt wheeled
armoured vehicles until recently. So, the Eitan is a symbol of an important change.
Since the AML90, which retired in the late 1960s, Israel is adopting a wheeled armoured
combat vehicle for the first time. What is the reason for this transformation?
Before answering this question, let’s look at Eitan's historical background and technological
aspects. Israel has preferred the tracked vehicles
due to geographical factors. But, thanks to development in automotive technologies,
today, wheeled vehicles' mobility is nearly as good as the tracked vehicles. Additionally,
the modern world has become urbanized rapidly, and the road networks have expanded day by
day. Current combats generally occur in the urban area, not in vast plains. So tracked
vehicles, which are more expensive to produce, maintain, transport, and operate than wheeled
vehicles, have lost their priority. After Operation Tzuk Eitan in the Gaza Strip
in 2014, the Israeli military staff began a study on the new nature of modern warfare.
According to this study and the studies of other countries’ combat experience in the
last three decades, it was accepted that the IDF needs a wheeled armoured vehicle to replace
its old M113s. The first prototype of the new 8x8 vehicle,
called Eitan, was revealed in 2016. To keep development and production costs low, nearly
50 per cent of subsystems have been procured from civilian companies.
After the five-year development process, the serial production of the Eitan wheeled armoured
vehicle began. It is expected that the first Eitan would
enter service at the end of this year. The specifications of the Eitan are not officially
released. The vehicle has a three-man crew; the commander, gunner, and driver. It can
carry up to nine fully equipped infantries. It is estimated that the combat weight of
the vehicle is between 40 to 44 tons. It has a length of about 8 metres, a height of 3
metres, and a width of 3 metres. The 750 horsepower diesel engine provides a maximum road speed
of 90 kilometres per hour. The range is about 800 kilometres.
The armoured personnel carrier version has a remote-controlled weapon station with a
12.7mm machine gun. Beside this weapon station, which is operated by the gunner, there is
a pintle-mounted 7.62mm machine gun on the commander’s cupola.
Israel also introduced an infantry fighting vehicle variant with a 30mm gunned unmanned
turret. The Army plans to equip this variant with
the Spike anti-tank missiles and an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The Eitan has a high ground clearance and V-shaped hull to provide more protection against
landmines and improvised explosive devices. This design has been used on the MRAP-class
armoured vehicles successfully for some time. The V-shaped design deflects the blast effect
towards the sides when the vehicle detonates a land mine. The Eitan can withstand the explosive
of up to 12 kg of TNT under the hull floor. This design is effective not only for the
survivability of the vehicle but also protects the crew and infantries.
A high silhouette is a handicap for a vehicle on the battlefield in terms of hiding. Yet,
in today’s combat environment, land mines and improvised explosive devices are more
serious threats than direct-fire weapons. Also, the developing technologies give new
opportunities for the designers to solve the problem that comes from this type of weapon.
The active protection systems are highly effective against shape-charged munitions.
So, the Eitan's designers count on this technology, along with the modular armour structure. The
vehicle is equipped with the Trophy active protection system. The Trophy's EL/M-2133
radar has four panels that provide 360-degree coverage. If the radar detects an approaching
projectile towards the vehicle, the internal computer determines an interception vector
in a matter of split seconds, classifies the threat, calculates the optimal time and angle,
and fires the counter-measure munitions. These munitions detonate near the incoming anti-tank
missile or rocket and destroy them before they reach the vehicle. The very small kill
zone of the Trophy ensures the protection of disembarking infantry from the shrapnels.
Besides the protection, the active protection systems also provide better situational awareness.
When the attackers launch their weapons, the sensors of the Trophy can detect their exact
location. So, the gunner can turn the main armament toward this location and open fire
with high precision. In that case, the hunter becomes prey. It means, to attack with a current
anti-tank weapon against a vehicle, which has an active protection system, is not only
futile but also deadly dangerous. Nevertheless, the Trophy is not effective
against kinetic energy munition. But, in the current situation, the IDF does not expect
a threat with high calibre guns. In any case, it is estimated that the armour
of the vehicle could withstand 12.7mm or 14.5mm armour-piercing munitions.
Also, the shaped surface of the hull makes it possible to deflect the projectiles. The
ramp at the back, which is used to embark or disembark the infantry, is protected by
two extended armoured modules. The Eitan is equipped with a central tire
inflation system to ensure mobility. This system automatically regulates the air density
in the wheels. When the air pressure is low, the tires go down to provide a larger area
of contact. Thus, the vehicle can move more easily on the soft soil.
Even, the vehicle's run-flat tires are damaged, the Eitan can still travel for 16 kilometres
with a maximum speed of 50 kilometres per hour.
Thanks to its modular structure, the maintenance and repair of the Eitan is easy. Infield conditions,
the damaged part can be quickly changed, and the vehicle can return its mission in a short
time. To improve situational awareness, which is
very important for urban operation, the Eitan is also fitted with more than 10 day and night
cameras, 34 computers, and five touch screens. In the future, other variants such as the
mortar carrier, medical evacuation, repair, recovery, and command control will replace
the M113-based models. Why had Israel waited for so long to acquire
a wheeled armoured vehicle? What does the Eitan tell us about the winds of change in
Israel? Let’s turn some pages of Israeli military
history. Despite obvious support from the West, Israel was born in some difficult conditions
in 1948. First of all, the support of the Western countries was limited, and there were
some drawbacks in their capitals. Israel was in a hostile environment. All its neighbours
were also its sworn enemies. Israel needed a strong army. It had to buy
weapons from wherever it could find to built this army. In the nearly late 1970s, the IDF
had worked as a scavenger. Israel gathered obsolete systems rather than modern ones and
upgraded them over and over. The Second World War veteran M4 Shermans became
M50 Super Shermans on the hand of the Israeli engineers and fought against the latest Soviet
tanks successfully. The M3 Half-tracks were still the backbone
of the armoured carrier fleet of the IDF during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Even today, Israel has some armoured vehicles, such as the Achzarit, which is derivative
of over 60 years old T-55s, and Puma, Nakpadon, Nagmachon, which are rebuilt on some old Centurion
tank hulls. During this period, the IDF had needed a vast
amount of armoured vehicles, and there was not enough money to have a big fleet of all
new systems. But after Camp David Peace Accords, the situation
began to change. The biggest and most dangerous enemy of Israel, Egypt, is not a threat since
then. But, a country, which had to fight nearly every ten years, could not naturally relax
instantly. By the late 2000s, the IDF has finally been
convinced that the threat perception is fully changed. There is no more invasion and an
annihilation threat for Israel. The country has not faced total war since 1973.
The 1982 Lebanon War was not a survival war. There are still some terrorist attacks, but
they are not comparable with the early four great wars in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973.
This situation changes Israeli society. Today, more and more Israeli citizens believe that
they have not to fight for the country’s survival.
According to the Israeli army ombudsman, retired general Yitzhak Brick, the discipline level
of the land forces is constantly decreasing. The new recruitments continue to use their
cell phones even they are on the frontline. They even produce funny youtube videos on
duty. The officers ignore this situation. But in the digital communication age, it is
impossible to stop using smartphones, even in the army. In Tel Aviv, there are the LED
stoplights, which are embedded in the pedestrian crossings. They are to catch the attention
of people, who addicted to mobile phones. The Israeli youth is changing. In the postmodern
world, it is not possible to expect them, fully devote themselves to army life, like
their fathers. Yitzhak Brick also highlights that the combat
readiness of the reserve brigades’ equipment is low. But, keeping combat readiness of a
huge amount of tracked vehicles is a heavy burden. While the IDF has the lion’s share
of the national budget, today, more and more Israeli citizens criticise this situation.
According to Yitzhak Brick, the IDF cannot fight on two fronts like in the old times.
But is this a necessity for today's Israel? That is the real question.
An important number of the Israelis think that the money should spend on social projects,
not on the military. The political leaders in Israel see the changing environment. So,
since the 2000s, the old systems of the army have been retired gradually, and numbers of
the equipment are being decreased to preserve more money.
The number of the tank in a standard brigade is reduced from 111 to 102. And some reserve
brigades are completely dispended. The main combat area of the IDF has transformed
to urban areas from open fields since the 1980s. So, Israel has converted numerous tank
chassis to heavy armoured personnel carriers. This type of vehicle is more resistant against
the weapons, such as RPGs and anti-tank guided missiles.
The Israeli combat reports show that the ballistic protection of the M113 is not enough for urban
warfare, even they were fitted with additional armour plates. In the mid-1990s, the IDF equipped
some of its M113s with reactive armour, which is much more effective against shape-charged
anti-tank weapons. But in a short time, it was realized that the additional weight of
this type of armour caused mobility limitations and reliability problems. So, these upgraded
M113s was eventually removed from service. The IDF is now relying on its heavy armoured
vehicles in case of a new confrontation. But, they are too expensive to produce and operate.
And like the main battle tanks, they also need tank transporters for deployment.
The Eitan reduces the overall costs by 50 per cent, and it can go to the mission areas
rapidly as they do not require the tank transporters. The shrinking Israeli Defence Forces needs
more capable systems to maintain its might. The ground forces have to be reequipped with
more suitable vehicles in terms of mobility and survivability. They also have to be less
expensive to produce and operate for the taxpayers' consent.
In terms of these, the Eitan is the face of the new Israel.
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