Israel's Ministry of Defense has successfully completed the first stage of a series of field trials on the Eitan unmanned armored personnel carrier (APC) turret. The trials were carried out at the Israel Weapons Test and Evaluation Center (Shdema) site in the Negev. During the trials, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. Spike anti-tank missiles were launched from the turret against a range of targets. The Defense Ministry said today that during the trial all the operational functions of the new turret were tested.
The development program for the Eitan and the turret, which will be mounted onto it, is being led by the Ministry of Defense Tank and Combat Vehicle Administration. The Ministry of Defense said that the unmanned turret will allow the APC's crew to respond to battlefield challenges, while protecting the fighters who will not need to be exposed to enemy fire. The turret includes firing capabilities using a 30mm artillery gun and advanced surveillance and targeting capabilities.
The Ministry of Defense Tank and Combat Vehicle Administration told "Globes" today that the capabilities of the new turret include the ability to fire a Spike missile and various types of ammunition accurately towards a range of targets, even if the targets are not within eyesight.
The Eitan APC, which is being developed by the Ministry of Defense, is due to be used by IDF infantry units in the future. A large number of the new APCs will be equipped with the unmanned turret to help protect the crew. The turret has been developed in such a way that it will also be possible to install it on the Namer APC. The trials carried out in the south included placing the turret on the Namer APC.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 12, 2018
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2018