The Israeli Ministry of Defense has received its first new Namer 1500 armored personnel carrier (APC).
The Namer 1500 was developed as part of Israel’s Merkava and Armored Vehicle Directorate tank flagship project to replace the country’s aging M113 APC vehicles.
The vehicle combines the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) existing “Nagmash,” a Namer APC variant launched in 2008, with the capabilities of the Merkava main battle tank.
Additional features were integrated by incorporating Israeli military experiences following the 2014 Gaza War.
The vehicle’s name was derived from its 1,500 horsepower engine for enhanced speed and power in combat.
Furthermore, the Namer 1500 has several touchscreen capabilities for improved access and protection.
Eitan Armored Personnel Carrier
The Namer delivery follows a 2022 contract seeking “hundreds” of APCs for the Israeli Defense Forces.
US-based military vehicle developer Oshkosh Defense was selected to supply “Eitan” 750-horsepower units to Israel.
While no order total has been confirmed, the country is reportedly receiving approximately 500 APCs.
The first Eitan platform was shipped to the country in May.
“The contract with Oshkosh Defense is an important milestone in the ‘Eitan’ project. This step allows us to expand the project’s production resources to provide advanced APCs to the IDF,” IDF Tank and APC Directorate Brig. Gen. Oren Giber stated regarding the contract award.
“This agreement may also present further opportunities for the Ministry of Defense and Israeli defense industries to export the ‘Eitan’ APC and its deployed systems.”
