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The military equipment of Israel includes a wide array of arms, tanks, planes, cannons, armored vehicles. Many of these are purchased overseas. Until the Six-Day War of 1967 the Israel Defense Forces' principal supplier was France; since then, it has been the United States government and defense companies. In the early twentyfirst century Israeli companies such as Soltam Systems began selling arms to the United States.[1] Much of the military equipment undergoes improvements in Israeli workshops. In addition to weapons purchased overseas and indigenous products, Israel also operates and maintains large stockpiles of Soviet equipment captured from Arab armies over the course of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.[citation needed]

History[]

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the military equipment in the IDF was very diverse and inconsistent. This was due to the severe limitation in obtaining war materiel (the British Mandate and the Arab Embargo). During the 1950s, the IDF began the process of standardization, relying primarily on French military equipment. During the Six Day War, the military cooperation with France ceased (the French Weapons Embargo of 1967) and Israel began to rely on American weaponry and on local research and developments. During the 1980s and 1990s, the IDF increased its supplies of American arms, armor and aircraft, aiming for technological superiority over Arab countries, toward "a smaller, smarter army." The reliance on locally manufactured military equipment has also greatly increased. Today, the overwhelming majority of Israel's military equipment is either manufactured in the United States (and often modified in Israeli workshops), or is developed and manufactured locally, with an increasing emphasis on advanced technology, including aerospace and electronics.

Local military development[]

Some of the military equipment developed locally have been:

Ground forces equipment[]

Small arms[]

Name Type Caliber Origin Notes
Jericho 941[2] Semi-Automatic Pistol 9x19mm Flag of Israel Israel
Glock 17[3] Semi-Automatic Pistol 9x19mm Flag of Austria Austria
Glock 19[4] Semi-Automatic Pistol 9x19mm Flag of Austria Austria
Browning Hi-Power[4] Semi-Automatic Pistol 9x19mm Flag of Belgium (civil) Belgium
Beretta M951[2] Semi-Automatic Pistol 9x19mm Flag of Italy Italy
Heckler & Koch P11[2] Underwater pistol 7.62x36mm Flag of Germany Germany
IMI Uzi[5] Submachine Gun 9x19mm Flag of Israel Israel Uzi, Mini-Uzi and Micro-Uzi used.
Ingram Mac-10[2] Submachine Gun 9x19mm United States
IMI Micro Tavor MTAR-21[2] Submachine Gun and Bullpup Assault Rifle 9x19mm / 5.56x45mm Flag of Israel Israel Variant of the Tavor Assault Rifle, replacing the Uzi, and becoming the standard issue assault rifle
IMI Tavor TAR-21[2] Assault Rifle 5.56x45mm Flag of Israel Israel Variants used are MTAR-21 (X95), TAR-21, GTAR-21, STAR-21 and CTAR-21
M4 Carbine[2] Assault Rifle 5.56x45mm United States
M16A1[6] Assault Rifle 5.56x45mm United States
CAR-15[4] Assault Rifle 5.56x45mm United States
IMI Galil[2][5] Assault Rifle 5.56x45mm Flag of Israel Israel Variants used are Galil AR and Galil SAR
IMI Micro Galil Assault Rifle 5.56x45mm Flag of Israel Israel Highly compact version of the Galil
AKM[2][5][7] Assault Rifle 7.62x39mm Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union Captured from Arab armies over the course of the Arab-Israeli Conflict and used by Special Forces.
AK-47[2][5][8] Assault Rifle 7.62x39mm Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union Captured from Arab armies over the course of the Arab-Israeli Conflict and used by Special Forces.
M14[2] Battle Rifle 7.62x51mm United States
IMI Negev[2] Light Machine Gun 5.56x45mm Flag of Israel Israel
M1919 Browning Light Machine Gun .30-06 Springfield United States
FN MAG[9] General Purpose Machine Gun 7.62x51mm Flag of Belgium (civil) Belgium
Negev NG7 Machine Gun 7.62x51mm Flag of Israel Israel
PKM[4] General Purpose Machine Gun 7.62x54mmR Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union Captured from Arab armies over the course of the Arab-Israeli Conflict and used by Special Forces.
Browning M2[2] Heavy Machine Gun 12.7x99mm United States
Remington 870[4] Shotgun 12 Gauge United States
Mossberg 500 Shotgun 12 Gauge United States
SR-25[4] Sniper Rifle 7.62x51mm United States
IMI Galatz Sniper Rifle 7.62x51mm Flag of Israel Israel Sniper variant of the Galil
M24[4] Sniper Rifle 7.62x51mm United States
HTR 2000 Sniper Rifle .338 Lapua United States
M89SR[4] Sniper Rifle 7.62x51mm Flag of Israel Israel
Barrett M82 Anti Materiel Rifle 12.7x99mm United States
M26A2 Fragmentation Grenade n/a Flag of Israel Israel Based on the American M26 grenade
IDF M48 Stun grenade n/a Flag of Israel Israel Based on the American M84 stun grenade
Suppressed Ruger 10/22[4][10] Semiautomatic rifle .22LR United States Adopted for non-lethal crowd control, though not always used as such
Armsel Striker Revolving Shotgun 12 Gauge Flag of South Africa South Africa Used for riot control

Rocket and grenade launchers[]

Name Type Caliber Origin
B-300 Shoulder-launched Rocket 82mm Flag of Israel Israel
RPG-7 Shoulder-launched Rocket 85mm Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
Shipon Shoulder-launched Rocket 83mm Flag of Israel Israel
M72 LAW Shoulder-launched Rocket 66mm United States
MATADOR Shoulder-launched Rocket 90mm Flag of Israel Israel/Flag of Singapore Singapore
M79[2] Stand-alone Grenade Launcher 40mm United States
M203[2] Under-Barrel Grenade Launcher 40mm United States
Mk 19[2] Automatic Grenade Launcher 40mm United States
Mk 47 Striker Automatic Grenade Launcher 40mm United States

Missiles[]

Name Type Origin
Spike Anti-Tank Missile Flag of Israel Israel
BGM-71 TOW Anti-Tank Missile United States
LAHAT Anti-Tank Missile Flag of Israel Israel
MAPATS Anti-Tank Missile Flag of Israel Israel
Nimrod Long-range anti-tank missile Flag of Israel Israel
M47 Dragon Anti-Tank Missile United States

Vehicles[]

Name Type Number in Service[11] Origin Notes
Merkava Mark IV Main Battle Tank 360 Flag of Israel Israel Additional 300 in production
Merkava Mark III Main Battle Tank 780 Flag of Israel Israel In active service
Merkava Mark II Main Battle Tank 400 Flag of Israel Israel In reserve, to be sold or scrapped[12]
Merkava Mark I Main Battle Tank 180 Flag of Israel Israel In reserve, to be sold or scrapped[12]
Magach 7 Tank 1,040 Flag of Israel Israel/United States In reserve, based on the American M60 Patton, to be sold or scrapped[12]
Magach 6 Tank 560 Flag of Israel Israel/United States In reserve, based on the American M60 Patton, to be sold or scrapped[12]
Magach 5 Tank 200 Flag of Israel Israel/United States In reserve, based on the American M48 Patton
Centurion Tank 350 Flag of Israel Israel/Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom In storage
M113 Armored Personnel Carrier 6,131 United States
IDF Achzarit Heavy Armored Personnel Carrier 215 Flag of Israel Israel Based on the T-54 Tank
Nagmachon Heavy Armored Personnel Carrier N/A Flag of Israel Israel\Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom Based on the Centurion Tank
Nakpadon Heavy Armored Personnel Carrier N/A Flag of Israel Israel\Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom Based on the Centurion Tank
Nakpuma Heavy Combat Engineering/Armored Personnel Carrier N/A Flag of Israel Israel\Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom Based on the Centurion Tank
Namer Heavy Armored Personnel Carrier 60 Flag of Israel Israel 250 ordered. Based on the Merkava chassis.
Wolf Armored Vehicle 300 Flag of Israel Israel Replacing M113[13]
Puma Heavy Combat Engineering Vehicle N/A Flag of Israel Israel\Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom Based on the Centurion Tank
CAT D9 Combat Armored Bulldozer 175 Flag of Israel Israel/United States Bulldozer manufactured by Caterpillar Inc., military conversion and armor by Israel.
AIL Storm Utility vehicle 700 Flag of Israel Israel
HMMWV Utility vehicle 2,000+ United States
MDT David Utility vehicle 400 Flag of Israel Israel\Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom Based on the Land Rover Defender
Plasan Sand Cat Utility Vehicle 79 Flag of Israel Israel
AIL Abir 4x4 Truck N/A Flag of Israel Israel
M35 8x12 Truck N/A United States
Unimog 437 Heavy Truck N/A Flag of Germany Germany
HEMTT 8x8 Heavy Truck N/A United States
M548 Alfa Cargo & Ammunition Carrier N/A United States Based on the M113
M60 AVLB Armored Bridge Layer 10 United States
Nemmera Armored Recovery Vehicle N/A Flag of Israel Israel Based on the Merkava
M88 Armored Recovery Vehicle 25 United States
Nagmapop Command & Surveillance vehicle N/A Flag of Israel Israel\Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom Based on the Centurion Tank
AIL Desert Raider Dune Buggy N/A Flag of Israel Israel
VIPeR Unmanned Ground Vehicle N/A Flag of Israel Israel
Guardium Unmanned Ground Vehicle N/A Flag of Israel Israel
Black Thunder Unmanned Bulldozer N/A Flag of Israel Israel\United States Based on the Caterpillar D9[14]

Artillery[]

Name Type Number in Service[11] Origin Notes
M109 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzer 600 United States/Flag of Israel Israel Upgraded as the M109 Doher. Replacement program initiated,[15] candidates include ATMOS 2000 and Artillery Gun Module.[16]
M110 203mm Self-Propelled Howitzer 36 United States In storage, To be scraped.
M107 175mm Self-Propelled Howitzer 70 United States In storage, To be scraped.
Soltam M-71 155mm Towed Howitzer 300 Flag of Israel Israel
Soltam M-68 155mm Towed Howitzer 50 Flag of Israel Israel In reserve
M270 Multiple Rocket Launcher 48 United States
MAR-290 290mm Multiple Rocket Launcher N/A Flag of Israel Israel\United States Based on the M4 Sherman Tank
Cardom SP 120mm Self-Propelled Mortar 64 Flag of Israel Israel
Soltam M-65 120mm Mortar 250 Flag of Israel Israel
M113 Tamuz Missile Launching Vehicle N/A Flag of Israel Israel Spike Missiles launched from an M113 chassis[17]

Air defense[]

Name Type Number in Service[11] Origin Notes
Machbet Air Defense Vehicle 400 Flag of Israel Israel\United States Based on the M163 VADS
FIM-92 Stinger Shoulder-launched Surface-to-air missile 500 United States
FIM-43 Redeye Shoulder-launched Surface-to-air missile N/A United States
ZSU-23-4 Air Defense Vehicle 60[18] Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
Bofors L/70 40mm Anti-Aircraft Gun N/A Flag of Sweden Sweden
ZU-23-2 23mm Anti-Aircraft Gun N/A Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
TCM-20 20mm Anti-Aircraft Gun N/A Flag of France France\Flag of Switzerland  Swiss\Flag of Israel Israel

Air forces equipment[]

Combat aircraft[]

Special mission aircraft[]

Auxiliary aircraft[]

Trainer aircraft[]

Attack helicopters[]

Utility helicopters[]

Unmanned aerial vehicles[]

Weaponry[]

Naval forces equipment[]

Below are the IDF's active service watercraft. The year of service, speed, full load displacement, and crew members, are in parentheses.

Missile boats[]

  • Israel Sa'ar 4 class missile boat (1970s; 32 kt; 450 tons; 45 crew members)
  • Israel Sa'ar 4.5 class missile boat (1980s; 31 kt; 488 tons; 53 crew members)

Corvettes[]

Patrol boats[]

  • Israel Dabur (1970s; 19 kt; 39 tons; 9 crew members)
  • Israel Shaldag (1989; ?; 50 kt; 15 crew members)
  • Israel Super Dvora Mk II (1996; 46 kt; 54 tons; 10 crew members)
  • South Africa Nachshol (1997; 40 kt; 12 tons; 5 crew members)
  • Israel Super Dvora Mk III (2004; 47 kt; 54 tons; 10 crew members)

Unmanned naval vehicles[]

Submarines[]

  • Germany Dolphin (1992; 11 kt, 20 kt underwater; 1,640 tons, 1,900 tons underwater; 30 crew members)

Commando boats[]

  • Israel Dolphin type underwater craft
  • Israel Maiale type underwater craft
  • Israel Snunit boat
  • Israel Zaharon boat
  • Israel Moulit boat
  • Israel Morena rigid-hull inflatable boat

Remote weapon systems[]

Space systems[]

  • Israel AMOS communications satellite
  • Israel EROS earth observation satellite
  • Israel Ofeq reconnaissance satellite
  • Israel TecSAR reconnaissance satellite
  • Israel Shavit space launch vehicle

See also[]

References[]

  1. http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/US-Army-Wants-120mm-GPS-Guided-Mortars-to-Fight-Afghan-Insurgents-05990/
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 Jones, Richard (2009). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009-2010. Jane's Information Group. pp. 36, 380, 897. ISBN 0-7106-2869-2. 
  3. Valpolini, Paolo (June 2009). "There are Two Types of Men in this World...". Armada International (Online). Archived from the original on June 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5nWZl0BMW. Retrieved 2010-02-13. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 "Israeli Special Forces Weapons Guide". http://www.isayeret.com/guides/weapons.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-13. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Katz, Sam (1986). Israeli Defence Forces since 1973. Osprey Publishing. pp. 22, 56, 49. ISBN 0-85045-687-8. 
  6. John Pike (2003-12-17). "Israel's army phases out country's iconic Uzi submachine gun". Globalsecurity.org. http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/031217-uzi.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-22. 
  7. Sweeney, Patrick (2005). The Gun Digest Book of the AR-15. Gun Digest Books. p. 131. ISBN 0-87349-947-6. 
  8. Sweeney, Patrick (2005). The Gun Digest Book of the AR-15. Gun Digest Books. p. 131. ISBN 0-87349-947-6. 
  9. Katz, Sam (1988). Israeli Elite Units since 1948. Osprey Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 0-85045-837-4. 
  10. "Ruger 10/22 Suppressed Sniper Rifle" at ruger1022.com
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 "The Institute for National Security Studies", chapter Israel, 2010, [1] September 20, 2010.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Israeli army is planning to sell second-hands Merkava main battle tanks and F-16 fighter aircraft - Armyrecognition.com, 16 July 2013
  13. http://www.fav-club.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=291:medios-blindados-de-las-fuerzas-armadas-de-colombia&catid=19:ejercitos-y-sistemas-terrestres&Itemid=22
  14. Page, Lewis (31 March 2009). "Israelis' invulnerable, 60-tonne robot bulldozer force to double". The Register. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/31/idf_robot_d9_revelations/. Retrieved 7 August 2010. 
  15. BARBARA OPALL-ROME. "Gun Makers Gear Up for $1B Israeli Contest" DefenseNews, October 19, 2013. Accessed: 20 October 2013.
  16. Israel Army wants to replace old 155mm howitzer M109 with Soltam or AGM artillery system - Armyrecognition.com, 30 October 2013
  17. http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=231945
  18. "Jane's" (Subscription required). IHS (Global) Limited. http://www8.janes.com/Search/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/yb/jlad/jlad0057.htm. Retrieved 7 August 2010. 
All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Military equipment of Israel and the edit history here.
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