Israel build dozens of Merkava tanks, Namer and Eitan APCs
The Israeli government has approved the production of further Merkava Mk. 4 Braka main battle tanks (MBTs) as well as tracked Namer and wheeled Eitan armoured personnel carriers (APCs), including those equipped with a 30mm cannon.
This industrial effort comes under a contract worth $1.5bn (NIS 5bn) according to a government statement on 20 August 2025.
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The IDF’s aerial campaigns across the wider Middle East have garnered attention in Israel’s controversial war. But this does not mean that Israeli ground activity has dissipated in any way. On the contrary, it is a testament to the prevalence of these armoured units that the platforms have collectively travelled one million kilometres (over 600,000 miles) on operations during the war in Gaza.
The Ministry of Defence sourced parts for these armoured vehicles – 1,500 and 1,200 horsepower transmissions, suspensions, and powertrains, for the Namer and Merkava – to sustain their grip on the Gaza Strip.
Now, however, the decision to strengthen Israel’s mechanised ground units comes at the same that the government mobilised 60,000 reservists for the opening of a new offensive on Gaza City.
On the same day the contract was issued, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, directed the military to speed up plans to seize control of Hamas strongholds; control over the entire Strip is just one condition for concluding the the war.
Israel Katz, the country’s defence minister, commented on the strategic utility of the aforementioned platforms:
“Today’s approval of this… armored vehicle acceleration project is a strategic decision that maintains the IDF’s [Israel Defence Forces] qualitative military edge,” he remarked.
Insight into IDF ground forces
The IDF does not specify the precise number of armoured units due to enter service, and it is also unclear whether the government intends to replace platforms lost in the field since the war broke out on 7 October 2023.
But to offer a sense of the initial force projection, INSS research, conducted through Tel Aviv University, suggests Israeli ground forces deployed 2,200 MBTs and 790 APCs during the war.
According to GlobalData’s account of Israeli platforms before the war, the IDF had more than 1,300 Merkava Mk 2 and 3 units, 660 Mk 4s, while the number of MBTs in its advanced Barak fleet is not known for certain. For APCs, GlobalData maintained that the IDF operated 150 Namers and an unknown number of Eitan vehicles.
Hamas militants have claimed to have destroyed Merkava Mk 4 MBT with a loitering munition during its surprise attack on 7 October when units were unprepared. The asymmetric nature of these attacks using uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Israel’s large, armoured platforms is key to understanding these combat successes.
Whereas, on the battlefield, the IDF have demonstrated the continued value of armoured vehicles in Gaza. MBTs have been struck many times from close ranges but suffered few losses despite the adversarial environment of a restricted, urban battlespace with Merkava or Namer vehicles clustered, making high-value targets for Hamas anti-tank teams, according to an assessment from an expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
Combat footage from Gaza City and Khan Younis shows, though, that these tanks can withstand projectiles which would previously have disabled or destroyed the tank.
Moreover, the Israeli military have accounted some platform losses, citing instances where MBTs have overturned in Northern Israel, on the border with Lebanon, where another adversarial organisation Hezbollah operates.
Analysis: Merkava Mk 4 Barak, Namer, and Eitan
First, the Merkava Mk 4 Barak is an upgraded MBT version built on the original Mark 4 model.
It is the first Israeli MBT to have a smart mission computer that will manage tasks. This advanced AI tool will reduce the team members’ workload and help them more accurately locate and strike targets.
But perhaps the most incredible advancement, the Army claims, is that soldiers can learn how to use the tank with VR simulation. These VR sessions will allow soldiers to partake in real exercises at all times.
The Merkava Mk 4 Barak’s use goes back to 2018 when the Armoured Corps deployed the platform in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s acquisition of APC is a key element of its forecast land domain spending, according to GlobalData figures. Within the military land vehicle market, which makes up 10.1% of Israel’s forecast defence spending from 2023-2033, the APC segment captures a 71.8% share, with procurement of platforms such as the Namer, as well as the Eitan 8×8 armoured fighting vehicles.
