Israel unveils ‘Negba’ combat vehicle project for Special Forces

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Israel unveiled the Negba project in which the Directorate of Production and Procurement (DOPP) in the Israel Ministry of Defense will purchase hundreds of combat vehicles from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the use of IDF’s Special Units.

Negba Photo: IAI

At the ceremony held at the IAI’s Land Division production line in Be’er Sheva on Wednesday, Deputy Director General and Head of the DOPP in the Ministry of Defence, Avi Dadon, signed an order to produce hundreds of combat vehicles for the IDF.

As part of the more than NIS 100 million agreement, IAI will manufacture Z-MAG all-terrain light reconnaissance vehicles and ZD all-terrain ultra-light tactical utility vehicles for IDF Special Forces missions in cooperation with Ido Cohen and The Armoured Group (TAG).

The new commando vehicles have exceptional capabilities, such as carrying combat soldiers and equipment weighing 1.5-2.5 tons, depending on the type of vehicle, in a variety of missions including delivering supplies and evacuating wounded soldiers. The vehicles will be based on commercial elements that will ensure reliability and relatively inexpensive operation.

The vehicles will be manufactured at the Land Division production line in Be’er Sheva which, with the encouragement and the investment of tens of millions by the Ministry of Defense, focuses on ground technologies. The production line is part of the “Elta” Division in IAI, which develops airborne radars, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems for special mission aircraft, Electric Warfare (EW) systems, communications systems, and more.

Dadon stated that “the commando combat vehicle project being launched today is the best possible reflection of the Ministry of Defense’s work. This is a significant procurement deal for strengthening the IDF Special Units’ force build-up, which we were able to place in the IAI’s Be’er Sheva Land Division production line. This agreement will enhance the export potential for these unique tools and technologies.”

President and CEO of IAI, Boaz Levy said that the project will “equip the IDF with the most advanced tactical ground vehicles in the world, which are highly reliable and have exceptional capabilities.”

TPS