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Military equipment of Israel
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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. Up 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. Much of the military equipment undergoes improvements in Israeli workshops.
History
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the military equipment in the IDF was very diverse and inconsistent.
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Encyclopedia
The military equipment of Israel includes a wide array of arms, tanks, planes, cannons, armored vehicles. Many of these are purchased overseas. Up 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. Much of the military equipment undergoes improvements in Israeli workshops.
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 material (the British Mandate and the Arab Embargo). During the 1950’s, 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:
- Small arms
- Tanks
- Artillery
- Aircraft
- Watercraft
- Unmanned surface vehicles
- Active protection systems
- Miscellaneous
- Anti-tank rockets and missiles
- Other missiles
- Fighting vehicles
- Unmanned aerial vehicles
- Radars
- Air-defense systems
- Spaceflight
Active service small arms in 2009
Below are some of the IDF's main active service small arms (less than 20 mm caliber).
Assault rifles
Submachine guns
Machine guns
Sniper rifles
Shotguns
Pistols
Active service tanks in 2007
Below are the three active service tanks (all have a crew of four). Maximum cruise speed and weapons are in parenthesis (armor detail remains largely classified). These are all Merkava variants. The last non-Merkava tanks used in active service were the Magach 6 and 7, retired in 2004 to reserve duty only.
Merkava variants
- Merkava Mk II (50 km/h; 105 mm cannon, mortar, and three machine guns) 550 built
- Merkava Mk III (55 km/h; 120 mm cannon, mortar, and three machine guns) 650 built
- Merkava Mk IV (65 km/h; 120 mm cannon, mortar, and three machine guns) 400 built/being completed plus 200 on order
Active service general vehicles in 2007
- MDT David (Light armored combat vehicle based on Land Rover Defender)
Active service aircraft in 2007
Below are the IDF's active service aircraft, all from the United States. The year of service, maximum speed, range, and armament or passengers are in parenthesis.
Fighter aircraft
- A-4 Skyhawk (1967; 1,170 km/h; 3,540 km; two 30 mm cannons, missiles, and bombs)
- F-15 Eagle (1976; Mach 2.5; 3,450 km; one 20 mm cannon, missiles, and bombs)
- F-16 Fighting Falcon (1980; over Mach 2; 3,200 km; one 20 mm cannon, missiles, and bombs)
- F-15I (1998; Mach 2.5; 4,450 km; one 20 mm cannon, missiles, and bombs)
- F-16I (2004; over Mach 2; 4,200 km; one 20 mm cannon, missiles, and bombs)
Transport planes
Attack helicopters
Transport helicopters
- CH-53 Sea Stallion (1969; 315 km/h, 1,640 km; 55 passengers)
- UH-60 Black Hawk (1994; 360 km/h; 1,630 km; 14 passengers)
Active service watercraft in 2007
Below are the IDF's active service watercraft. The year of service, speed, full load displacement, and crew members, are in parentheses.
Missile boats
- Saar 4 (1970s; 32 kt; 450 tons; 45 crew members)
- Saar 4.5 (1980s; 31 kt; 488 tons; 53 crew members)
- Saar 5 (1990s; 33 kt; 1,227 tons; 64 crew members)
Patrol boats
- Dabur (1970s; 19 kt; 39 tons; 9 crew members)
- Dvora (1988; 36 kt; 47 tons 10 crew members)
- Shaldag (1989; ?; 50 kt; 15 crew members)
- Super Dvora Mk II (1996; 46 kt; 54 tons; 10 crew members)
- Nachshol (1997; 40 kt; 12 tons; 5 crew members)
- Super Dvora Mk III (2004; 47 kt; 54 tons; 10 crew members)
Submarines
- Dolphin (1992; 11 kt, 20 kt underwater; 1,640 tons, 1,900 tons underwater; 30 crew members)
Active service artillery in 2007
Below are the IDF's active service artillery. Year of service, caliber, speed, maximum rate of fire, and maximum range are in parentheses.
Cannons
Self-propelled artillery
- M109 howitzer (three models, 1990-2004; 155 mm; 56 km/h; 4-6 rounds per minute; 29 km)
Rocket artillery
See also
Nuclear weapons and Israel
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