Despite being delayed by bad weather, tens of thousands of Israeli infantry troops, supported by hundreds of armored armored personnel carriers, are now preparing to carry out an invasion (invasion) of the Gaza Strip.
For the Main Battle Tank (MBT), there is already a strong presence of the Merkava MK4, while for the personnel transport tank (APC), Israel has deployed a chain-wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), the Namer.
Together with the Merkava MBT convoy, hundreds of Namers carrying Israeli infantry troops are now at the edge of the Gaza border. The name Namer feels foreign, considering that in combat operations to date the Israeli Army still often uses the M113 variant which has received upgrades.
From the appearance, the Namer is much larger than the M113, because the Namer body uses an MBT chassis, so some people categorize the Namer as a Heavy Armored Personnel Carrier. Namer, which means Tiger, is the main element of the modernization launched by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
The latest Namer design is based on the Merkava Mk4 MBT chassis. Meanwhile, Namer's first prototype, called Namera (Female Tiger), was based on the Merkava Mk1 MBT chassis which was considered outdated.
Israeli Namer APCs massing on Route 232, just adjacent to the Gaza border.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) October 15, 2023
Most are equipped with Trophy APS.
pic.twitter.com/jg38HYFF1Q
Currently the Namer is claimed to be one of the most protected APCs in the world, providing infantry with a level of protection and mobility equivalent to the latest MBTs. The first batch of Namers was delivered in 2008. In 2017 Israel plans to acquire a total of 170 Namer units. Initially it was planned for 386 vehicles but later this number was reduced due to budget cuts.
The Namer APC is equipped with modular armor protection and the Meil Ruach active protection system, commonly known as Trophy APS. For the first time an active protection system is used as an integral element. The vehicle is also equipped with NBC protection and an automatic fire suppression system. In general, the Namer offers the same level of protection as the Merkava Mk.4.
The Namer is armed with a remotely controlled weapons station (RCWS), with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun (SMB), which can be replaced with a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. In addition, there is also a manually operated 7.62 mm machine gun mounted on the roof. Namer in its operations is supported by the latest generation battlefield management system.
The Namer is operated by a crew of two and provides accommodation for 10 infantrymen or two litters. Troops enter and exit the vehicle through the rear door (ramp door), while there are two hatches in the hull roof for the commander and gunner.
IDF Namer APCs on the Gaza border pic.twitter.com/Vq1EjHdEGg
— Lazar Berman (@Lazar_Berman) October 16, 2023
Although based on the Merkava Mk.4 running gear, the Namer has a different hull to the Merkava. The initial production Namer was powered by a Merkava Mk.3 MBT Continental AVDS-1790-9AR diesel engine, producing 1,200 hp, but will be replaced by a more modern Continental or MTU unit.
Namer has a maximum speed of 60 km per hour and a range of 500 km. Some sources report that a command post vehicle has also been created based on the Namer platform.
Developed by the Israeli Ordnance Corps, the Namer has also been produced in armored recovery vehicle, technical support vehicle, ambulance, and infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) variants which are armed with a 30 mm caliber cannon and anti-tank missiles. From the specifications, the Namer APC has a combat weight of 50 tons, with dimensions of 7.5 meters long, 3.8 meters wide and 2 meters high.