The military equipment of Israel includes a wide array of arms, armored vehicles, artillery, missiles, planes, helicopters, and warships. Many of these are purchased overseas and many are indigenous designs. 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 United States. In the early 21st century, Israeli companies (such as Soltam Systems) began selling arms to the United States. [1] Much 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-made equipment, captured from Arab armies over the course of the Arab–Israeli conflict. [2]
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 development. 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.
Some of the military equipment developed locally have been:
Name | Image | Type | Caliber | Origin | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pistols | ||||||
Jericho 941 [4] | Semi-automatic pistol | 9×19mm | Israel | Used by IDF and IDF Special Forces | ||
Glock 17 [5] | Semi-automatic pistol | 9×19mm | Austria | Used by IDF Special Forces | ||
Glock 19 [6] | Semi-automatic pistol | 9×19mm | Austria | Used by IDF Special Forces | ||
Browning Hi-Power [6] | Semi-automatic pistol | 9×19mm | Belgium | |||
SIG Sauer P226 [6] | Semi-automatic pistol | 9×19mm Parabellum | Switzerland | Used by IDF Special Forces. | ||
Beretta M1951 [4] | Semi-automatic pistol | 9×19mm | Italy | |||
Heckler & Koch P11 [4] | Underwater pistol | 7.62×36mm | Germany | |||
Submachine guns | ||||||
IMI Uzi [7] | Submachine gun | 9×19mm | Israel | Uzi, Mini-Uzi, Micro-Uzi, and Uzi-Pro used. | ||
Ingram MAC-10 [4] | Submachine gun | 9×19mm | United States | |||
IWI X95 [4] | Submachine gun and bullpup assault rifle | 9×19mm variant | Israel | 9x19mm suppressed variant used by IDF Special Forces | ||
Semi-automatic rifle | ||||||
Suppressed Ruger 10/22 [6] [8] | | Semi-automatic rifle | .22 LR | United States | Adopted for non-lethal crowd control. | |
Assault rifles | ||||||
Tavor X95 (Micro-Tavor Dor Gimel) | Bullpup assault rifle/Carbine/Service rifle | 5.56x45mm | Israel | Improved version of the X95 with longer barrel. | ||
IWI X95 (Micro-Tavor) [4] | Bullpup Assault rifle/Carbine | 5.56x45mm | Israel | Compact version of the TAR-21. Standard Issue rifle since 2009 replacing the TAR-21. | ||
IWI Tavor TAR-21 [4] | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm | Israel | Cut from service as of 2009 and replaced by the X95. | ||
M4A1 Carbine [4] | Carbine/Assault rifle/Service rifle | 5.56×45mm | United States | Standard Issue Assault Rifle along with M16, CAR-15, and X95 and used by Special Forces | ||
M16A1 [9] | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm | United States | Standard Issue Assault Rifle along with the M4, CAR-15, M16A2 and X95. Most of the long-barreled rifles were modified to have short barrel and a telescoping stock, the rest are reserved for basic training and ceremonial issues | ||
M16A2 | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm | United States | Standard Issue Assault Rifle along with the M4, CAR-15, M16A1 and X95. Most of the M16A2 is firing automatic, some to custom for DMR and rest are ceremonial issues. | ||
CAR-15 [6] | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm | United States | Standard Issue Assault Rifle along with M4, M16A1, and X95 | ||
IMI Galil [4] [7] | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm | Israel | Used in limited numbers. Variants used are Galil AR and Galil SAR. Most Galil's have been replaced by the improved (Galil) IWI ACE. | ||
IMI Micro Galil | Assault rifle | 5.56×45mm | Israel | Used in limited numbers. Highly compact version of the Galil. Most Galil's have been replaced by the improved (Galil) IWI ACE. | ||
AKM [4] [7] [10] | Assault rifle | 7.62×39mm | Soviet Union | Captured from Arab armies over the course of the Arab–Israeli conflict and was used by Special Forces due to their high reliability. | ||
AK-47 [4] [7] [10] | Assault rifle | 7.62×39mm | Soviet Union | Captured from Arab armies over the course of the Arab–Israeli conflict and was used by Special Forces due to their high reliability. | ||
Battle rifles | ||||||
M14 [4] | Battle rifle | 7.62×51mm | United States | Used in limited numbers by the IDF. | ||
Light machine gun | ||||||
IMI Negev [4] | Light machine gun | 5.56×45mm | Israel | Capable of firing semi-automatic or full-auto. The 5.56 variant features a unique dual feed system, it can accept 30 round STANAG magazines and an assault-box belt. | ||
Medium machine gun | ||||||
M1919 Browning | Medium machine gun | .30-06 Springfield | United States | |||
General-purpose machine guns | ||||||
FN MAG [11] | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×51mm | Belgium | Former Standard Issue to IDF Since 1960s to 1990s as a Main Machine Gun. | ||
Negev NG7 | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×51mm | Israel | Capable of semi-automatic or full-automatic fire. | ||
PKM [6] | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×54mmR | Soviet Union | Captured from Arab armies over the course of the Arab–Israeli conflict and used by Special Forces. | ||
M60 | General-purpose machine gun | 7.62×51mm NATO | United States | Limited use. | ||
Heavy machine guns | ||||||
Browning M2 (Makach 0.5) [4] | Heavy machine gun | 12.7×99mm | United States | Upgraded to M2HB-QCB | ||
Shotguns | ||||||
Armsel Striker | Revolving riot shotgun | 12 Gauge | South Africa | Used for riot control | ||
Designated marksman rifles | ||||||
M4A1 Kala Sa'ar | Designated marksman rifle | 5.56×45mm | United States | Accurized M4A1, used by "kala sa'ar" marksmen. | ||
SR-25 Mk 11 [6] | Designated marksman rifle/Sniper rifle | 7.62×51mm | United States | Used by IDF Special Forces. Also employed as a sniper rifle. | ||
Tavor X-95L "Micro-Tavor Kala'im" | Designated marksman rifle | 5.56×45mm | Israel | Accurized Micro-Tavor X95 with longer barrel, used by "kala sa'ar" marksmen. | ||
Sniper rifles | ||||||
M24 SWS [6] | Sniper rifle | 7.62×51mm | United States | Standard-issued sniper rifle, achieves accuracy of 0.5 MOA with IMI ammo. | ||
IDF Modernized M24 SWS [6] | Sniper rifle | 7.62×51mm | United States | Standard-issued sniper rifle, achieves accuracy of 0.5 MOA with IMI ammo. | ||
Mauser 86SR [6] | Sniper rifle | 7.62×51mm | Germany | Used for counter-terrorism operations. | ||
Barak (HTR 2000) | Long-range sniper rifle | .338 Lapua Magnum | United States | An IDF modified H-S Precision Pro Series 2000 HTR rifle | ||
Barrett M82A1 | Anti-materiel rifle | 12.7×99mm | United States | Used mainly by the Combat Engineering Corps and IDF Special Forces | ||
McMillan TAC-50 | Long range sniper rifle/Anti-materiel rifle | 12.7×99mm | United States | Used by IDF Special Forces. | ||
Barrett MRAD | Multi-role sniper rifle (field sniping / counter-terrorism / long-range) | 7.62×51mm .338 Lapua Magnum | United States | Used by Special Forces and also by Israeli Police elite CT unit YAMAM. Achieves accuracy of 0.35-0.5 MOA (1.1 cm groups in 100 m). | ||
Barrett REC10 | Semi-automatic sniper rifle (counter-terrorism) | 7.62×51mm | United States | Use by the IDF special forces and also by Israeli Police. Achieves accuracy of around 0.75 MOA. | ||
IWI Dan | Long-range sniper rifle | .338 Lapua Magnum | Israel | |||
Hand grenades | ||||||
M26A2 | Fragmentation grenade | n/a | Israel | Based on the American M26 grenade | ||
IDF M48 | Stun grenade | n/a | Israel | Based on the American M84 stun grenade |
Name | Image | Type | Caliber | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
B-300 Shipon | Shoulder-launched rocket | 96 mm | Israel | ||
M72 LAW | Shoulder-launched rocket | 66 mm | United States | ||
MATADOR | Shoulder-launched rocket | 90 mm | Israel Singapore | ||
M203 [4] | Under-barrel grenade launcher | 40 mm | United States | Usually mounted under an M16, M4, CAR-15, or X95. Mounted on X95's with longer barrels and large trigger guard instead of the standard pistol grip guard. | |
Mk 19 [4] | Automatic grenade launcher | 40 mm | United States | ||
Mk 47 Striker | Automatic grenade launcher | 40 mm | United States |
Name | Image | Type | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Spike | Anti-tank missile | Israel | Used various models of the family, including Gil (Spike-MR) and Gil 2 (Spike-LR II), Spike-ER (I and II) and Tamouz (Spike NLOS). | |
BGM-71 TOW | Anti-tank missile | United States | ||
LAHAT | Anti-tank missile | Israel | ||
MAPATS | Anti-tank missile | Israel | ||
Nimrod | Long-range anti-tank missile | Israel |
Name | Image | Type | Number | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Main battle tanks (490) | |||||
Merkava Mark 4M | Main battle tank | ~330 | Israel | ~220 stored. [12] | |
Merkava Mark IV | Main battle tank | Israel | |||
Merkava Mark 3 | Main battle tank | ~160 | Israel | ~660 stored. [12] | |
Armoured personnel carriers (1,360) | |||||
M113 | Armored personnel carrier | 500 active [13] 5,000 in storage [13] | United States Israel | Was used until the Battle of Shuja'iyya incident | |
IDF Achzarit | Heavy armored personnel carrier | 215 | Israel | Based on the T-54 tank | |
Nagmachon | Heavy armored personnel carrier | N/A | United Kingdom Israel | Based on the Centurion tank | |
Nakpadon | Heavy armored personnel carrier | N/A | United Kingdom Israel | Based on the Centurion tank | |
Nakpuma | Heavy combat engineering/Armored personnel carrier | N/A | United Kingdom Israel | Based on the Centurion tank | |
Namer | Heavy armored personnel carrier | 120 | Israel | 531 planned to be in service by 2027. Based on the Merkava chassis. | |
Eitan | Armored fighting vehicle/Armored personnel carrier | N/A | Israel | Equipped with Iron Fist APS | |
Utility vehicles | |||||
Wolf | Armored vehicle | 300 | Israel | ||
AIL Storm | Utility vehicle | 700 | Israel | ||
HMMWV | Utility vehicle | 2,000+ | United States | ||
MDT David | Utility vehicle | 400 | United Kingdom Israel | Based on the Land Rover Defender | |
Plasan Sand Cat | Utility vehicle | 79 | Israel | ||
Otokar Akrep | Armored vehicle | 30 | Turkey | [14] | |
Trucks | |||||
AIL Abir | 4×4 truck | N/A | Israel | ||
M35 | 8×12 truck | N/A | United States | ||
Unimog 437 | Heavy truck | N/A | Germany | ||
HEMTT | 8×8 heavy truck | N/A | United States | ||
Engineering vehicles | |||||
Puma | Heavy combat engineering vehicle | N/A | United Kingdom Israel | Based on the Centurion tank | |
Namer CEV | Heavy combat engineering vehicle | N/A | Israel | Based on the Merkava tank | |
IDF Caterpillar D9 | Combat armored bulldozer | 175+ | United States Israel | Bulldozer manufactured by Caterpillar Inc., military conversion and armor by Israel. | |
IDF Caterpillar Excavators 330 and 349E | Armored tracked excavator | N/A | United States Israel | Excavators manufactured by Caterpillar Inc., military conversion and armor by Israel. | |
IDF Caterpillar 966 Wheeled Loader | Armored wheeled loader | N/A | United States Israel | Loaders manufactured by Caterpillar Inc., military conversion and armor by Israel. | |
M548 Alfa | Cargo and ammunition carrier | N/A | United States Israel | Based on the M113 | |
M60 AVLB | Armored bridge layer | 10 | United States | ||
Nemmera | Armored recovery vehicle | N/A | Israel | Based on the Merkava | |
M88 | Armored recovery vehicle | 25 | United States | ||
Nagmapop | Command and surveillance vehicle | N/A | United Kingdom Israel | Based on the Centurion tank | |
AIL Desert Raider | Dune buggy | N/A | Israel | ||
VIPeR | Unmanned ground vehicle | N/A | Israel | ||
Guardium | Unmanned ground vehicle | N/A | Israel | ||
Dawn Thunder/Black Thunder | Unmanned armored bulldozer | N/A | United States Israel | Based on the IDF Caterpillar D9N [15] | |
IDF D9T Panda | Unmanned armored bulldozer | N/A | United States Israel | Based on the IDF Caterpillar D9 |
Name | Image | Type | Number in service [16] | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M109 Doher | 155mm self-propelled howitzer | 600 | United States Israel | Upgraded as the M109 Doher. Based on the M109A5. Replacement program initiated, [17] candidates include ATMOS 2000 and the Artillery Gun Module. [18] Used in limited numbers | |
Soltam M-71 | 155mm towed howitzer | 300 | Israel | ||
Soltam M-68 | 155mm self-propelled howitzer | 50 | Israel | In reserve | |
M270 "Menatetz" | Multiple rocket launcher | 48 | United States Israel | Armed with several types of Israeli rockets: RAMAM, Ra'am Eithan (Strong Thunder) and Romach ("Lance", a guided rocket). | |
Cardom SP | 120 mm self-propelled mortar | 64 | Israel | ||
Soltam M-65 | 120 mm mortar | 250 | Israel | ||
M113 Tamuz | Missile launching vehicle | N/A | Israel | Spike missiles launched from an M113 chassis [19] | |
LAR-160 | 160 mm artillery rocket | Israel | |||
Romach | M270 MLRS Menatetz GPS-guided artillery rocket | Israel | |||
Extended Range Artillery Rocket (EXTRA) | Long-range artillery rocket | Israel | 150 km range [20] | ||
LORA | Theater quasiballistic missile | Israel |
Name | Image | Type | Number in service [16] | Origin | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MIM-104 Patriot | Surface-to-air missile | N/A | United States | was upgraded to the GM+ "Yahalom" standard | |
Iron Dome | Air defense missile battery/Anti-rockets missile | 9+ | Israel | Intercepted hundreds of artillery records since declared operational in 2011. | |
David's Sling | Medium- to long-range anti-ballistic missile/surface-to-air missile | N/A | Israel | Medium- to long-range anti-ballistic missile with surface-to-air missile capability | |
Arrow | Anti-ballistic missile | N/A | Israel | Out of the atmosphere anti-ballistic missile missile series | |
Below are the IDF's active service watercraft. The year of service, speed, full load displacement, and crew members, are in parentheses.
The Israel Defense Forces, alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym Tzahal (צה״ל), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and the Israeli Navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security apparatus. The IDF is headed by the Chief of the General Staff, who is subordinate to the Israeli Defense Minister.
The Israeli Air Force operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. As of April 2022, Aluf Tomer Bar has been serving as the Air Force commander.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., is an Israeli defense technology company. It was founded as Israel's National R&D Defense Laboratory for the development of weapons and military technology within the Israeli Ministry of Defense; in 2002 it was incorporated as a limited company.
Israel Aerospace Industries Hebrew: התעשייה האווירית לישראל ha-ta'asiya ha-avirit le-yisra'el), is Israel's major aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial and astronautic systems for both military and civilian usage. It has 14,000 employees as of 2021. IAI is state-owned by the government of Israel.
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Sa'ar 5 is a class of Israeli Navy corvettes. They were Israeli designed using lessons learned from the Sa'ar 4.5-class missile boats. Three Sa'ar 5 ships were built by Huntington Ingalls Industries for the Israeli Navy, based on Israeli designs.
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The SS.11 is a French manual command to line of sight wire-guided anti-tank missile manufactured by Nord Aviation. It is also available in the air-to-ground version, AS.11, which featured a stabilized sighting system. The AS.11 was also known as the AGM-22 in American service. It is among the earliest guided anti-tank missiles, entering service with the French Army in 1956 and remaining in service into the 1980s. It also formed the basis for the larger and longer-ranged SS.12/AS.12 series.
The F124 Sachsen class is the German Navy's latest class of air-defense frigates. The design of the Sachsen-class frigate is based on that of the F123 Brandenburg class but with enhanced stealth features designed to deceive an opponent's radar and acoustic sensors. The class incorporates an advanced multifunction radar APAR and a SMART-L long-range radar which is purported to be capable of detecting stealth aircraft and stealth missiles.
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Sdot Micha Airbase is an Israeli Air Force (IAF) missile base and depot, whose existence Israel neither confirms nor denies. It is situated in the center of Israel, halfway from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean Sea and extends nearly 13 km from southeast to northwest. The center of the base is located 1.5 km north of moshav Sdot Micha and it has neither a runway nor a visible heliport. Its facilities can now be clearly seen on satellite images. Nuclear warheads are supposed to be stored at the base, which can also be fired by the missiles there.
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The History of the Israel Air Force begins in May 1948, shortly after the formation of the State of Israel. Following Israel's declaration of independence on May 14, its pre-state national institutions transformed into the agencies of a state, and on May 26, 1948, the Israeli Air Force was formed. Beginning with a small collection of light aircraft, the force soon transformed into a comprehensive fighting force. It has since participated in several wars and numerous engagements, becoming what has been described as "The mightiest air force in the Middle East".
Barak 8, also known as LR-SAM or MR-SAM, is an Indo-Israeli jointly developed surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs as well as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and combat jets. Both maritime and land-based variants of the system exist.
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A loitering munition is a kind of aerial weapon with a built-in munition (warhead), which can loiter around the target area until a target is located; it then attacks the target by crashing into it. Loitering munitions enable faster reaction times against hidden targets that emerge for short periods without placing high-value platforms near the target area and also allow more selective targeting as the attack can be changed mid-flight or aborted.
Its sensitivities were galvanized by the capture of large quantities of Soviet CW-related equipment during both the 1967 Arab-Israeli and the 1973 Yom Kippur wars.
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