Carmel Future Fighting Vehicle

MoD’s MAFAT Research and Development Bureau is working on a demonstrator program called Carmel — a Hebrew acronym for Advanced Ground Combat Vehicle. Carmel is focused on the design of Israel’s future tank, a follow-on to the 65-ton Merkava Mk4. Carmel would not be a Merkava Mk5, nor will it replace the Mk4, which was expected to remain in production through 2020.

The research-and-development program aimed at a state-of-the-art, medium-weight combat vehicle. It would be treaded, rather than wheeled, and designed to weigh around 32 tons. It won’t be Merkava Mk5. The operational requirement will be something entirely different. Development and demonstration testing will extend over a decade or more, depending on the maturation of lightweight materials, advanced technologies and a spectrum of planned subsystems. Carmel is much longer-range. It will not compete with the ongoing production program of Eitan or with the Merkava Mk4.

The Carmel AFV is under development by the Defense Ministry’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure (MAFAT) and the Defense Ministry’s Merkava Tank Administration, and will constitute a quantum leap in the field of armored vehicles. The vehicle, called Carmel, will be operated by just two soldiers. The vehicle has advanced and lethal artificial intelligence and stealth autonomous capabilities, with the ability to maneuver quickly and safely on the battlefield.

On 04 August 2019 srael’s three major defense industries – IAI, Elbit, and Rafael – presented their prototypes for the new Carmel armored fighting vehicle. MAFAT is due to select a bid by one of the three defense companies, which reached the finals for developing the vehicle. in the coming months. The company that is selected will receive an order from the IDF, and will later also export the systems develop to overseas armies.

The system displayed by Elbit Systems is operated using an advanced helmet tailored to the soldiers operating the AFV that was developed for F-35 pilots. Rafael displayed a concept of a "transparent cockpit" that provides the AFV team with 360-degree peripheral vision of external events. IAI unveiled a technological demonstrator based on its family of unmanned robot vehicles. It contains a joystick similar to a computer game.

"We have brought breakthrough technologies," said R&D chief of the MAPA, Brigadier General Yaniv Rotem, "which is based on artificial intelligence, sensor fusion and autonomous capability." With the help of this technology, we were able to produce with the three major defense industries: the aerospace industry , Raphael and Elbit Systems, we were able to demonstrate that only future soldiers can be operated by only two soldiers, inside a closed cell - what we call "closed shelves" and in fact perform all the tasks of the chief, both autonomous driving and the operation of all missions. Only two fighters."

"We are in fact preparing for a revolutionary concept of land maneuvering," explained Brigadier General Rotem. "We want to see how we realize this in the near future in the IDF, just before the discussions of the Torah. In addition, I would point out that many armies around the world are interested in this ability - everyone wants to see what the future chief is. Today, our good friends from the US ARMY were here with us, very senior officers came to see what achievements we have achieved. Tomorrow and the next day representatives from many other countries will come here to watch the achievements".

"The event today is a good opportunity to say thank you for an excellent collaboration between the development arm, MAPA, and the Armored Corps, MZI, and the Chief of Staff at the Defense Ministry, DCO. We have all worked together for over 3 years to bring the That ability. " "In the last month we have completed all experiments," the R&D head sharpener, "and today, we have made a very successful demonstration. All industries have succeeded. We are one of the world leaders in this field and we are heading for a new era. I will take the opportunity to say that the defense industries, time after time, show the ability to crack down on every challenge we face." "We have completed a long process today," said Chief Armored Officer, Brigadier General Guy Hasson, "in which, together with the Army's Corps and the Land Arm, we characterized our operational needs on the future battlefield. As part of this characterization, platforms have been introduced today that bring together the most advanced technologies available, enhancing the lethality of the onshore combat team - both in the foreseeable and distant future.

"In the meantime, I would like to say a few things: First, the great opportunity we have to touch on technologies, which are still coming, is a tremendous opportunity for the Armored Corps, even to introduce advanced technologies into our modern tanks - a 4 lightning tank that has been out of production for the next 3 years , But also the ability to look at these technologies and see where we are targeting the future tools of the Chief of Staff.

"The second thing is the people," Brigadier General Hasson said. "We met very young people here who operated the tools and had a very high intuition on the young guys to operate very advanced systems, provided that the systems had very high autonomous capabilities and some artificial intelligence."

"We understand that man will also have to change," the chief armor officer concludes, "although the nature of war will not change and friction on land will continue to be a significant friction and the warrior on land will face a great deal of uncertainty, with pressure and courage and yet man will have to change - he will have to be more Understands systems, sets up systems and maybe a little less system operator. For the Armored Corps, this is a tremendous opportunity to jump for a moment, sometimes 5 and maybe 10 years ahead to try and imagine how we see ourselves in the decade, and maybe in the next two decades.

Just as Eitan will be deployed alongside the heavier Namer in future ground maneuver scenarios, the Carmel demonstrator program will eventually be deployed alongside Merkava Mk4s. Both new vehicles are intended to be integrated with existing heavy armor into the same digitized command-and-control network, providing war planners with more scenario-tailored options for maneuvering war.

Maj. Gen. Guy Zur, commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Ground Forces Command, said both vehicles are part of his Ground Horizon plan, a strategic blueprint for designing Israel’s future ground force up to 20 years from now. In a recent interview, he said Plan Horizon anticipates initial fielding of the wheeled Eitan “in much less than 10 years, perhaps even five.” In contrast, the Carmel future tank demonstrator was not expected to enter service until 2025 or 2027, Zur said.

Mount Carmel, frequently called Mar Elyas, from its association with the great prophet Elijah, forms one of the most striking and characteristic features of Palestine; it is a noble ridge, projecting into the Mediterranean. Mount Carmel forms the southern boundary of the Bay of Acre, from which it extends about twelve miles inland, running to the south-east and terminating in a bold cliff overlooking the low hills of Samaria. The ridge of Carmel forms a great natural wall between the sea-washed Plain of Sharon on the south and the inland Plain of Esdraelon on the north. Its highest point is 1,600 feet above the level of the sea. The word Carmel means "the well-wooded place," or " the Park," and in appearance Mount Carmel justified its name.

Mount Carmel is called in Arabic Jebel Mar Elyas (the mountain of Saint Elijah), and from time immemorial it has been regarded as a sacred place, "the Mount of God." This mountain, situated in Phœnicia, belonged, according to Calmet, on the northern part, to the tribes of Asher and Manasseh. Celebrated in scripture by the abode which the prophets Elijah and Elisha made on it, Mount Carmel was no less distinguished by the abundance of its productions, and the excellence of its fruits.

Josephus relates that when Ptolemy VIII, surnamed Lathyrus, came from Cyprus with an army of thirty thousand men to besiege Ptolemais ('Akka), "he came to the country of Sycamine, and there set his army ashore." Wherever the city may have stood, "the country of Sycamine " must have included the shores of the haven within the northern headland of Carmel, the haven of Zebulun. "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships" (Gen. xlix. 13).

In the time of Tacitus an altar to the "God of Carmel" is said still to have stood upon the mount, but without temple or ornament, and upon this altar Vespasian sacrificed and consulted the oracle as to his future fortunes. The grottoes and caves of Mount Carmel were at a very early period used as places of retreat by holy men and sages, and it is recorded that even Pythagoras retired here for study and meditation. Prophets and philosophers were succeeded by Christian recluses, and a regular order of "hermits of Mount Carmel" was instituted in the year 400, by Jean, Patriarch of Jerusalem, in honor of the Prophet Elijah.