Namer APC
| Namer | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Namer in a drill
|
|
| Type | heavy armoured personnel carrier IFV upgrade planned. |
| Place of origin | Israel |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2008–present |
| Used by | Israel Defense Forces |
| Wars | Operation Protective Edge |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Israel Military Industries |
| Manufacturer | IDF Ordnance (assembly) |
| Unit cost | $3 million |
| Produced | 2008–present |
| No. built |
Current: Up to 120 are currently operational |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 60 tonnes |
| Crew | 3 (commander, driver, RCWS operator) + 9 troops |
|
|
|
| Armor | Classified composite matrix of laminated ceramic-steel-nickel alloy + underlaid reactive armour. Sloped modular design. |
|
Main
armament |
Samson RCWS equipped with either 12.7 mm (0.50 in) M2 machine gun, or Mk 19 grenade launcher, or smaller MG. |
|
Secondary
armament |
1 × 7.62 mm (0.300 in) FN MAG MG 1 × 60 mm (2.4 in) external mortar 12 smoke grenades |
| Engine | 1,200 hp (895 kW) turbocharged diesel engine |
| Power/weight | 20 hp/ton |
| Payload capacity | 9 infantrymen |
| Suspension | Helical spring |
|
Operational
range |
500 km (310 mi) |
| Speed | 60 km/h (40 mph) - top speed |
Current: Up to 120 are currently operational
Namer (Hebrew: נמ"ר, pronounced [nameʁ]), means "leopard" and also a syllabic abbreviation of "Nagmash" (APC) and "Merkava" is an Israeli armored personnel carrier based on a Merkava tank chassis. Namer was developed by and is being assembled by the Israeli Ordnance Corps. It has entered service in limited numbers with the Israel Defense Forces since the end of 2008. However, as of 2014, still only very limited numbers of Namers were in service with the IDF. Due to budgetary constraints, the introduction of the Namer into the IDF has been slow, leaving the ground forces dependent on the M113 for many years to come.
They are more heavily armored than the Merkava IV tanks. According to the IDF, the Namer is the most heavily armored vehicle in the world of any type.
The experience of converting Centurion tanks into armored personnel carriers (Nagmashot, Nagmachon) and combat engineering vehicles (Puma, Nakpadon), followed by the successful conversion of many T-54 and T-55 tanks into Achzarit infantry fighting vehicles pushed the idea of converting Merkava tanks into heavily armored APCs / IFVs. The concept held great promise, because many of the 250 Merkava Mark I tanks were being gradually withdrawn from service and it was also made clear that the 105 mm armament of the Merkava Mark IIs could not be upgraded to the more modern IMI 120 mm gun.
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Wikipedia