The Ministry of Defense has selected Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) as prime contractor for the next phase of development and integration of the technological platforms of the future armored combat vehicle (AFV) Carmel.

The concept of the Carmel program, carried out in cooperation with the IDF Land Forces and the Directorate of Tanks and Armored Vehicles, is to significantly improve maneuver capabilities.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) selected as prime contractor for the Israeli Ministry of Defense to develop the technological platforms for the future Carmel armored fighting vehicle. (Credit: IAI)

Designed to play a leading role on the future battlefield, the combat vehicle of the future incorporates artificial intelligence capabilities that enable full situational awareness and rapid responses to enemy threats while dramatically reducing the load on crew work.

Equipped with numerous sensors and cameras, the Carmel allows the crew to command autonomous actions such as the simultaneous search for several enemy targets then the prioritization of the targets and off-road driving.

Simulation of soldiers inside Carmel AFV. (credit: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES)

Learning from the lessons of Operation Protective Edge of 2014, where IDF soldiers fought through the narrow streets and alleys of the Gaza Strip, the 35-ton tracked AFV is designed to be simple to use, relatively inexpensive. , agile and deadly with firepower designed for near and urban areas. fight.

Operated by a two-man crew, the AFV is almost completely autonomous and is highly invisible to enemy radars. The platform features breakthrough technologies, including modular transparent armor, next-generation cooperative active protection, IED alert and override system, and a hybrid engine.

It is also equipped with tactical drones which can assist with surveillance and reconnaissance as well as attack capabilities. The Carmel will also include a whole new generation of active protection and allow the two-man crew to operate in closed hatches while still seeing the entire battlefield.

Launched in 2016, the Carmel should be at the forefront of the new concept of military combat based on autonomous and automatic maneuver capabilities, artificial intelligence, hybrid propulsion, etc.

It will be applied to current and future armored fighting vehicles and will feature crew members in closed hatches, operating a range of autonomous and AI-driven platforms. Many of its capabilities will be self-contained, including movement, threat detection, defense, and target acquisition.

Thanks to Carmel’s innovative user interface, soldiers in the vehicle will be able to visualize the battlefield in multiple dimensions. They will receive intelligence, detect threats and acquire targets automatically, allowing them to effectively assess situations and make optimal decisions.

By using small crews and relying heavily on autonomous capabilities and AI, combat management will be streamlined and the risk to human life will be significantly reduced.

During the pilot phase of the program, Carmel technologies will be integrated into the AFV Eitan.

IAI has been selected by the Ministry’s Defense Research and Development Directorate (DDR & D) to lead the technology development of the “Carmel” program. The defense giant was chosen following a live demonstration of a two-seater closed-hatch AFV.

“The Carmel concept is revolutionary on a global scale and has aroused the interest of many industries and international armies,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that “the program combines an innovative operational concept with technologies of pointe., which provide solutions for the future battlefield.

In 2019, three prototypes were unveiled by IAI, RAFAEL Advanced Defense System and Elbit Systems.

IAI presented a platform that combines a panoramic display, individual control screens, and a control stick similar to the Xbox game console’s Joystick. The autonomous capabilities of the IAI combat vehicle are harnessed by a central, automatic and autonomous system that integrates the various components of the platform and helps the two crewmen process information and focus on critical threats. in order to make effective decisions.

These capabilities allow the team to define, supervise and intervene only when there is a necessity or need, and allow coverage of a larger area of ​​concern while effectively responding to the challenges faced by maneuver forces.

The system also has the ability to locate and destroy time sensitive targets with small footprints, through rapid acquisition and efficient target engagement.

Boaz Levy, CEO of IAI, said the solution developed by IAI includes a combination of revolutionary capabilities, systems, innovations and that the connection to AI can be used by the IDF as as “additional strategic capability”.

The platform will also reduce risk to human lives and transform combat strategy on the ground, he said.

“The central tenets of the company’s ground combat concept include autonomously conducting intelligence gathering and battlefield target acquisition,” Levy said, adding that “Carmel will enable complex ground operations. with less risk to human life, which will transform the field of combat strategy as we know it today.