The Armored Forces of Israel ( Heb. חיל השריון ) is a branch of the military as part of the ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces (since 1998). The armored corps is the main maneuverable type of Israeli troops and is based on the main battle tanks . The armored forces include several regular and reserve brigades and subunits, which are operatively managed as part of the regional divisions of the Israel Defense Forces.
Armored troops Heb. חיל השריון | |
---|---|
The emblem of the armored forces of Israel | |
Years of existence | since 1948 |
A country | Israel |
Subordination | Israel Defense Forces General Staff |
Enters into | Israeli Ground Forces |
Commanders | |
Acting commander | Brigadier General |
Site |
The acting chief of the armored forces of Israel is Brigadier General . [one]
History
The armored forces of Israel began their existence in the war of independence , first as the armored unit of Palmach , created on February 24, 1948 and headed by Yitzhak Sade [2] . On May 24, Yitzhak Sadeh was appointed head of the 8th Brigade, which became the first armored brigade in the newly created Israeli army.
Armament
- Main article:
In the early days of its existence, the Israel Defense Forces did not purchase tanks in an orderly manner, but collected all the obsolete tanks that could be purchased due to political restrictions and the inexperience of the newborn army. As a result, a problematic situation arose with numerous models of tanks. A wide range of tanks made them difficult to maintain and arm and caused problems with the sharing of all tanks in combat units.
Until the time of Kadesh operation, the only main tank type of armored troops was Sherman (later upgraded to Super Sherman ), whose crew consisted of five tankers (commander, gunner, loader, driver and mechanic) [3] . By the time of the Sinai campaign, the French light tanks AMX-13 entered service, which greatly assisted the paratroopers in the . These two models were decommissioned after the Six Day War. Before the Six-Day War, American M48 Patton tanks and British Centurions also entered service.
After the Six Day War, the Israel Defense Forces began purchasing Magah tanks on the basis of the American M48 and M60 tanks , which for the Arab armies were already considered obsolete, since the Arab armies had begun to acquire T-62 tanks.
|
Armored Troop Composition
Armored Brigades
Armored Brigades | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emblem | Title | room | Division | Military District | Comments |
Saar Mi-Golan | Gaash | North District | The crew is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.4" [4] | ||
Barak | Gaash | North District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.3-Baz" ( ) | ||
Iquot Ha-Barzel | Ha plada | Southern District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.4" | ||
Bnei op | Edom | Southern District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.4" and "Merkava Mk.3" | ||
Ha mapas | North District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.4" | |||
Ha-galil | North District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.3" | |||
Sinai | Southern District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.2" | |||
Sinai | Southern District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.3" | |||
Ha plada | Southern District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.3-Baz" ( ) | |||
Ha mapas | North District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.3-Baz" ( ) | |||
Iftah | Ha-bashan | North District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.3-Baz" ( ) | ||
Idan (division) | Central District | The brigade is equipped with tanks "Merkava Mk.2" (in the process of transfer to "Merkava Mk.4" ) |
Training
All recruits must have a minimum medical profile of 72. First, the cadets receive an eight-week basic training, which is classified as level 04 in the system . They are trained in possession of light weapons, field training, first aid and physical training.
After the soldiers of the armored troops finish their military service, they are transferred to the reservist units. Active reservists in armored troops attend training once a year. [five]
Notes
- ↑ מסע 70 שנים לחיל השריון - השריון מאז ולתמיד (Hebrew) . idf.il. The appeal date is December 12, 2018.
- ↑ הקמת חיל השריון (Hebrew) . yadlashiryon.com. The appeal date is December 12, 2018.
- ↑ מבצע קדש (Hebrew) . yadlashiryon.com. The appeal date is December 12, 2018.
- ↑ 7th Armored Brigade Mark IV - Defense - Jerusalem Post (Eng.) . jpost.com. The appeal date is December 11, 2018.
- F IDF Ground Forces reserves training for multiple potential scenarios - The Jerusalem post (English) . m.jpost.com. The appeal date is December 11, 2018.