(IDF) Like many other armed forces the IDF looks well ahead in finding replacements for its current weapon systems. We recently saw that with how they have ordered 50 F35 stealth aircraft in which to stay well ahead of the neighbours. However the majority of any future combat will be land based and whilst the Merkava Tank is a world beating tank, it is getting long in the tooth and you can only upgrade something so many times.
So the IDF set in motion the 'Carmel' project which focuses on technologies that may be bolted onto existing platforms or those currently on the production line. The 'Carmel' platform is a technology demonstrator. The platform is lighter than the Merkava Mark-IV tank and will incorporate an active protection system fitted to each tank individually in addition to spatial protection for platforms operating within a specific area cell. Its weight is only half of that of the Merkava tank, to enable it to operate with relative flexibility in dense urban areas. The platform may be operated by a crew of two or three troopers as opposed to the standard four men crew of today's tanks.
