The Eitan is an 8-wheeled vehicle much lighter than the Namer, weighing less than 35 tons,[8] fitted with the Iron Fist Light Decoupledactive protection system.[9] The AFV has a top speed of 90 km/h and can carry up to 12 soldiers including 3 crew. The Eitan can be equipped with a 30–40 mm gun and a missile firing position with 2 Spike missiles.[10] The armour is rated to the standard STANAG 4569 level 4.
The Eitan will replace hundreds of M113 APC currently in service.[11] According to Brigadier General Baruch Matzliah, the vehicle will complement, not replace, the Namer tracked APC;[12] as a wheeled vehicle, it will cost half as much as the Namer ($3 million) and, unlike tracked vehicles, can transport infantry squads on roads without relying on tank transporters.
The Eitan has the capability to use run-flat tires and is designed with a NERA composite armour and high floor to protect from landmine and IED blast effects.[11] The first Eitan AFV was unveiled on August 1, 2016.[13]
Serial production started in 2022, and the Nahal Brigade became the first Israeli infantry unit to receive the Eitan in May 2023.[14] The brigade first used the Eitan during the Battle of Zikim on 7 October 2023, and there were plans to use the vehicle in the subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip.[15]
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