As part of the military operations in Gaza, the IDF is planning a major overhaul of its arsenal poised to revolutionize the battlefield dynamics for infantry, armored corps, engineering and artillery units. The military's strategy includes adopting a unified Israeli weapon system, with a particular focus on enhancing the capabilities of infantry soldiers.
Read more:
To that end, the Defense Ministry's Department of Production and Procurement (DoPP) is initiating a large-scale tender for tens of thousands of rifles from three local weapon manufacturers: Silver Shadow, which is the primary producer of the Tavor rifle, Emtan with its MZ rifle and Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) with their Arad rifle. All three are AR-15 platform rifles.
Following an extensive testing process by the IDF, two of these manufacturers will be awarded the tender. The new rifles will be based on the widely used American M4 and will serve as an advanced version of the Colt M16, featuring various attachments to enhance accuracy and optical capabilities for extended range.
Consequently, the Israeli-made Tavor rifles, initially intended as a replacement for the American rifles almost two decades ago but limited to distribution among three infantry brigades (Givati, Golani and Nahal), will gradually be phased out in the IDF.
As an interim solution, the Tavor rifles will be reassigned to non-infantry units such as armored corps, artillery and potentially engineering. Additionally, due to the wear and tear on existing weapons during the war, the DoPP has placed an order for approximately 20,000 American M4 rifles and an additional 3,000 Tavor rifles.
The Defense Ministry emphasizes that the two Israeli manufacturers who win the tender will have to comply with strict conditions, despite their weapons having already been successfully sold to security units within Israel, including the police and the Shin Bet internal intelligence agency, as well as foreign armed forces.
"The Tavor is based on a bullpup mechanism, which is less common in Western armies, less suitable for operating certain restraints, and has relative disadvantages in combat in closed spaces, as we have seen in the fighting in Gaza," a senior IDF officer leading the military buildup project told Ynet.
"We conducted in-depth research on the subject and comparative experiments with soldiers from the Givati, Kfir and Netzah Yehuda brigades to ensure that it is not just a gut feeling of commanders. We observed in the tests we conducted in the ranges that we need to transition to a unified weapon system because significant gaps have emerged, mainly in reserve battalions that are composed of soldiers from different units, some of whom used the Tavor and others the M4."
The ambition to rely on indigenous Tavor rifles marks the third attempt by the Israeli military in the past few decades to achieve self-reliance, following the Galil rifles in the 1970s and 1980s and the Tavors introduced in the early 2000s, both of which came short of the desired goals.
"This transition will provide significant maintenance flexibility, reduce the reasons for soldiers to transition from active duty to reserves, establish a standardized supply system, and generate long-term logistical cost savings," the officer explained.
"Our objective is to allocate the new M4 rifles received from the U.S. to Givati and Golani forces this year, enabling them to familiarize themselves with and begin utilizing the same weapon technology that will eventually be manufactured in Israel."
The standard rifles left, along with the M4 rifles gradually phased out by the IDF, will be moved to the army's newly established emergency stockpiles, an uncommon practice for various combat units.
As an example, Home Front Command soldiers can often be seen in city centers equipped with 50+-year-old M16 rifles. The IDF believed this phenomenon would have disappeared by now as it had moved away from the use of "long rifles" nearly twenty years ago.
The integration of the new Israeli rifles into the military will be part of a series of significant procurement projects overseen by the DoPP. As part of these efforts, the IDF plans to equip all infantry troops with tactical fire-resistant vests, similar to those already issued to a variety of special forces units. During the initial stages of the war, many soldiers urgently sought these vests, often through donations.
However, a considerable number of these acquired vests turned out to be counterfeit, posing a greater risk than the perceived protection and combat-ready appearance they provided. To address this issue, a unique procedure has been implemented, allowing for the customization of vests from Israeli form Unidress to suit the specific needs of each soldier. Additionally, each soldier will be supplied with two sets of vests, and the company will handle periodic maintenance and repairs.
IDF has also procured tens of thousands of new helmets during the war, including both standard and tactical models. The Defense Ministry aims to standardize equipment for all active duty and reserve troops within a year, moving away from reliance on donations. (Since the start of the war, soldiers have received donated helmets, uniforms, drones and night vision devices).
A similar process of domestic armament may be taking place in the Air Force. There are plans to establish first production lines for Israeli-made precision bombs, marking a shift from the previous reliance on large purchases of U.S.-made bombs.
In recent months, the DoPP has acquired thousands of night vision aids for IDF soldiers, with some already being deployed to forces in the field. Additionally, emergency production lines for small arms ammunition from Israeli industry are being opened, with a capacity of one million rounds per day for assault rifles and artillery.