IDF top brass recently decided to provide Armored Corps soldiers with the new tactical uniforms, which have become one of the symbols of the Gaza war. Over the past months, the new fireproof uniforms replaced the old, cotton ones. However, for the Armored Corps, the uniform will replace the old uncomfortable overalls that have been in use for the past decades.
During the ongoing war, IDF soldiers had to use surplus American overalls after the ones used by the military were often damaged in the prolonged fighting. In a few months, thousands of serving armored soldiers from Armored Divisions 7, 188, and 401 will be equipped with their tailored tactical uniforms for individual positions, sporting a new look.
The IDF approved allocating the new uniforms to the Armored Corps after already updating the uniforms for the infantry and engineering soldiers. The Navy will receive theirs soon as well as the Search and Rescue Unit in the Home Front Command and the Artillery Corps which have fought in Gaza during these past months.
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IDF soldiers in Jabaliyah using the new tactical uniforms
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The project's developers from the technological division in the Technological and Logistics Directorate are likely to receive the Israeli Security Prize this year which is not usually bestowed upon non-combat units. Captain M., a platoon commander from Division 188, currently operating in Mount Dov, said, "It's exciting, they came to our outpost to take the soldiers' measurements, and soon we will receive the uniforms. We've been waiting for this for a while."
The IDF recommended the prestigious project as a candidate for the prize, citing many cases where the fireproof uniforms saved soldiers' lives. Even before October 7, infantry soldiers survived an explosion of IEDs and Molotov cocktails in their jeep in Nablus. A similar incident occurred in Tulkarm a year ago. Before the war, only elite soldiers and selected units were equipped with special uniforms made of various fabrics combining flame-retardant material, with pockets for the soldiers' operational comfort and easier movement.
There are countless stories of how the uniform saved soldiers' lives. For example, Golani soldiers traveling in an APC were saved despite the passenger section catching fire after an IED exploded. "If this had happened to us a year ago, before we received the vests, my soldiers wouldn't be alive," said a paratrooper platoon commander whose soldiers were injured from shrapnel, but not the consequent fire in the APC.
Soldiers in the West Bank suffered only minor injuries after being hit by IEDs and Molotov cocktails. Also, a soldier sustained minor burns on October 7 after storming a burning house in southern Israel. The IDF estimates the uniforms have so far saved dozens of soldiers since October 7.
The uniforms are tailored to the soldier's needs and measurements and are then leased to the IDF by Unidress. However, most uniforms are being manufactured abroad. The company provides maintenance and cleaning and repair services through the Technological and Logistics Directorate.
"We received excellent comments from the soldiers in the field about the uniforms so the demand for them only grows. The next stage will be to equip reservists with the tactical uniforms as well," said an officer from the logistics unit. However, many reserve units did not wait for the originals from the IDF, and many used donated counterfeits.
One donation included about 100,000 counterfeit uniforms that were tested in IDF laboratories. The uniforms excreted liquids and ignited quickly when they came in contact with fire. The IDF prohibited the use of counterfeit uniforms due to the safety risk but many soldiers and reservists use them nonetheless, as they look similar to the original ones.