The Carmel’s groundbreaking concept, which utilizes the latest technologies while minimizing the risks, has grabbed the attention of many industries and militaries around the world.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has been selected by Israel’s Ministry of Defense (IMoD) as the prime contractor and integrator for developing the concept and technologies for the future Armored Fighting Vehicle for the IDF, the Carmel, following IAI winning a demonstration of the technologies between Israel's defense companies.

At the conclusion of a successful live demonstration of a two-man, closed hatches armored fighting vehicle (AFV), IAI was selected by the IMoD to develop the next phase of the Carmel: development and demonstration of technologies for a multidimensional combat team, which will enable significant improvement in the system maneuverability.

With the Carmel demonstration, IAI has developed and proven a combat concept in which an AFV, with closed hatches, is operated by a two-man man crew and can successfully cope with existing and future challenges on the battlefield. This solution is based on automatic and autonomous systems that complement the two-man team, and operate the central subsystems – the vehicles’ mission planning and management, situational awareness, driving, and lethality.

These capabilities allow the team to define, supervise and interfere only when there is a necessity or need, and enables to cover a wider area of concern while effectively meeting the challenges faced by the maneuvering forces. The system has the ability to locate and destroy time-sensitive targets with small footprints, through quick acquisition and effective engagement of targets.

The Carmel’s groundbreaking concept has grabbed the attention of many industries and militaries around the world. The program combines an innovative operational concept with the latest and most advanced state-of-the-art technologies, which provide solutions in the future battlefield based on a small team, and extensive reliance on autonomous capabilities based on artificial intelligence (AI), all while minimizing the risk to human lives in a ground campaign, minimizing collateral damage and streamlining battle management.

IAI President and CEO, Boaz Levy: “We are very proud that the IMoD and the Land Forces Division selected the Carmel solution presented and developed by IAI. The central principles behind the company’s concept of land combat include intelligence gathering and acquisition of targets on the battlefield, conducted autonomously.

“The Carmel solution, as demonstrated by IAI, brings to the world of land combat the concept of a system of systems championed by IAI, and includes a combination of capabilities, systems, groundbreaking innovation and connection to the world of artificial intelligence as an additional strategic capability the IDF can use in the future battlefield. Carmel will enable complex ground operations with less risk to human lives, which will transform ground combat strategy as we know it today.”