IDF to equip combat engineering vehicles with Iron Fist active protection against anti-tank threats

Iron Fist, manufactured by Elbit Systems, is an active protection system designed to protect armored fighting vehicles and engineering vehicles.

IDF Ground Forces Commander Maj.-Gen. Nadav Lotan is advancing a series of major changes to Israel's ground forces based on lessons learned from the October 7 attacks and the ensuing war, with a new plan focused on increasing the independence and operational continuity of brigade combat teams maneuvering deep inside enemy territory.

At the center of the plan is a decision to integrate the Iron Fist active protection system into heavy combat engineering equipment and bulldozers, providing the vehicles with additional protection in the field.

Under Lotan's plan, the IDF will expand brigade-level stocks of military equipment, ammunition, and weapons to reduce brigade combat teams' dependence on outside support while maneuvering and remaining deep in enemy territory.

The plan also emphasizes alternatives to digital systems, including command-and-control systems with backup capabilities that will allow troops to continue operating in the event of communications disruptions or electronic warfare.

One of the most significant and rapidly advancing force-building efforts under the plan concerns the Combat Engineering Corps, particularly the number of heavy engineering vehicles available to it, with a broad focus on bulldozer platforms.

Updated figures show that the IDF currently has some 450 heavy engineering vehicles, in addition to approximately 80 Indian-made vehicles used primarily in defensive sectors.

Iron Fist system to provide active protection against anti-tank threats

At the height of the intense fighting across the various fronts, heavy engineering vehicles proved to be at the forefront of IDF troops maneuvering deep into enemy territory. They cleared the way into the heart of Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Wadi Saluki, the Litani River area, the Beaufort Ridge, and elsewhere.

The heavy vehicles that opened routes deep into enemy territory faced unprecedented threats, including powerful explosive devices, anti-tank missiles, drones, mortar shells, rockets, and terrorist cells that attempted to attack the vehicles directly.

Those threats took a heavy toll on Combat Engineering Corps units. According to data obtained by Walla, Israel’s enemies have destroyed 32 heavy engineering vehicles since October 7.

Following those figures and an extensive staff review that examined several possible protection solutions, the Ground Forces made a significant decision to integrate the Iron Fist active protection system into the protective package for the heavy vehicles.

The system will provide Combat Engineering Corps crews with an additional critical layer of active protection, particularly against anti-tank missiles, allowing ground maneuver operations to continue under fire while reducing damage to the vehicles.

Iron Fist, manufactured by Elbit Systems, is an active protection system designed to protect armored fighting vehicles and engineering vehicles.

The system combines radar and electro-optical sensors to detect approaching threats in real time, including anti-tank missiles and rockets. When the system detects a threat, it launches an interceptor that detonates and destroys the incoming threat from a safe distance, without endangering the protected vehicle or nearby troops.