AI in Merkava

Following combat experience in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military is expanding the use of artificial intelligence in its armored vehicles. On the Merkava, AI systems are expected to analyze sensor data, prioritize targets, and support crews with navigation and threat detection.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are expanding the use of artificial intelligence in their main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers based on recent combat experience in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Many of the technical upgrades remain classified. According to available information, however, AI is being used in an advanced version of the Merkava, known as the Barak, for a range of tasks. These include assisting the crew with routine tasks, processing sensor data in real time, and prioritizing targets.

The aim is to relieve crew members of tasks that previously required a significant amount of their attention. At the same time, automated processing of information from various sensors can help identify relevant targets and threats more quickly.

Another application concerns the Iron Vision system used by the tank commander. The helmet provides an all-around view and displays information through an augmented-reality system.

Images from cameras mounted on the outside of the vehicle are fed into the commander’s visual system. This is intended to give the commander a 360-degree view of the surroundings without being restricted to the conventional viewing options available from inside the tank.

The integration of AI is intended to further enhance these capabilities. It can help process the information captured by the external cameras and make it usable for the crew. The basic concept is to give the commander a view of the surroundings that, in a sense, allows them to see through the vehicle’s armor.

The Israeli military is also using AI for navigation. An intelligent routing and navigation system developed by the IDF’s Intelligence Corps is designed to recommend safe tactical routes. The system is intended particularly for complex terrain and urban environments, where available routes, obstacles, and potential threats can make movement planning for armored vehicles considerably more difficult.

The AI is therefore intended to suggest suitable tactical routes, providing the crew with an additional basis for decisions concerning the vehicle’s movement.

According to available information, the Trophy active protection system has also been enhanced with AI capabilities and intelligent sensor-data fusion.

Trophy is designed to detect, track, and engage incoming anti-tank guided missiles, RPG rounds, and drones as quickly as possible. Combining data from multiple sensors with AI is intended to enable rapid assessment of the respective threat.

Particularly when reaction times are short, automated processing of sensor data becomes especially important. The crew does not have to evaluate every individual piece of information themselves; instead, they can rely on the system’s consolidated and prioritized representation of the threat situation.

The use of artificial intelligence is not limited to the Merkava. AI is also being employed on the eight-wheeled Eitan armored vehicle.

The areas of application mentioned include target acquisition and autonomous route planning. The aim is to support the vehicle in identifying relevant targets and planning its movements.

The extent to which the individual functions are actually automated, and which specific technical systems are used for this purpose, remains unclear due to the classified nature of the technology.

Through its expanded use of artificial intelligence, the Israeli military is gaining experience in several areas of armored warfare: from sensor-data analysis and target acquisition to navigation and the defense against incoming threats.

An Israeli source described the expanded use of AI in critical combat situations as a “force multiplier.” The term refers to a capability intended to make existing military systems and their crews more effective by enabling faster processing of information and providing decision support.

However, given the extensive secrecy surrounding the systems, it is currently possible to assess only some aspects of which specific AI capabilities will ultimately be available on the Merkava and Eitan.

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