WATCH: IDF's First Wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier Unveiled

The Jerusalem Post reports: The Defense Ministry unveiled on Monday the IDF’s first wheeled armored personnel carrier (APC).

The platform will soon enter service, joining the tracked Namer APC and eventually replacing the aging and vulnerable M113 platforms.

The Defense Ministry’s Tank Administration announced it had built the first prototype of the APC, dubbed Eitan, after completing the development stage.

The development process was informed by “lessons learned from Operation Protective Edge” against Hamas in Gaza in 2014, the ministry said.

The eight-by-eight wheeled vehicle will be powered by a 750-horsepower engine and will have an active protection system to intercept RPGs and antitank missile threats.

It can reach speeds of up to 90 kilometers per hour and ferry infantry soldiers from one battle sector to another while traveling along roads without the need for military trailer services. It can also travel through difficult terrain, according to the Defense Ministry.