The Israeli military has unveiled a new version of the Namer heavy armored personnel carrier (APC), equipped with a 30mm cannon installed on a remotely-operated turret. The turret will also be used by the new Eitan vehicle, due to be introduced next year.

The upgraded Namer will be better suited to urban warfare and less dependent on other units to provide firepower, Brigadier General Baruch Matzliach, head of the Tank Program Administration, told the Israeli media on Monday. Matzliach also announced that the vehicle was slated for a series of tests before being introduced by the IDF Ground Forces.

Namer is based on the chassis of the Merkava IV tank. First introduced in small numbers in 2008, the vehicle is one of the most heavily armored in the world, and can carry a crew of three plus nine troops into battle.

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The new version for the first time gives Namer a turret-mounted 30mm autocannon and upgrades it to the class of infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), which are supposed to do battle in addition to transporting soldiers.

“The turret is not manned and does not enter the space of the APC, so the infantry carrying capability of the vehicle is not reduced,”said Matzliach. “Its operation is expected to be simple and carried out by the APC crew.”

He added that the turret is armed with an active protection system (APS) “that will give it significant new capabilities.”

Namer was initially slated to carry the Iron Fist APS (Active Protection System) designed by Israel Military Industries (IMI). However, the designers later opted for the Trophy system, which is also used on the Merkava tanks. The addition of the system for Namer vehicles was first revealed in January last year.

Matzliach added that the new torrent along with the APS would be used for the Eitan, Israel’s wheeled transport vehicle that can carry up to 12 troops and has better maneuverability compared to the tracked but far better armored Namer.