Tanker's Tuesday:Nagmachon

 

 

 

The Nagmachon which the IDF has in its possession is an upgrade of the Nagmashot, which is based on the body of the Centurion tank. The changes and improvements which were first applied to the vehicle were intended to allow it to act as an engineering vehicle.It served as an APC in the service of the Corps of Engineers as a vehicle for clearing paths, and as a vehicle for combat engineering. The main improvements made to the vehicle were the armor plating, and additional engineering equipment which was installed on its underbelly, providing it with protection against underbelly and side explosives. Hence, it is named the "underbelly-protected APC" (Nagmachon). The Nagmachon has served for years as a vehicle for the Corps of Engineers in the Southern Lebanon action area. In the 90s, when the Puma came into use (a combat engineering obstruction navigating vehicle), the Nagmachon's purpose was changed to that of a troop transport for infantry. It then began to perform scouting missions and general security missions in hazardous areas. Together with the changes in its operations, it was upgraded and changed in order to be more appropriate for its new purpose. Two MAG 7.62 mm machine guns and special rests for personal weapons were added, and in the most recent models the suspension system was upgraded to be similar to that which can be found on the Merkava tank. The Nagmachon is considered a very efficient vehicle for urban warfare, and the IDF uses it in the areas of Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza region.