This five-year contract, work on which will begin in 2021, will be a continuation of the existing multi-year contract with the Defense Ministry.
By ANNA AHRONHEIMAn IDF weapons cache(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)
Haifa-based defense firm Elbit Systems won a $144 million Defense Ministry contract to supply small-caliber ammunition to the IDF.The five-year contract, work on which will begin in 2021, will be a continuation of the current multiyear contract.“The Defense Ministry is working, even in the complex budgetary realities, to implement as many multi-annual agreements as possible, which, alongside supporting the IDF’s needs, will maintain essential and high-quality production lines in the defense industries,” said ministry department of production and procurement head Avi Dadon.“We have put a lot of effort into raising the required shekel budget, which will ensure factory production continuity by at least 2026 and the livelihoods of hundreds of workers, contractors and suppliers,” he added.The procurement will ensure continuous supplies for the IDF, and will support the military’s training program for the coming years. The ammunition will be supplied to the various infantry units in the Ground Forces.As part of the ministry’s procurement policy to support Israeli industries, especially the periphery, the entire order will be manufactured at Elbit’s Nazareth factory, which employs some 300 people.Elbit, which specializes in a variety of electro-optical systems, command and control systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, completed a NIS 1.8 billion acquisition of state-owned arms manufacturer Israeli Military Industries Systems in November.The previous agreement was signed with IMI Systems in 2017 for a period of seven years beginning in 2019, with a yearly purchase of NIS 250m. The contract will allow the IDF to completely restock its supplies of various types of ammunition which were depleted during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, as well as support the IDF training program as part of the army’s multiyear Gideon plan.
