Plasan and ASFIR 4x4 have unveiled the STORMER, a new light tactical vehicle, purpose‑built as a platform for special operations units that need to move larger teams and mission equipment fast, across difficult terrain, and with minimal logistical burden.
Showcased for the first time at the Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, it is built around a Jeep Gladiator commercial platform but heavily re-engineered for military use with a reinforced chassis, frame, and driveline, including upgraded axles.
The vehicle can carry up to 12 personnel and more than 2,200 pounds of payload, while preserving the mobility expected from a light tactical truck.
It runs a 280‑hp 3.6‑liter gasoline engine with an eight‑speed automatic transmission, giving it the power profile of a commercial off-the-shelf vehicle but tuned for operational tempo rather than consumer use.
Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post understands that the Plasan and ASFIR have learned from recent conflicts and designed the vehicle for airborne transport and rapid deployment, to enable troops and mission equipment to move quickly across demanding terrain.
The design centers on rapid deployment and modularity.
A roll‑over protection system provides open‑air visibility and situational awareness, while the rear mission bay can be reconfigured for troop transport, logistics, MEDEVAC, weapons mounts, radar, counter‑UAS payloads, communications systems, or recovery gear.
A three‑position folding rear door supports fast ingress and egress, equipment transport, or stretcher carriage.
“Our collaboration with Plasan enabled us to transform a proven commercial 4x4 platform into a practical and highly capable tactical solution,” Tzachi Oz, CEO of ASFIR 4X4, said. “STORMER delivers the mobility, flexibility, and robustness required by demanding users while maintaining the reliability and supportability of a commercial vehicle platform,” he added.
The Stormer also incorporates a 24‑volt electrical architecture, blackout‑drive mode, antenna mounts, and a communications console to support customer‑specific mission kits.
The reliance on commercial components is intended to simplify sustainment and reduce lifecycle costs, a design philosophy Plasan has used across its SandCat family, now fielded on five continents.
Plasan frames STORMER as an answer to a growing requirement for light vehicles that can carry larger teams without stepping up into heavier protected platforms.
“STORMER was developed to address a growing operational requirement for a rapidly deployable platform capable of carrying larger teams and mission equipment without compromising mobility,” Plasan CEO Moshe Elazar said. “By combining a proven commercial platform with Plasan’s engineering expertise, we created a highly adaptable vehicle that can be configured for multiple missions while remaining simple to operate, maintain, and sustain.”
Plasan, founded out of Kibbutz Sasa in the mid‑1980s, built its reputation by supplying armor for IDF jeeps, Humvees, and later US MRAP programs, eventually delivering protection kits for more than 25,000 American vehicles.
Its SandCat family became one of the world’s most widely fielded light tactical platforms, giving the company a long runway in commercial‑chassis military design, the exact lineage STORMER now extends.