IDF dispersing spare parts kits in north

Fearing a missile onslaught in a future war, IDF dispersing kits that can rapidly be deployed to the front lines of a battlefield.

By YAAKOV KATZ
IDF soldiers close gate at Lebanon Border 370 (photo credit: Jamal Saidi / Reuters)
IDF soldiers close gate at Lebanon Border 370
(photo credit: Jamal Saidi / Reuters)
Fearing a missile onslaught in a future war, the IDF is dispersing kits with spare parts throughout northern Israel that can rapidly be deployed to the front lines of a battlefield.
The dispersion of the kits is ongoing and began one year ago under the supervision of the IDF Ordnance Corps and its commander Brig.-Gen. Zvi Kraus.
The corps has purposely dispersed the kits in undisclosed locations throughout the Golan Heights and the Galilee so they will be close to the northern front in the event of a war and at the same time provide protection from potential missile fire, expected to be directed at IDF bases.
The distribution of the kits was done as part of an overall IDF effort to retain what the military calls “operational continuity” in a future war against Hezbollah or Syria.
“During a future war, the enemy will target IDF bases in an effort to prevent the drafting of reservists and the equipping of units,” a senior officer explained.
The kits are comprised of spare parts, mostly required by armored units and forces traveling in armored personnel carriers.
“We expect that it will take time before we will be able to move these parts to the front and therefore a unit will have them nearby if they are needed,” another officer said.
The Ordnance Corps is also looking to upgrade its tank recovery capabilities with a new platform called the M88I, which would be better equipped to rescue damaged Merkava tanks in a future war.
The army currently uses an older version of the M88 from the 1970s that has difficulty lifting the military’s latest Merkava Mk 4 tank. The recovery vehicles are viewed as a critical platform for the IDF – which is concerned about the better quality of Russian-made anti-tank missiles that Hezbollah, Hamas and Syria have obtained in recent years.