Since the start of the military operation in Gaza City, the IDF has significantly expanded its use of robotic armored vehicles, which operate autonomously in highly dangerous areas to detonate terror infrastructure.
The system, referred to by Gazans on social media as “suicide APCs,” has drawn considerable attention among local residents, who document their movements on the streets, as reported this morning by Doron Kedosh on Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio).
The development initially did not involve armored vehicles but relied on unmanned engineering bulldozers known as “Panda.” Later, the IDF decided to replace the bulldozers with old American-made “Zelda” armored vehicles, which are available in large quantities in IDF storage.
Subsequently, the IDF’s Ground Technology Brigade developed a new device allowing the armored vehicle to carry an explosives container, place it at the target, and retreat before detonation.
In recent days, the system has been deployed dozens of times daily, mostly at night, destroying hundreds of buildings across the Gaza Strip. The IDF estimates that thousands of explosive devices have been neutralized using the system, saving the lives of many soldiers. “This system has become one of the most dramatic combat tools in Gaza,” said a senior officer.
Simultaneously, the IDF is developing additional versions of the system: robotic armored vehicles for delivering logistical equipment to combat units, as well as armed armored vehicles with machine guns capable of identifying and engaging terrorists with precision fire. A senior officer noted, “Imagine what 100 robotic armored vehicles could do, entering terrain ahead of troops to clear a path. This is the battlefield of the future, and we will be the first in the world to do it.”