Defense Minister Israel Katz and Defense Ministry Director-General Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram presented a plan for a significant increase in the production rate of Merkava tanks and Namer and Eitan armored personnel carriers to the Ministerial Procurement Committee for approval. The project, valued at over 5 billion shekels, will enable the expansion and acceleration of armored combat vehicle production by many dozens of additional tanks and APCs. The project will be forwarded to the Joint Committee for the Defense Budget in the Knesset, and after its approval, the Defense Ministry will be able to proceed with signing procurement deals with dozens of industries worth billions of shekels.