Israel’s Ministry of Defense signed a $100 million security deal with Imco Group on Sunday, part of its efforts to increase domestic military production and reduce its reliance on foreign countries.
As per Arutz Sheva, Imco will provide the IDF with a range of advanced systems and subsystems for its Merkava tanks for four years, including cutting-edge electrical kits and a sophisticated video management system.
In April, the US Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid package, which included $15 billion in military assistance to Israel. However, according to the Washington Post, the majority of US military aid to the Jewish State comes from the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) budget. Under the terms of the FMF program, Israel is required to spend approximately 75% of the funds given to them on purchases from US defense contractors.
Since the start of the Gaza War, Israel has requested that the US provide more than 10,000 tons of ammunition for tanks, missile defense, artillery rounds, bombs for the air force, and handheld weapons for civilians, according to the report.
To reduce its reliance on foreign military aid, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in January that Israel is “preparing the defense industries to disconnect from dependency on the rest of the world,” with a “multi-year plan to free Israel from external purchases.”
In March, the IDF placed an order for 20,000 Israeli-made M4A1 rifles, with 51 percent of the parts being sourced locally.
