The new Ford Bronco (Ford)
Wrangler and Bronco.
For years, officers in the IDF received a Ford Escort as an attached vehicle (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
In the days when there is talk of the effort to keep outstanding officers on a permanent basis, especially in the land army, the procurement delegation of the Ministry of Defense in New York is about to publish a tender that could even permanently reinstate some officers who have already been released.
Production of the latest generation of the Israeli Jeep at Nazareth Illit Automotive Industries (Saliha, Nof HaGalil), the Sopa-4, was discontinued in 2017, after more than 60 years of producing Jeep vehicles in the country.
Since then, the Ministry of Defense has been purchasing for the IDF the Jeep Wrangler on which the Sopha-4 was based, which arrives assembled from the USA, and undergoes a series of installations in Israel according to the needs of the army.
Since then, hundreds of Jeep Wrangler Sport vehicles have been recruited, which are used by the land army units and also as vehicles attached to battalion commanders at the rank of lieutenant colonel. A year ago, a few dozen of the more expensive Wrangler Rubicon with improved off-road performance were also purchased for brigade commanders at the rank of colonel.
It should be noted that the entire purchase is made from American security aid funds, and that such a purchase is exempt from taxes, so the IDF receives the Jeeps
at
a significantly lower price than they pay for them in the showrooms in Israel.
And what is the verdict of our field desk?
A version of the best Bronco?
Wrangler and Bronco.
Competition can also lower the price to be paid by the Ministry of Defense (Photo: Dodi Moskovitz)
Safety: "Good" score for the Bronco compared to "Borderline" for the Wrangler
In the previous tenders, the Wrangler competed as the only option for an American SUV that could be purchased with the aid funds.
However, in the new tender to replace some of the Wrangler Sport models, the Ford Bronco, the SUV that Ford launched two years ago as a modern competitor to the Wrangler, will also be able to compete.
The Bronco offers high off-road capability, and above all a great improvement in the level of safety, an area in which the Wrangler does not excel.
In the European crash test, for example, the Wrangler earned one star out of five, because it is not equipped with autonomous emergency braking, and has only 4 airbags.
The Bronco has not yet been tested in Europe, but in the strict test by the Institute of American Insurance Companies, the IIHS, it received a "good" score, while the Regner received a "borderline" score in two important areas, such as safety for the driver in a frontal crash, and protection from side impacts.
The big question is whether Ford will submit a bid in the tender.
The manufacturer has previously supplied vans to the IDF, and the chassis for the new armored vehicle it will purchase from the Pelsen company, but it is currently far from meeting the demand for the Bronco in the American market, and customers are required to wait months for it. For the Wrangler, the launch of the Bronco reduced its sales in the US by 11% This year, no such problems.
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Jeep Wrangler
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