Heavy armored transporter Nagmachon. Israeli fortress on tracks

The Nagmachon is an example of an unconventional vehicle, developed with the specific needs of the Israeli army in mind. Built on a tank chassis, it stands out with its substantial mass and unique appearance, which has earned it the unofficial nickname "Monster". What else is known about this weapon?

The Israeli armed forces operate under specific conditions where they often have to fight in an asymmetric war, against opponents - like Hamas - armed with handheld anti-tank weapons, taking advantage of the upper hand that urban terrain provides in a confrontation with armored weapons.

With such battles in mind, Israel is building unusual and almost unseen types of weapons in other parts of the world, such as Pereh tank destroyers or tracked, heavy armored carriers. They are built using tank chassis and used, among other things, during the operations of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. An example of such equipment is the Nagmachon.

Nagmachon is a heavy armored transporter built using the chassis from the British Centurion tank (machines of this type utilized by the IDF were named Szot).

The turret with the cannon was removed from the tank, and in its place a tall, stationary, armored tower with viewports was installed, allowing for observation of the area around the vehicle.

The interior of the Szota hull was also rebuilt, where - after the tank ammunition supply was removed - there was room for up to 10 soldiers. Furthermore, the Nagmachon was additionally armored, and a plow can be attached to the vehicle, facilitating the removal of various obstacles or street barricades.

The vehicle's armament is symbolic and consists of two machine guns, but its main role is not to fight, but to safely transport soldiers. Variants have also been created for use as command vehicles or vehicles intended for electronic warfare.

The Nagmachon is 25.6 feet long and weighs up to 60.6 tons, which is more than the tank it was built on. Its high weight stems from the additional armor - compared to the Centurion/Szot tank, the Nagmachon also has a reinforced hull bottom.

These vehicles can also be equipped with additional jammers, which make it difficult to execute an attack using improvised explosive devices. Despite this, at least one of the Nagmachons was destroyed using a very large, approximately 220-pound charge.