Tel Aviv: Israel’s Defence Ministry unveiled its next-generation tank, the artificially intelligent Barak, on Tuesday.

The Barak, or Lightning, includes AI-based sensing and processing capabilities and includes an unprecedented 360-degree “pilot’s helmet” for the tank commander, as well as multi-touch screens and controls.

“How symbolic that the days when we celebrate fifty years to the Yom Kippur War, and to the heroic battles fought during it by the armour fighters in defence of our country, we receive further proof of the relevance and power of the tank as a fundamental factor and decisive in land manoeuvring,” said Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

The tank will be able to adapt itself to the needs of the tank commander — and even more senior commanders not physically present — who may be interested in different aspects of battlefield information.

The “pilot’s helmet,” referred to as Iron Vision, “generates an image that enables the crew to ‘see through’ the vehicle’s armour” and will allow the crew to “overcome inherent visibility limitations, while improving mission efficiency and safety,” according to Elbit Systems, which developed the headgear.

As a result, soldiers will be able to fight more effectively when the tank is sealed. Crew members will no longer need to open the hatch to examine their surroundings and expose themselves to enemy snipers.

The Barak’s profile and peripheral observation capabilities will enable the tank to engage enemies at closer ranges. The cannon, sights and night vision have also been upgraded.

Part of the IDF’s Merkava series, the Barak will replace the IDF’s older Mark 3 tanks. While the technology will ease the burdens of the crew, the tanks will continue to be manned by a commander, driver, gunner and loader.

“The Barak tank is the fighting machine the most advanced of its kind in the world, which will bring fire capabilities to the IDF, the land arm and the armoured fighters, AI, intelligence, connectivity between tools and active defence are breaking ground on the modern battlefield,” said Major General (res.) Eyal Zamir, the Defence Ministry’s Director General.

The tank, which was five years in the making, was developed jointly by the Defence Ministry’s Armoured Vehicles Directorate and the IDF’s Ground Forces and Armoured Corps with individual systems produced by various Israeli defence companies.