IDF approves female combat pilot outside the Armored Corps

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has decided that the pilot program for integrating female tank fighters will run under the Border Defense Array, not inside the Armored Corps. The IDF says there will be no mixed tanks or mixed companies, and that all operational and physical standards will remain unchanged, with no easing of requirements.

The decision followed prolonged internal debate and public controversy. Under the approved plan, reported by ynet, the new framework will be fully segregated by gender, meaning women and men will not serve together in the same tank or company. The Armored Corps will provide professional support to the pilot, but regular armored brigades will not change their structure at this stage.

Zamir also faced pressure from rabbis and religious-Zionist figures, including more than 25 heads of hesder yeshivas and preparatory academies, who opposed the move and threatened not to send their students to the Armored Corps if mixed service were introduced. In the discussion, Zamir set two core conditions for the pilot’s success, full compliance with the professional and physiological standards for an armored fighter, and strict observance of the rules for mixed service. He said the army needs every fighter during wartime, but warned that operational readiness or other serving populations must not be harmed.

The chief of staff also addressed past injury rates among women in similar tracks and ordered training to be designed to reduce injuries without lowering the professional bar. The IDF said there is still no plan to integrate women into the regular armored brigades. At present, female tank operators serve in the Border Defense Array on routine security missions, patrols, observation, and anti-smuggling operations, including the “Prah” company in the Caracal Battalion, whose fighters took part in the October 7 battles and helped stop Hamas militants in southern Israel. The new pilot is scheduled to begin in November 2026, following a High Court ruling on a petition about women serving in armored combat roles, and any permanent decision will be made only after the pilot is assessed.