text: ail storm the ail storm ( hebrew : , ) is an israeli manufactured off - road vehicle and the workhorse of the israeli security forces . the series of jeep wrangler based vehicles have been produced by automotive industries ltd. in upper nazareth under licence from chrysler since 1990 . the vehicles fill a number of military roles , including that of armoured infantry mobility vehicle , and certain models are available for export as well as for the civilian market . production of an updated four - door second generation model commenced in 2006 despite some mixed messages from the storm 's primary customer , the israel defense forces . development of a third generation vehicle based on the new jeep wrangler jk has been completed and significant production for both israeli and foreign customers is under way . storm i the m - 240 storm vehicle is the first of three storm generations . a variant of the 1991 jeep wrangler yj and the older cj - 6 / cj - 8 wheelbase , it is entirely produced in israel by automotive industries ltd. with the exception of the engines , as their manufacture is not economically viable on the storm 's market scale . the storm was primarily meant to satisfy israeli military needs , but capable long and short versions are produced for the local civilian market . like the jeep , it has a conventional front - engine design with a driver and passenger seated behind the engine , and room for cargo or passengers behind them . it is powered by an amc 3 . 983 litre 6 - cylinder in - line petrol with fuel injection developing 180 hp ( 130 kw ) at 4 , 700 rpm , fitted with 2 - stage air cleaner or a volkswagen 2 . 5 litre 4 - cylinder turbocharged diesel developing 88 kilowatts ( 118 hp ) at 4 , 200 rpm . the front axle is fully floating and the rear axle is semi - floating , while a reinforced frame and body as well as good angles of approach and departure ( 40 ° and 37 ° for short frame , 40 ° and 26 . 5 ° for long frame ) add to the storm 's off - roading capability . the two production frame lengths , 4 . 15 ( 13 . 6 ) and 4 . 5 metres ( 14 . 8 ft ) , the latter of which was among the few such jeep - derivatives in production in recent years , were both available in civilian and military models . aside from the israeli market , storms have long been exported to countries in south america , asia , and africa . a jeep - managed production line in egypt , whose vehicles are used by the egyptian armed forces , was absorbed into the ail storm production after it closed in 1995 . security versions like its parent jeep wrangler , the storm is first and foremost an airmobile , capable offroad and utility vehicle meant to tackle extreme terrain in a general reconnaissance role , and can be outfitted with a machine gun or other weapons systems . when armed with a 105 mm ( 4 . 1 in ) m40 recoilless rifle , the vehicle is uniquely capable of firing directly over its blast guard equipped hood rather than in the perpendicular position required by most other vehicles . a variant of the extended version used in desert border patrol makes use of a high - ceilinged canopy to allow a swivelling rear - facing heavy machine - gun mount , while the canopy can be extended to provide a mobile command post . an air conditioned version of the extended model is often used by officers , and a version developed for riot control has clear polycarbonate shielding along the rear sides and roof , as well as gunports for less - lethal weapons . the shielding allows for a wide field of view while at the same time protecting against firebombs and rock - throwing . armoured version as with several analogous light military vehicles , despite being originally designed to fill a light reconnaissance role , the rise of urban warfare and close quarters combat meant that the israel defense forces had to recast the storm in new roles . when the need for a light armoured vehicle became apparent to the israeli security forces , ail 's engineering department designed a vehicle protection system from the bottom up , integrating it into the existing vehicle in a manner that did not compromise its off - road and other capabilities , and that did not create the mechanical strain and increase in maintenance often associated with up - armouring , in part due to its computerized 180 horsepower ( 130 kw ) injected engine . the armour protects against 7 . 62 × ( 0 . 3 in ) armour - piercing ammunition , and maintains a high protection - to - weight and cost ratio by employing idf approved advanced materials . the protected israeli configuration 's gross vehicle weight is 3 , 000 kilograms ( 6 , 614 lb ) , though several varying protection levels are in use with individual units . another important asset are the storm 's narrow dimensions , which allow it to traverse the narrow alleyways common to the of many middle eastern cities , places that armoured humvees can only enter with great difficulty and minimal manoeuvrability , if at all . full - height rear doors which allow for the quick deployment of fully equipped troops into combat are touted as another advantage over similar vehicles . civilian use first generation storms were made available to the general public in israel from 1992 to 2001 . a small number were purchased directly by private consumers , while larger numbers were acquired second - hand from israeli government - owned firms like the israel electric company and water company , as well as national parks authority and israel police . modified storms are popular with off - roading enthusiasts in israel . storm ii beginning in 2006 , ail began delivery of an improved model to the idf , the m - 242 storm mark ii , known in the field as the " storm commander " . a number of significant changes have been incorporated into the new tj - based storms stemming from soldiers ' feedback , updated operational requirements , and testing by goc army headquarters and logistics , medical , and the centers directorate . perhaps the most obvious change is the addition of dual passenger doors , making the storm ii the first five - door jeep wrangler derivative . other improvements include the change to a manual transmission with six forward speeds ( instead of the previous four ) , and increased stability resulting from wider track axles than its predecessor . leaf springs were replaced with modern coil spring suspension front and rear , and the storm ii features rear dana 44 axles and front tj dana 30s , factory designed slip yoke , and the added safety of standard airbags . soldiers ' comfort was addressed as well with the addition of standard rear air conditioning and a compact disc player . storm ii is also produced in an armoured version , and is offered with an optional 2 . 8 litre vm turbodiesel , automatic transmission , right hand drive , and run - flat tyres . ail is capable of completing ten vehicles daily . due to recently passed tax laws , a civilian version is not yet available in the local market . mdt david controversy developed in the 2000s at an investment of us $ 2 million after idf commitments for 1 , 200 units , some ail jobs were believed to be in jeopardy following a mid - 2005 announcement that the idf would purchase 100 us sold land rover defender - based mdt david . the announcement provoked threats of protests from ail 's management and labourers , who had recently faced the blow of local humvee assembly ceasing due to budget considerations . the mdt david was chosen over the armoured version of the storm because the heavy storm was said to suffer from handling and reliability problems , safety hazards and limited mission operability . however the idf said that the purchase of the david was to fill a temporary gap in production until the storm ii 's testing was completed , and has since begun filling its commitment . storm iii a storm mark iii was set to be produced for the israeli defense forces starting in june 2008 , when the idf was to purchase around 600 vehicles beginning in early 2011 . based on the then new four - door jeep wrangler jk design , the mark iii is meant to address some of the shortfalls of the earlier mark ii . whereas the previous vehicle was an update of the original tk storm , the storm iii was designed from the outset with a five - door configuration . unlike the tj - l , the new jk storm has a much higher maximum load capacity in part due to heavier - duty shock absorbers , springs and axles , necessary for an armored version . it includes a standard vm turbodiesel and automatic transmission . like the storm ii , the mark iii was initially available only to the military with versions set to be delivered to the israel police in 2009 . a civilian version would only be released if the local tax code was modified to allow it to compete with foreign imports of the same class . ail states that if such a thing would happen , a petrol engine version could be offered . regarding export markets , the storm 3 has already seen use in several countries , especially in its armored version . a pair of production 's was tested by israeli web magazine journalists in april 2009 . it was dubbed " probably , the best jeep ever " . commander version the commander version incorporates a 5 - door hard top cab allowing for the quick and convenient entrance and exit of the driver and all passengers or troops . a large rear compartment enables the storage of both cargo and communications equipment . this version comes equipped with an air conditioning system providing maximum comfort in hot climatic conditions . a roll over protection structure ( ) maximizes safety conditions for passengers . armored version the armored version of the storm 3 , designed for protection against light weapon threats , incorporates a heavy duty transfer case and a specially designed suspension system which includes heavy duty springs ( front - coil , rear - leaf ) and shock absorbers , together with rigid heavy duty axles allowing for a smooth and safe ride on both rough terrain as well as regular highways . reconnaissance & patrol version the storm 3 reconnaissance and patrol model allows for extra stowage of fuel , water and equipment . this version is especially suited to be fitted with various machine gun or special equipment mountings .