The Israeli Technology and Maintenance Corps (, Heil HaTekhnologya VeHaAhzaka) is a combat-support corps in the IDF GOC Army Headquarters. Before the Israeli Technological and Logistics Directorate was dismantled, it fell under its jurisdiction. The corps is responsible for the development and maintenance of war materiel, combat-support materials, and other systems.

History In 1941, the Haganah's Ordnance Department (, Mahleket Himush, abbr. Mahash) was founded. It engaged in the purchasing, concealment, and transport of materiel, in cooperation with Israel Military Industries, created in 1933. It was headed by Asher "Oshraka" Peled, who also served in the British army.Roy, Natan; Klein, Ze'ev (1982), "Technical Spirit in the Underground", pp. 49–50 The Ordnance Department sold concealed weapons to the Yishuv, in accordance with the budget of each village. The British wrote that "There is a weapon to arm every combatant".Roy, Natan; Klein, Ze'ev (1982), "'Sliks' in the Settlements", p. 50 The first ordnance course took place in Ju'ara, the Haganah's central training camp in 1942. In 1943 another course was held in Ruhama.Roy, Natan; Klein, Ze'ev (1982), "Ordnance Instruction", pp. 50–51

In January 1948, the Ordnance Department was renamed into the Ordnance Service (). During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the service's first "Basic Workshops" were established to help restore and improve vehicles. In 1951, the Engineering Corps was renamed into the Ordnance Corps.

During the Suez War, the corps rescued, collected and restored materiel. After the war, the first Ordnance Battalion was created. In the War of Attrition, the corps engaged in many rescue attempts. During the Yom Kippur War, the corps was able to restore and bring into service damaged war materiel. The pace of repair proved decisive. During the 1982 Lebanon War, the corps designated two regional ordnance units within Lebanon, and the Merkava tank, developed under the corps and manufactured by the IMI, was tested in battle for the first time.Following the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, new defenses were added to Armoured fighting vehicles. Several vehicles underwent upgrades, among these: upper turrets for the Nagmachon, Achzarit, and Centurion tank-chassis Puma CEV; mini-turrets for Merkava tanks; further defences to the IDF Caterpillar D9 (added cage armor); and the development of the "Scorpion," a Landing Bridge tank converted into a combat engineering tank able to carry a portable pillbox.

In 2016, the corps' name was changed from Ordnance Corps (, Heil HaHimush) to Technology and Maintenance Corps.

Structure The corps' training base (#20) is located in Tzrifin. Other units do not fall directly under the corps’ command, but are professionally affiliated with it:

The Center for Maintenance and Restoration is the main centre for holding war materiel, including the factory where the Merkava tank is manufactured. The Center for Combat Spare Parts administers the supply of spare parts to the IDF in ten bases. The Unit for Quality Assurance and Experiments conducts quality control and other experiments in two principal experiment bases and several other smaller, temporary bases. The Central Regional Ordnance Supply Unit 650 (formerly 652) provides ordnance to the Central Command, including forces stationed in the West Bank. The Northern Regional Ordnance Supply Unit 651 provides ordnance to the Northern Command. The Southern Regional Ordnance Supply Unit 653 provides ordnance to the Southern Command.

Commanders Below is a list of all Chief Ordnance Officers:

RankNameYearsColonelAsher Peled1948–1949Lieutenant ColonelZvi Ben-Ya'akov1949–1950ColonelDov Shemer1950–1951ColonelImmanuel Prat1951–1954Colonellater Maj. Gen.Amos Horev1954–1962ColonelInon Azruni1963–1965Brigadier GeneralHaim Domi1966–1973Brigadier GeneralEliezer Barak1973–1978Brigadier GeneralBen Zion Ben Bashat1978–1983Brigadier GeneralToviah Margalit1983–1985Brigadier GeneralMoshe Keidar1985–1988Brigadier GeneralZvi Oren1988–1992Brigadier Generallater Maj. Gen.Ami Sagis1991–1995Brigadier GeneralMichael Dayan1995–1998Brigadier GeneralShalom Koren1998–2000Brigadier GeneralZekharia Hai2000–2003Brigadier GeneralHaim Ronen2003–2007Brigadier GeneralEyal Alok2007–2010Brigadier GeneralTzvika Kraous2010–2014Brigadier GeneralEliezer Ben Harush2014–2017Brigadier GeneralMishel Yanko2017–2019Brigadier GeneralIlan Eliya2019–2022Brigadier GeneralAriel Shima2022–present

References

Bibliography

External links Overview at IDF official website