Until the early 2000s, Israel's main armoured personnel carrier was the American M113, which had been adopted in the early 1960s. It became apparent that the vehicle was vulnerable to modern battlefield threats, so engineers began work on developing a new IFV based on the Merkava Mk.1 tank. After development and successful trials, the new vehicle, named Namer (נמ"ר - "Leopard", also an abbreviation of Nagmash Merkava - Merkava APC), officially entered service with the IDF in 2008.

In its production version, the Namer is equipped with a 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun or a 40 mm Mk.19 grenade launcher; however, in 2016 an experimental modification of the Namer based on the Merkava Mk.4 tank instead of the Merkava Mk.1 appeared with a Samson RCWS-30 combat module from Rafael, and Spike ATGM launchers. However, due to budget constraints, the project was shelved.

Introduced in Update "Seek & Destroy", the Namer 30 is a rather unusual IFV in its class because, being based on the Merkava Mk.4 chassis, its vital modules and crew are concealed by a massive engine compartment and combined armour in the front of the hull. The Namer is equipped with an unmanned turret with a rapid-firing 30 mm Bushmaster autocannon and a pair of Spike-LR2 ATGM launchers, which give the vehicle the ability to engage armoured targets at distances up to 4 km. The presence of an auto-tracking system will also allow it to shoot down helicopters or low-flying aircraft. However, it does not have the most outstanding mobility.