It is likely that most of you did not know the operational mobility unit, an elite unit of elite drivers, already participated in hundreds of complex operations far from Israel’s borders, but remained in the shadows. The unit transports fighters and regular supplies into the battlefield and rescues fighters from it, including those wounded during combat. The details of many promotions in which they participated are prohibited from publication.
The soldiers of the 444th Operational Mobility Unit, or as it is more commonly known the School of Operational Mobility (BLANM), specialize in operational driving on all vehicles that travel in the IDF – dark night driving, in difficult weather conditions, and reaching remote destinations outside the country’s borders independently, quickly and accurate
The main mission of the elite drivers is to transport forces and dedicated teams to and from the destination. They plan, choose routes and vehicles, navigate and drive under the threat of anti-tank missiles, sniping and explosives.
On a daily basis, the elite unit trains all IDF forces to drive armored vehicles and takes part in the ongoing activities in the terrorist strongholds in Judea and Samaria. Its highlight is the operational driving course that trains operational drivers for the elite units, the mobility companies in the infantry brigades, and the support companies. Hundreds of fighters are selected from all the maneuvering units and attend a four-week course, during which they learn how to drive in a particularly technically challenging terrain.
In the war, the skilled fighters of the unit become instructors and point drivers of the infantry brigades and special units in the battle zones. They cross the border fence and find paths that only they can pass through, in the dark of night, with their headlights off. When they reach deep into enemy territory, they move fighters from place to place, evacuate the wounded for medical treatment or to helicopters, and deliver critical supplies to the fighting forces.
When the IDF began maneuvering in Gaza, the elite fighting drivers from the regulars and reserves were assigned to the maneuvering divisions. Since then, they have been performing complicated tasks under fire, enabling the rapid and secret transport of large forces deep into the battlefield and participating with their operational trucks in special activities, the purpose of which is the destruction of Hamas tunnels. In addition, they move tens of thousands of fighters to and from the Strip and work with the forces and medical teams on Israeli territory.
Since the beginning of the fighting, the fighters of the operational mobility unit have evacuated more than 1500 wounded from the depths of the strip, which saved the lives of many fighters. At the same time as the maneuver, the only training since the beginning of the war was thousands of regular and reserve drivers that enabled continuous combat.
During the war, the unit was renewed with two new vehicles designed to replace dozens of vehicles damaged in the surprise attack: armored patrol vehicles of the “Flyer” 72 type, symbolically given the Hebrew name “Barry”, and light tactical vehicles of the JLTV type. “Flyer” 72 is the tactical patrol vehicle of the US special forces. Its driver sits in the middle and on either side of him sit soldiers with machine guns, and on the roof of the vehicle there is the possibility of installing a heavy protected machine gun. The JLTV is the replacement of the Hummer vehicle in the US Army, in the Marines and in the American special forces. In addition, it is equipped with a protection system that can be disassembled and assembled as needed.
