Merkava

For the religious/mystical connotations of the word, see Merkabah.

Merkava (Hebrew: ) is a series of main battle tanks developed and manufactured by Israel for the Israel Defense Forces.

The Merkava (Chariot in Hebrew) has been designed for crew survival; the power plant is placed at the front of the tank, increasing frontal mass, while the crew are able to escape from a disabled Merkava via doors in the rear of the hull. Being heavily armoured and highly mobile, it is one of the best protected tanks in the world.

It is produced at the tank factory at Tel HaShomer Armoured Corps base, as most of the components are manufactured by Israeli security industries such as the IMI, Elbit, Soltam etc.

History

Following the Six-Day War and the French embargo on Israel, the IDF signed a deal with the United Kingdom for joint development of a new main battle tank—the Chieftain tank. In 1969, following Arab pressure, the British cancelled the deal with Israel and expelled them from the Chieftain project. Israel realized that it could not rely on other countries to supply it with weapon systems and seriously began to consider self-manufacturing a main battle tank—one of the most crucial elements of ground armoured forces. Although the near-disaster of the 1973 Yom Kippur War had been resolved, in part, with an American delivery of reserve armour, the war brought home the fact that the small nation of Israel could not afford excessive casualties; the Merkava was thus to be designed for crew survival. Moreover, while a damaged tank may be repaired in a matter of hours or days, training a tank crew to a very high level of competence typical of Israeli tank crews takes many months.

The Israeli government decided in 1970 that it needed an indigenous tank-building capacity. General Israel Tal led a development team which took into consideration Israel's unique battlefield characteristics and lessons learned from previous wars, focusing on protection of the crew. The development of the Merkava was formally acknowledged by the Israeli government on May 13, 1977.

Merkava Mk 1

The Merkava was first introduced into service in April 1979. It was developed for the rough terrain of the northern region of Israel and the Golan Heights. It was equipped with a 105 mm gun and featured a power plant in the front and a rear door. It took part in the 1982 Lebanon War. It suffered from many infant problems like a problematic braking system.

Merkava Mk 2

The Merkava Mk 2 was first brought into service in 1983. It introduced several improvements focusing on urban warfare and crew survivability including an internal 60 mm mortar system, following Israel's incursion into Lebanon in 1982 and the battles in Beirut.

Merkava Mk 3

Following information gained during Israel's campaign in Lebanon in 1982, the Merkava Mk 3 was introduced in 1990. The Mark 3 introduced a 1200 horsepower (895 kW) engine, a new suspension and transmission system, and a new 120 mm smooth-bore gun.

Mk 3B

A 1995 version, the Mk 3B (also known as Merkava Baz), had an improved fire-control system and a built-in NBC protection and air conditioning system. Also, a modular armour package was added (called "Kasag"), making the Merkava 3 Baz Kasag one of the most protected tanks in the world.

Mk 3 4th generation

The current generation of Mk 3 tanks is Dor-Dalet (4th generation) which includes modular add-on armour, improved tracks, an improved machine-gun and integral air conditioning and NBC protection systems.

Merkava Mk 4

The Merkava Mk 4 is the latest generation in Israel's Merkava main battle tanks series, in service since 2004. It offers extra protection to the crew with more powerful and accurate fire systems.

Optimized for urban combat, the Merkava has improved armour not only on the front of the tank but on the sides and top as well. The armour is modular so only damaged plates need replacement when the tank is hit. The Mk 4 also has additional crew survivability features: each component is designed to act as back-up protection if the main armour is penetrated. The Mk 4 has an integrated air conditioning and NBC protection system. Ammunition is stored in fire-proof canisters.

The Merkava has an advanced fire control system with a new 120 mm smoothbore cannon and an advanced targeting system, giving the tank the capacity to engage and shoot down anti-tank helicopters such as the French SA342L Gazelle and the Russian Mil Mi-24 Hind (used by the Syrian Air Force). This cannon is also capable of firing French, German or US 120 mm shells. The tank is also armed with a .50 BMG (12.7 mm) coaxial machine-gun (MAG Rafael) and a new generation, internal 60 mm mortar. Its internal machine-gun and the rear door (which exists in all generations of the Merkava) have proven to be useful in urban warfare.

The Merkava has improved mobility, enabling the tank to manoeuvre more easily in the Golan Heights where the terrain can limit tank movements. The new Caterpillar tracks system (abbreviated as "Mazkom" (מזקו"ם) in Hebrew: מערכת זחלים קפיצים ומרכובים - "Tracks, springs and wheels system (abbv.: TSAWS)") are also improved to endure harsh ground conditions and minimize track-spreading incidents. A video system gives the driver 360 degree visibility at all times. A new 1500 horsepower diesel engine increases the speed and power of the tank and enables it to develop sprints of 60 km/h.

Yet another improvement is the development of a Battle Management System (צי"ד) designed by Elbit Systems, which uses digital information (gathered by other forces such as other tanks, UAVs and the central command) to update planning, navigation, and briefing of crews. The Battle Management System can record data gained during the mission and transmit it live to other forces.

There are rumours that the Israelis were at one time working on a 140 mm cannon-armed variant of the Merkava, perhaps called the Mk 5. They may still be, and there has been speculation as to when such a tank will appear, especially since the current production of the Mk 4 is in danger of budget cuts.

Merkava variants

Following the al-Aqsa Intifada, the Israeli Defence Forces modified some of their Merkavas to satisfy the needs of urban warfare. This adaptation can be done by field engineers and should not harm the tank's combat performance.

Merkava 3 LIC

This is a Merkava 3 Baz tank fitted for urban warfare. The LIC designation stands for Low Intensity Conflicts. The LIC model is equipped with an internal co-axial M2 Browning 0.5 machine-gun, enabling the crew to use heavier firepower than a medium calibre machine-gun but lighter than cannon shells, without being exposed to the enemy's fire. The tank also has extra protection against grenades and netting that protects the optics and ventilators. Marking poles and a rear camera have been installed to allow better navigation in narrow streets.

Merkava Ambulance

Some of the Merkavas were fitted with ambulance capabilities. The rear area of the tank was converted for carrying injured personnel and has had stretchers and life support systems added.

The main advantage of the "tankbulance" is heavy protection and a rear door, enabling the evacuation of wounded soldiers under heavy fire, while the crew return fire with machine-guns or the cannon.

Merkava Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV)

The Merkava ARV, called Nammer (Tiger in Hebrew) is an armoured recovery vehicle based on a Merkava chassis. It is capable of towing disabled tanks and carries a back-up power plant.

Merkava based APC/IFV

Israel developed a heavy APC/IFV based on the Merkava chassis called Nemmera ("tigress" in Hebrew, but also an acronym based on "nagmash" ("APC") and "Merkava"), but only produced a platoon's worth, due to the cost and the need for Merkava hulls for the tank versions. ¹ Following Operation Rainbow and the vulnerability of M-113 and Stryker APCs, the IDF decided to push forward the Nemmera program.

On February 15, Ma'ariv reported that a running prototype was fielded by the Givati Brigade and is equipped with a heavy machine-gun, which is controlled and loaded from within the vehicle. It was also decided to rename the vehicle from Nemmera to Nammer ("Tiger").

Merkava based self-propelled artillery

Two prototypes of Sholef / Slammer 155 mm self-propelled howitzer were built by Soltam in 1984-1986. The 45-ton vehicle had a long 52-calibre gun barrel giving a range of 40+ km and was capable of direct fire on the move. It never entered production. ^*

General remarks

Like any other tank, the Merkava is vulnerable to remotely operated landmines. During the Al-Aqsa Intifada, three Merkava tanks were destroyed by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, on February 14, 2002, March 14, 2002 and February 16, 2003. A total of 7 Israeli soldiers, who were inside the tanks, were killed in these incidents. A number of Merkavas were also damaged, such as on March 19, 2004, in which a tank overturned after being hit by a landmine, injuring 2 soldiers. In 2006 an Israeli Merkava Mk. II tank was damaged by a 200 kg improvised explosive device, probably placed by Hezbollah, as it attempted to pursue kidnappers into Lebanon.

As of 2005, some 5000 workers are directly employed in Merkava production, with another 5000 employed indirectly, in 220 Israeli firms. In 2005, exports of Merkava-related sub-systems amounted to US $200 million (the tank itself was not exported). The Israel Manufacturers Association expects that by 2007 the number of Merkava production employees will increase by 2000 and exports will amount to US $400 million.

References

Page 7, Modern Israeli Tanks and Infantry Carriers 1985–2004. Marsh Gelbart and Tony Bryan (illustrator). Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1841765791.

External links

IDF overview of Merkava's history and variants (including pictures of Merkavas Mk 1, 2 and 3)
Merkava Mk 3 LIC, Merkava Mk 4 at Defense-Update
Merkava Mk 1,2,3 at voodoo.cz.
Merkava Mk 3 Baz, Merkava Mk 4 at Army-technology (tank features and pictures from different angles)
Israeli-Weapons.com Merkava Page (Considerable tank info and pictures)
Merkava Mk1, Merkava Mk2, Merkava Mk3, Merkava Mk4 at army-guide.com
ACPR's analysis of Merkava

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