Merkava


The Merkava is a series of main battle tanks used by the Israel Defense Forces which are the backbone of the IDF's Armored Corps. Current iterations of this tank are considered broadly equivalent to the capabilities of the M1 Abrams, Leopard 2 and the Challenger 2. The current Merkava uses the same MTU EuroPowerPack powerplant as a number of other tanks.
Development began in 1970, and its first generation, the Merkava Mark 1, entered official service in 1979. Four main variants have been deployed. As of 2023, Merkava Mark 4 Barak is the latest version. The Merkava was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War. The name "Merkava" was derived from the IDF's initial development program name.
The tank was developed in the Merkava and Armored Combat Vehicles Division of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and most of its parts are manufactured in Israel. The Merkava was designed to provide maximum protection for its crew, and therefore its front armor was fortified and the engine placed in the front part of the tank, unlike most other tanks.
Design criteria include rapid repair of battle damage, survivability, cost-effectiveness, and off-road performance. Following the model of contemporary self-propelled howitzers, the turret assembly is located closer to the rear than in most main battle tanks. With the engine in front, this layout is intended to provide additional protection against a frontal attack, so as to absorb some of the force of incoming shells and projectiles, especially for the personnel in the main hull, such as the driver. It also creates more space in the rear of the tank that allows increased storage capacity and a rear entrance to the main crew compartment allowing easy access under enemy fire. This allows the tank to be used as a platform for medical disembarkation, a forward command and control station, and an infantry fighting vehicle. The rear entrance's clamshell-style doors provide overhead protection when off- and on-loading cargo and personnel.

Development

During the late 1960s, the Israeli Army collaborated on certain design aspects for the British Chieftain tank which had originally been introduced into British Army service in 1965, with a view to Israel purchasing and domestically producing the vehicle. Two Chieftain prototypes were delivered as part of a four-year trial. However, it was eventually decided not to sell the Chieftain to the Israelis, as the tanks were already being supplied to Arab countries, which prompted them to follow their own development programme.
Israel Tal, who was serving as a brigade commander after the Suez Crisis, restarted plans to produce an indigenous Israeli tank, utilizing information learned from the 1973 Yom Kippur War – when Israel had suffered heavy losses of mechanized armour.
By 1974, initial designs were completed and prototypes were built. After a brief set of trials, work began to retool the Tel HaShomer ordnance depot for full-time development and construction. After the new facilities were completed, the Merkava was announced to the public in the International Defense Review periodical. The first official images of the tank were released to the American periodical Armed Forces Journal on May 4, 1977. The IDF officially adopted the tank in December 1979.

Primary contractors

The lead organization for system integration of the Merkava's main components is Israel Military Industries. The Israeli Ordnance Corps are responsible for final Merkava assembly. More than 90% of the Merkava 4 tank's components are produced locally in Israel by Israeli defense industries. Contributors to the vehicle include:

Firepower

The Merkava Mark 1 and 2 were armed with a 105 mm IMI M64 gun, a license-built variant of the M68. The Mark 3, Mark 3 Dor Dalet BAZ kassag, and the Mark 4 are armed with an IMI 120 mm smoothbore gun which can fire almost all versions of Western 120 mm smooth bore tank ammunition, as well as the LAHAT anti-tank guided missile.
Each model of the Merkava has two roof-mounted 7.62 mm machine guns for use by the commander and loader and another mounted co-axially with the main gun. A 60 mm mortar is also fitted for firing smoke rounds or suppressing dug-in infantry anti-tank teams.
All Merkava tanks are fitted with a remote-controlled M2 Browning.50 caliber heavy machine gun, aligned with the main gun and controlled from within the turret.

Mobility

The tank's 1,119 kW turbocharged diesel engine was designed by MTU and is manufactured under license by L-3 Communication Combat Propulsion Systems.

Variants

Merkava Mark I

The Mark 1, operational since 1979, is the original design created as a result of Israel Tal's decision, and was fabricated and designed for mass production. The Mark 1 weighed 63 tonnes and had a diesel engine, with a power-to-weight ratio of 14 hp/Tonne. It was armed with the 105 millimeter M64 L71A main gun, two 7.62 mm machine guns for anti-infantry defense, and a 60 mm mortar mounted externally, with the mortar operator not completely protected by the tank's hull.
The general design borrows the tracks and road wheels from the British Centurion tank, which had seen extensive use during the Yom Kippur war.
The Merkava was first used in combat during the 1982 Lebanon War, where Israel deployed 180 units. Although they were a success, the M113 APCs that accompanied them were found to have several defects and were withdrawn. Merkavas were converted into makeshift APCs or armored ambulances by taking out the palleted ammunition racks in storage. Ten soldiers or walking wounded could enter and exit through the rear door.
After the war, many adjustments and additions were noted and designed, including the need for the 60 mm mortar to be installed within the hull and engineered for remote firing—a valuable feature that the Israelis had initially encountered on their Centurion Mk3s with their 2" Mk.III mortar. A shot trap was found beneath the rear of the turret bustle, where a well-placed shot could jam the turret completely. The installation of chain netting to disperse and destroy rocket propelled grenades and anti-tank rockets before impacting the primary armor increased survivability.

Merkava Mark II

The Mark II was first introduced into general service in April 1983. It incorporated numerous small adjustments as a result of the previous year's incursion into Lebanon.
The Mark II used the same 105 mm main gun and 7.62 mm machine guns as the Mark I, but the 60 mm mortar was redesigned during construction to be located within the hull and configured for remote firing to remove the need to expose the operator to enemy small-arms fire. An Israeli-designed automatic transmission and increased fuel storage for increased range was installed on all further Mark IIs. Anti-rocket netting was fitted for increased survivability against infantry equipped with anti-tank rockets. Many minor improvements were made to the fire-control system. Updated meteorological sensors, crosswind analyzers, and thermographic optics and image intensifiers gave greater visibility and battlefield awareness.
Newer versions of the original Mark II were designated:
  • Mark IIB, with thermal optics and unspecified updates to the fire control system.
  • Mark IIC, with more armor on the top of the turret to improve protection against attack from the air.
  • Mark IID, with modular composite armor on the chassis and turret, allowing rapid replacement of damaged armor.
In 2015 the IDF had begun a plan to take the old models out of storage and repurpose them as heavy armored personnel carriers. Cannons, turrets, and spaces used to store tank shells inside the hull were removed to create a personnel carrier that outperforms the lighter M113 APC. Converting hundreds of Mark II chassis provides a low-cost way to upgrade support units' abilities to perform medical, logistical, and rescue missions.
By late 2016, the last conscripted brigade to operate Merkava 2 was scheduled to transition to Merkava III and Merkava IV tanks for battlefield missions, relegating the vehicles to reserve forces for border patrols during conflicts and conversion to personnel carriers.

Merkava Mark 3

The Merkava Mark 3 was introduced in December 1989 and was in production until 2003. As of 2016, the Merkava III was the most numerous tank in frontline IDF service. Compared to the Merkava II, it has upgrades to the drivetrain, powertrain, armament, and electronic systems. The most prominent addition was the incorporation of the locally developed IMI 120 mm gun. This gun and a larger diesel engine raised the total weight of the tank to, but the larger engine raised the maximum cruising speed to.
The turret was re-engineered for movement independent of the tank chassis, allowing it to track a target regardless of the tank's movement. Many other changes were made, including:
  • External two-way telephone for secure communications between the tank crew and dismounted infantry,
  • Upgraded ammunition storage containers to minimize ammunition cook-off
  • Addition of laser designators
  • Incorporation of the Kasag modular armor system, designed for rapid replacement and repair in the battlefield and for quick upgrading as new designs and sophisticated materials become available