מידע
ותמונות רבות על טנק המרכבה
Merkava
EXtreme
Combat
Delivery -
Remote
Omnipotent
Military
Operating
System
(LINK) ms
TALIK
1924 - 2010
GAZA
WAR
Me'il
Ruach
MkIVM Mark4Barak
Mobile Friendly in Horizontal
Merkava
IV Baz
With
Trophy
Tochnit ha Merkava Siman ARBA BAZ Below First Image
With
Integrated Trophy II APS & Tadir FCS (SharpShooter)
Merkava Siman IV BAZ Tzahal MBT with TADIR FCS,
Trophy II "360°
Hemispheric"
APS
(Active
Protective System)
Click Images For After
Battle Debriefing
By IDF Native English Speakers
HEADS UP
New state-of-the-art 4K
image
Merkava Siman Arba Barak AI
Chariot Mark 4 Sharpshooter
On this web page are images so sharp that
it's Twice 1080P & it can be enlarged LIFE
size of the tank if you arrange an array of
HD monitors. With clarity so detailed you
can see the rivets and even the granulated
rough textured
upper surface tank areas...
As you might
imagine, even on a high speed
connection this image will take a little while
to download. the image will be fully loaded
and you can enjoy viewing the tank as if you
were right there! This new 2020 model tank
Merkava MkIV Barak Artificial Intelligence
allows the cutting edge technology of this 1st
IDF-Army equipment to marry into the C4I
of the IDF-AF stealth F-35I, IDF-Navy subs
Dolphin I, II & III and the Israel Space spy
satellites / rocket forces & their Command
and Control G550 ELINT/CAEW aircraft.
USAF, US Navy, US
Coast Guard, RAF AEW
Merkava 4 BAZ replacement
Concept Replacement For MkIV Baz
LIGHTNING I 2021
Merkava MkVI Varient Carmel II
Direct Link To Israel Naval Web Page
9 Dolphin Ballistic Nuclear
Armed
Subs
Direct Link IAF Web Page
FF-35AI
ADIR Stealth
Make My Day!
Tank MBT / MICV
Main Battle Tank / Mechanize Infantry Combat Vehicle Series
Merkava / Nemer
Biblical:
Chariot (MBT) & Tiger (Armor Personnel Carrier)
Want To See Almost a LIFE Size Image Of This
Behemoth ?
Right Click Below !
Merkava Mark IV BAZ
Production
proto-type roll-out Shown on February 2007
by
OC Armor Corps Brig. General H. Rodoi
In 1995 MANTAK (Merkava operations
office) announced the Merk III BAZ with a new Sharpshooter FCS called the Knights
Mk4 system. But, as they always do, they immediately began work on the next gen
system both the "I" Improve TADIR FCS and the Mark 4 Merkava for the 2000 years.
It was decided they would finally include an APS defensive shield that had been
work
on for ten years, first by IMI and then by Rafael. IAI would also join in when
they were
ask to provide the radar sensors by their ELTA division. In 1999 testing of
almost a
dozen Mark IV proto types had been completed and it was announced in October
orders
for long lead items like for instance the new 1500 hsp German power pack was
tendered
from MTU model 883 got selected. Since funding was tight and this Mk4 was to be
way
more expensive than previous models, it was arranged to have the USA GD produce
the
engine under license and get finance from FCS funding. Trophy was not ready quite
yet
but was proving to be out of reached financially due to IDF budget restrictions.
So it was
put on temporary delay. However, Israel many enemy's like Hezbollah in the 2006
war
would come to Merkava assistance. Actually it more than likely rescued it from a
certain
early production closure. Funny how your worst enemy can do wonderful things for
your
country's military defenses... just ask the Russian and American defense
departments how
that worked out for the entire cold war period! The APS is now here and is
actually here
in more than just one way. IAI Iron Fist has arrived on scene and Rafael now has
a whole
family of APS developments. Some for older tanks like the Mark IV's from 1999
through
2006, for export countries, for production line Merkavas now coming off the
assembly
line with an integrated system and a mark II improve system that's even Lighter
weight
for smaller front line combat vehicles and trucks. Thus you can have Merkava Mk4
with
upgraded APS called Aspro C, production line Aspro A or Merkava Mk 4B or BAZ and
Merkava Mk 4 M newer improved APS from 2011 onward. Go figure. The question on
still older Mk III's and Mark II's
is not looking economical but to just order more Mark 4's
to sell off all the Mark I, Mark II & Mark III's on the world tank market. That's because
only the MkIV engine (1500 hsp) gives the IDF commonality just on engine
inventory.
Remember, it took from 1999 to 2009 to get Trophy perfected and to market due to
the
unbelievable difficulty of hitting a Bullet with a Bullet! Now
we've India &
USA
exports!
Ok Stop The Presses
First foreign sale of Trophy II APS..... Goes to
U S Army Oct 2017
Immediate Urgent RFP to arm All ABRAMS M1A 2 Sep2v to full
Combat Ready Trophy II (Raytheon) $300,000 + system & also will
extend to ALL Army
field of battle combatant armor equipment. This
IS A MAJOR JOINT MILITARY GAME CHANGER!
Active Protective System -
TROPHY !
Abrams Trophy Equipped Deployed
US Army & Marine Corps Orders Trophy APS
Close Up Trophy System On Abrams M1A2
Abrams Trophy APS Aerial Deployed
Abrams M1A2 Live Fire Ballistic Testing
Marine Abrams
APS
Schematic
Abrams Protective APS Dome Video
US Army Abrams M1A2 Sep2v Trophy
Left-Iron Dome Ctr-David's Sling
Right-Arrow III
Note To Above: now US
military has just taken
delivery of it's first Iron Dome Israeli defensive
missile systems with multi billion dollar mass
production order with Rafael / IAI co-partner
Ratheon beginning in 2019. The latest point
defense air defense system. U.S. Army is
ordering battalions of Iron Domes under Prez
Trump's new military re-building program...
Now there are reviews by military services to
look into tests and purchases of the other 2.
Israel has over 10+ years operational & combat
battle experience with armor self protection
systems. Latest variant of unique Israel MBT
Mk 4's above. Below high speed 100kph Eitan2
Equipped with an improved and much lighter in
weight Rafael Trophy armor protective system.
US Army is ordering a full division of Bradley
Above with IAI Iron Fist & Elta Radar dishes
Stryker above & Abrams M1 tanks below now
fitted with the Rafael Israeli Trophy SPS
(Self
Protection System) which is license built by
Raytheon. USMC has followed suite as well
US, Army Abrams M1A2 SEP Ver3 Tank Above
W ith New Trophy Mk2
Updated Systems
Germany to order Trophy for German Army new
Leopard II tanks. All NATO nations have signed
onto these Israeli self protection Tank and APC
systems, with both Trophy &
Iron Fist systems.
Swedish, Italian & the Royal Netherlands armies
are arming UP w/ these systems. Czech, Ukrain,
Indian, UK, Finland, Italian and France have all
begun contacts with Iron Fist IAI and Rafael's
Trophy' combat vehicle protection systems.
German Leopard MBT with Trophy APSkeep up with all news pouring in!
This Just In Breaking News...
4 Battalions M1A2 v3 Deploying To Europe!
All With New
Rafael / Raytheon Trophy II
Talk About Rock'n & Ready To Roll
Following in
rapid sequence Follow On
orders from not only India but NATO
!
---END BREAKING NEWS---
Merkava Mk IV M
2011 Golan Exercises
notice the chains still
hanging in back
Click
Below Merkava Mk1, 2, 3, 4 series Walk Around Video
Me, still
with floppy signature 'boonie' hat &
'MAMBA'
lurking behind me.
NAME = Tochnit ha Merkava
(Official Chariot Tank Program)
image=Image:Merkava-mkIV-BAZ-LIC-picX.jpg|300px|Merkava 4 As a
result of the conflict August 2006, MANTAK,
the IDF group that is in charge of all Merkava production, put in an immediate
Rush requisition for 100 Trophy II systems, 100 BAZ
Knight Mk4 'Tadir'
SharpShooter FCS & 100 L3 1500hsp power-packs (formerly the General Dynamics
Land Systems Division).
LATER another request to UP-GRADE all 400 Existing Mark IV Merkavas to BAZ
status & standards was ordered into production.
Trophy II is a 2007 development that has 2 inherent advances. First is 'Duplex'
mode where the tank can come under fire in two or
more directions simultaneously and defeat different types of threats all at the
same time. Second, the interceptor can be RE-loaded
from with-in side the tank without exposing any of the crew to hostile fire.
Another challenge was met & is incorporated in stopping
all types of 'Kinetic' ammunition and / or projectiles. A separate program to
defeat all kinds of road side IED's called THOR and is
described elsewhere below, has also been incorporated into the R-OWS (Remote
Overhead Weapons System) now found on both
the new Merkava Mark IV BAZ and the recently ordered into production NEMER
APC (Armor Personnel Carrier) based on the
Merkava IV BAZ chassis from NEW production. It was originally thought of using out
dated Merkava I & II tanks for this purpose
but,
that was found not to be a wise choice according to MANTAK June 2007
briefings at the Latrun Armor Museum. First batch
30 Mark IV BAZ tanks rolled off the Tel HaShomer line January 2009, a 2nd rushed
batch will be five months later & a third batch
arrives sometime late 2010 (exact date was not specified). These measures were all
brought about from 2006 Lebanon war findings.
Parallel Production is to be started in 2009 for Trophy up-grade kits
for all PRE-existing Mk 4 tanks with follow on for Mk III's and
Pre-existing armor APC's in both the reserves as well as the active duty forces.
New Up-Grade
kit is added on to the existing vehicle
and does include the newer Trophy II modifications described above. Orders for
second and even a third series production run of
the Trophy II's as well as first orders for the IMI Iron Fist for Nemer APC's were directed by
new Defense Minister (former IDF
Armor chief) Ehud
Barak, which takes the Mk IV program & series out to the 2012 years. FYI, No
Mk 4 was a total lost in 2006.*
40th Anniversary Merkava SIMAN ARBA BAZ 2010
!
Above Definitive series of the Merkava 2007 through
2012 under the new TEFEN IDF funded project
Below is the 1999 through 2006 ALEPH or First series of the Merkava Siman
Arba (Mk 4) Program...
Click
above for in depth page on 2010 IDF Military English Briefing for Merkava Mk4 BAZ
Aleph
Merkava
MkIV Barak
with Trophy + Nochri-Kal anti mine rollers with
Droid ! see below...
Merkava MkIVm LIC with DROID System
Proto type Article on
Mark LIC (Low Intensity Combat) with Droid
IDF Merkava (Chariot) Tank
MkIV LIC with Droid System Installed
First 2007 Production Merkava MkIV BAZ
units having integrated TADIR FCS, ASPRO and new ballistic
Side Skirt armor panels superior to Chobham armor. They feature redesigned
turret with NO shot trap & chains.
First Battalion 30 units completed training, conversion and
deployment to Golan front 2009 shown here. ALL
FOUR ELTA RADAR SENSORS EXACTLY SAME, WITH REAR
PLACEMENT OPPOSITE OF FRONT TWO SENSORS
Due to the new
reshaped turret the shot trap of the turret has been eliminated leaving only
small basket with familiar hanging chains.
*It
should be noted that it is a ballistic military fact a MBT can not be destroyed,
not even by one's own Air Force and artillery and
even when it is on purpose!
Both the Abrams and the Merkava in recent engagements had to be left on the
enemy field of battle and
rather than have the tank fall into enemy hands MANY attempts to blow the relic
up prove futile and eventually had to be retrieved
and pulled back to safety later the next day. Then each was sent to main 'depot'
maintenance for 'Zero Time' rebuild and in both tank
instances returned to service with their respective armies and crews... amazingly
enough. One was M1A2 & other Merk Mk IV A.
Another adjunct to this is 'Lead Times.' MANTAK said at the Latrun 2007 summer
briefing that in the case of the first series of
Merkava production run the lead time was 40 months from ordering, first welds
and assembly from hundreds of suppliers to the final
roll out of the new tank off the production line. Last year for stats was prior
to the Lebanon conflict and the Lead time was 7 months.
However, with the giant largesse of billions of defense dollars in the 2012 TEFEN plan that Lead Time is expected to be 'Halved.' FYI
The
new BAZ suite includes four sensors - radar, friend or foe identification system
(IFF), Electronic Support Measures electronic
intelligence (ESM/ELINT) and Elta II, Tracking Incoming projectiles /
Communications Intelligence (CSM/COMINT) systems. All
sensors are fed through a unique fusion technique, providing continuous
cross-correlation of targets generated by all sensors, allowing
automated system-wide tracks of targets detected by each sensor. The multi-beam,
electronically scanning phased array radar utilizes
time-space energy management technique facilitating effective, multi-mode
operations and coverage of 360 degrees using only four
planar sections
- two in forward facing conformal arrays and two on the rear turret bustle
covering the remaining 180 degrees in back.
Further:
BAZ is an acronym for Barak Zoher or Shining Lightning for both Merkava 3
& 4 generation models;
the MANTAK people
said theoretically
BAZ can be
associated with ANY Merkava tank past, present or future if they add the FCS
SharpShooting
features.
Therefore, it can NOT be ruled
out to have a Merkava Siman Aleph
BAZ
if a Mk I were put through this up-grade
program. The new
'TADIR' FCS when put
on Merkava Mk 4 makes it
BAZ even if
just this FCS is added; Regardless if
Trophy & other accessories are
included with the Merkava up-grade. Usually the entire Merk series get a
complete up-grade historically.
Just
to be clear.
The IDF plans to extend its fiber-optic high-speed broadband network, known as
Gold Avnet¯ to mobile ground, air and naval ranks.
The plan is to use wide-area wireless point-to-point and point-to-multipoint (WiMAX)
technology to fuse information into a network
that allows the soldier to share information with a TANK or an aircraft,¯ Maj.
Gen. Ami Shafran, head of the IDF General Staff C4I.
The IDF, Ha-Kirya sources say,
IDF will be the first military in the world to
have WiMAX wireless technology integrated by FY- 2009.
Here is my Personal Opinion regarding the last
Lebanon war...
A Primary Fact of Mid East Hezbollah Wars military conduct, such
as the 2006
Plainly Stated...
"Hezbollah
Does NOT & Will Not Count Their Dead"
Furthermore, neither can the press since Hezies
Appear,
Pass For
and Dress
just like all other Lebanese
Civilians.
Heyl
Shiryon
Merkava Video's
CLICK
New
Merkava III
VIDEO
CLICK New Merkava
X
VIDEO
CLICK Merkava History
VIDEO CLICK
Abrams4K
Trophy VIDEO CLICK
Merkava4K
Trex VIDEO
CLICK
Merkava4K
VIDEO
CLICK Merkava Mk1 - Mk3
VIDEO CLICK
Merkava Background VIDEO
CLICK
Merkava Bad
VIDEO CLICK
Merkava 4 Details
Video EW Triple Merkava Clips
VIDEO
IDF
Merkava
Video
Click
MERKAVA 4 BAZ
Wide-Screen Stereo Color Video
1999
MERKAVA SIMAN ARBA ALEPH BAZ
Video 2007
to 2021 MERKAVA Mk4 BARAK
Video
PS: You can buy this
GHQ Merkava 4
pictured above for $2 (₪7 ILS).
It's the size of
a thumb nail !
Merkava's Back Yard
Where The Action Happens:
Sinai, Jordan, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon
FISTS OF STEEL
Whoa
Dere, Bridge Out! Slow Your Merk Down to
60mph
| length=7.6 m (gun
forward = 9.04 m)
| Series production begins 400 Mark IV Baz 1999 - 2007
Second series production
400 Mark IV Baz 2007 - 2011
Third series 300 additional Mark IV Baz 2012 - 2015
Fourth series to replace all
Mark III 500 2016 - 2020
Playing Catch-Up. We now get 30 Mk IV's at a time, 3
times a year. Notice aiming block (triangle) now on the end 120mm IMI new
main gun barrel of these Merkava IV's?
Merkava Mk IV LIC
was the largest Merk ever built and the most heavily
armored, the fastest (70kph)
and the most deadly of any tank in the world a/o 1999!
speed=Road: 65 km/h (Mark IV);
burst speed 70 km/h (Mk IV BAZ)
Enter
Merkava Namer Trophy APS
This Is The New Production Variant Mark 4m
See Video & Specs At Link Above
Enter
Merkava Mk4 BAZ
Aleph
Merkava Mk IV BAZ
Aleph is shown here in
time for operation Cast Lead
Cast Lead was 1st combat for the
Add-On
TrophyII/WindcoatB/ASPRO-C system.
We now found out that in January 2009 there were as many as 9 different types of
IDF vehicles being
tested with various APS defense systems by 2 manufacturers...
Above is what the first
400 Merkava Mk
IV's look like with the Trophy II
Add-On
to an existing rear turret
Here we have the 2009 version of the Trophy
2
Add-On to
an existing 1999 - 2007 Merkava Mk IV 'A'
bustle
Look closely and you can still see the 'Shulamit Hair'
OR the
ball and chains protecting the shot trap since only
the new 2007 - 2012 400 Mark IV BAZ
units will have the redesigned
turret thus eliminating the familiar trap.
If you look carefully above under the rear turret you will see it still has shot trap with Chains to protect
against RPG's. Also notice new placement of rear sensors from this Rare
often missing view of the Merk.
Click Above
For Video & Audio Of The 2010 Eurosatory Israel Merkava 4 BAZ Exhibit's English Presentation
| width=3.72 m (without
skirts)
| height=2.66 m (turret roof)
| weight=55 tons (Mark I) <br>
56 tons (Mark II) <br> 59 tons (Mark III) <br> 60 t (Mark IV) <br>
58 t (Mk IV BAZ)
NOTE: Due to the incorporation of new technologies such as
Trophy & M-TAPS, weights may vary downward.
| suspension=helical spring
Black Mamba & Black Mamba 2 both Mk 4's are stationed on Syrian front atop of
the Hermon Plateau (I'm on right in 'boonie'
hat)
This web page is dedicated to all my
fellow tank corps men
that are seemingly always stuck out in the
cold, wet,
windy, desolate
and forgotten part of our world.
Do you like my tank crew and infantry squad below?
Here we all are with our distinctive floppy boonie
hats, including 2 in hand.
Except for me and my photographer you see my whole tank team. Notice lack of
smiles, next stop will be tipul
shvui (tank bath)!
My crew at the Staff lookout at the Armor Shizafon Merkava
'Playground'
(Training/Refresher
Course & Combine Exercise Area)
2 Of My
'MaTak' (T/C's
- Tank Commanders) Eye Witness Report of Their BAZ Post from 2006
HERE
Rare picture of Mamba 1 and Mamba 2. No questions please... Ops
Sec 24/7 till the new FCS & APS installed.
Syrian T-62 hit by a Merkava in Lebanon 1982 with
an IMI APFS-DS-T
| primary armament = 1 x 120 mm smoothbore
Israel Military Industry's (IMI) main gun with 50 rounds + 10 ready round
magazine.
APAM 120mm Mk III & IV, LAHAT
& Excalibur Smart ATGM (anti-tank guided missiles),
APFS-DS-T rounds above & below
120mm ATGW
LAHAT 120mm ATGW
EXCALIBUR
(Rafael Spike-ER family) Below is
LAHAT Round
Lahat Missile On Golan Firing Range For Sight /
Range Alignment
Secondary Coaxial Armament
secondary armament =1 x 7.62 mm
coaxial
CoAx-machine gun MG 1 x 12.7 mm (IV) 2 x 7.62
mm MG
m<br>1 x 60 mm internal mortar;
R-OWS Laser/Gun combo see below (Mk IV BAZ)
THOR anti IED & M2 50 cal MG
R-OWS Boeing Test Vehicle
Laser Gun Here Paired With 50 cal MG
MBT Range =
500 km (on board fuel only...
Extended range (Mk IV BAZ) = 2500 km
(with combat trailer above)
What
Did This?
IMI 120mm!
Merkava Tank
Battle on Golan Heights
Barrel of Enemy T-72 Syrian Tank!
|Merkava Mk IV Power-Pak engine=[[diesel
V-12 MTU 883
by L3 air cooled 1500hsp w/ Renk
Transmission
ASPRO =
Armoured
Shield
PROtection (Trophy)
Merkava Mk IV BAZ Turret Bustle Shape
First Combat Use Jan '09
Compare
Precision Wooden Merkava Mk IV photo above with the image below
and
notice how MANTAK
development team has dramatically modified
basic design, ballistic shape of all important turret to incorporate
no
less than 50 up-grade improvements, primarily the very
obvious APS Trophy
/
ASPRO system.
One benefit
is the now missing Shulamite's Hair (60 Ball & Chains) used to prevent
RPG's jam'n turret traverse with a shot
trap hit. There's no
longer a Shot Trap on BAZ.
Full hemispheric Dome 360°
coverage.
New Octagonal ELTA radar flat panels are now bullet proof & shatter
proof as opposed to 2006 'blister' type
A little APS history here might be in order. This idea
of knocking down RPG's and latter guided missiles (ATGW)
from the sky has been an Israeli R&D program for over 20 years ever
since the 1973 surprise Yom Kippor War
which the Egyptian's were handed out wholesale tens of thousands of these man portable
Russian anti tank
weapons which were so deadly to Israeli armor forces deployed though out the Sinai. IMI began actual proof
of
concept in the beginning of 1990. One problem that came back to delay again and again it's implementation was
'collateral' damage. It was conceivable that the enemy could cause a miss
reading during combat that a tank could
think a nearby friendly
tank was shooting at it and begin a chain reaction in which all the tanks in the company or
the brigade or even the battalion were
firing at each other and set off all the defensive ammunition at each other.
Another was how to prevent a tank from an air burst to
begin defending itself against a 'non' attack also in domino
effect. By the 2000 decade computer technology was finally mature
enough to solve these riddles. Net-Centric
ballistic management systems (BMS) now solve these and other generational issues
including telecommunications
and UAV air ground data links. Because it was felt a repeat of the 2006 Hizbollah war would occur
within months
rather than years, it was agreed to rush 200 Trophy systems into production and deployment ASAP or by 2010,
which
is now adjusted to 2009. Also the beginning of a second production line for Iron Fist has begun for the Merk
APC called the
Namer and first units have been deployed with first battalion due by 12/09.
armor =
laminated
ceramic / steel / nickel composite (Chobham), RHA (Rolled Homogenous Armor), spaced armor +
a new classified matrix
LEGEND of Korea's
1/35th Resin Scale Models,
Merkava Mk IV "A" above
1999-2006.
Click for Walk Around
2008 improved Legend
$200 LF1165
kit
Merkava Mk IV
intermediate model for LIC warfare with dual hatch
for UAV observer,
but, also there is the newer full length 'thicker' ballistic side skirts, new power
vents over rear
Pantiers & aiming block at end of gun barrel all seen above. Ballistic Mesh covers all soft surfaces. More images
of this new 'improved' Merkava Legend model at the
LINK above.
$35 Academy of Korea, Plastic 1/35th
Model Merkava Mark IV MBT of
Jan 2009
Right Click Above Picture for MANY More Images of
1/35th Scale Plastic Model
Image above from new Academy release box cover
showing the up-graded ballistic rubberize vented side
skirts which were current during the 2006 conflict but have now been further
modified on 2008 BAZ Trophy
production line versions. Academy Model the Merkava Mk IV A
1999 to 2006 version for those of you keeping score..
|
Merkavot 4 les
pusieran "BAZ"... derived from
TADIR Mk 4 FCS systems being installed Post
2006 War production
Please Note: Elbit
Systems, El-Op and Kinetics
collaborate on all Merkava Fire Control Systems from the Mark I to the
present day Merkava Mk IV
BAZ and the Mk IV BAZ is derived from the state-of-the-art Knight Mk4 'TADIR'
FCS.
This from the
manufacturer:
TADIR Thermal Imaging Sensor for Combat MBT now serving
with Tzahal forces since January 2007
EL-OP has begun deliveries
of the Next Generation FCS Merkava Mk IV starting in 2007. TADIR will enhance
the IDF's
Merkava tanks with
cutting-edge thermal imaging technology, that is the most advanced in the world. ELOP is announcing
for the first time its
own home-grown innovative thermal imaging technology (TDI 480x4) TADIR. This
technology, that is
regarded as the most
advanced in the world, will soon be implemented in the IDF's Merkava Mk IV BAZ
tanks. The IDF's
development and
replenishment plan in this area includes the enhancement of the thermal channel
in the Merkava tanks' "BAZ"
SharpShooting
Fire Control System
(FCS). TDI 480x4 Technology (TADIR : Time Delay & Integration) is
characterized by
high sensitivity, improved resolution
& a
superior reliability level that ensures a maintenance cost lower than other
technologies.
A tank thermal channel based on
this technology will enable the tank crew to conduct surveillance & to
identify longer-range
targets in a wider Field of View
(FOV). This is done by observing a TV LCD Color display, that renders a HD
resolution image.
=Merkava Mark
IV Enters
1st Combat==
You're looking at the evening 'roll-out' for the battle at Saluki Valley in the
last hours of the war. The Merkava Mk IV's first Stand-Up
Section Begins Below Under Entry for
the Mark 4 series Merk's
| crew: 4 (Commander,
Driver,
Gunner,
Loader
/ Radio Operator)
'MaTak'
(Tank Commander - TC)
here waiting for Move Out orders 12 Aug 2006.
Reason he's smiling, he thinks he missed the war. Only 48 hrs left. He's wrong
Merkava Crew: Tank Driver under way at
controls
(Notice how the IDF Censors have prevented anyone from
knowing the wristwatch brand?
Lighten Up, Just Kidding. Everything
is so
very bright inside due to the stupid interior decorator's crazy idea of using a
neutral color like WHITE. The dummy!
Now no one can get any shut eye (sleep) during a war or our endless training
exercises. Remember Rule #2. Don't get
caught.
Rule #1. Don't forget Rule #2... Tanker below forgot Rule #2... yup,
he's a sleep... again! Got caught... again!
Merkava Crew: Tank Gunner at his station
(are you sure our dude here is winking?)
Merkava Crew: Loader / Communications specialist next to 120mm Cannon breech.
BTW, he's practicing rule #9. #9 - What happens when I throw THIS switch? Oops!
Just barely
can be seen behind his head is the internal Soltam 60mm
internal mortar.
Note on Improved Merkava Mk IV BAZ
Seats by AutoFlug...
Crew protection has been employed by installing the
Autoflug safety seat systems,
to protect crew from side & bottom mine or IED
blasts as well as reducing stress and fatigue during long duration missions.
Several types of seats were tested in Merkava Mk IV BAZ.
The driver's and commander's seats utilized elevator designs, while the loader
and gunner's seat positions are fixed. So is the aft platoon
compartment arrangement when the Troop Transport configuration is employed.
However, seats are not part of serial production tanks.
Autoflug safety seats are also being considered for use with the new Namer and
various wheeled APCs under development by the IDF.
Note on Improved Merkava Mk IV BAZ Armor
(Sometimes
- CHOBHAM)
OK, let's get this straight. ALL damn tanks these days,
even Soviet block MBT's use this creation. It was named for the British Lab
in Chobham England and only refers to a very common practice of layered
laminates with ballistic steel to minimize penetration of the
outer armor of tanks and is NOT a secret, at least anymore. Whether one is
better than the other will be found out AFTER a battle.
Not before & certainly not by so called arm-chair generals that never been in
a tank or know which end the shell comes out for that
matter.
End Of Discussion and me Pontificating...
Rafael:
Brand new and already battle tested in the 2009 Gaza Conflict is RAFAEL's
FCD;
Fire
Control
Director for the Merk IV
BAZ
For Images From The Battlefield Go To This...
LINK
M-TAPS ā€“ Multi-Threat Armor Protection System ā€“ a new
generation add-on armor technology for IDF armor combat vehicles.
The recently developed M-TAPS is the newest generation
hybrid (reactive / passive) add-on armor designed to defeat a variety of
modern
threats in the combat arena. The M-TAPS is a modular system that can be easily
fitted onto any wheeled or tracked vehicle or MBT.
The system, when installed on a combat vehicle, is able
to defeat Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG), Improvised Explosive Devices (IED),
the new Iranian Explosively Formed Projectiles (EFP), high speed fragments
from artillery bombs (simulated by FSPs) and Armor Piercing
(AP) projectiles from heavy machine guns.
The M-TAPS technology is an upgrade of Rafael's combat
proven, Insensitive Reactive Armor system that has been successfully applied
to
the US Bradleys, IDF infantry combat armor vehicles (Namer) as well as the new
Merkava Mk IV BAZ second generation Chariot 2007.
| engine = 900 hsp (Merkava I & II)<br>
1,200 hsp (Merkava Mk III)<br> 1,500 hsp (Merkava Mk IV ALEF & BAZ)
ASPRO-A
Merkava
Mk IV BAZ has production line custom fitted APS systems
built-in
rather than Added On
< Image: Merkava mk iv baz.jpg| Merkava Mk 4 BAZ with new
permanent 2007 ASPRO-A APS
installed w/ Chains>
| p/w_ratio = 14 hp/ton
(Mark I & II) 18 hp/ton (Mk III, III BAZ)<br> 25 hp/ton (Mk IV
&
IV BAZ )
| resource = One of the best English
discourses ever set to print on the Merkava family is the 276 page hard
bound book
from Erlangen Germany's Tankograd Publishing 'Merkava by Marsh Gelbart'
ISBN 3936519013
I treasure my copy as
do many of us merk-tankers which is also in German FYI. Despite getting diss'd by MG!
I'm telling Helen on you BTW... ":-) and
YES, I'm a hell of lot older Marshie FYI...
A WORD HERE ABOUT THE CLEARANCES IN POSTING OF MERK OR IDF IMAGES
Hi, I would like to explain the process of how I have been able to photograph
IDF vehicles.
1. First preliminary
contact and enquiries with the IDF, lets say to see if I can photograph the
Merkava 4. This can
take many months
before you get a decision. Emails and letters got lost or mislaid. The contact
you are communicating
with gets moved
post or leaves the army and you start over again. Senior officers who know and
trust you retire. So,
you start all over
again.....
2. Step 2, your
request is forwarded to someone senior, usually in MANTAK. From here things are
far more efficient,
but you are subject
to careful scrutiny. Why do you want to photograph the Merk 4 ? Which
publication do you except
to use the
photographs? What variant of the Merk 4 do you wish to photograph and why?
3. Step 3. you are
invited to list exactly what aspects of the vehicle you wish to photograph. Even
from what angles and
if the vehicle is
moving or stationary has to be negotiated carefully and fully.
4. Step 4. You are
invited to MANTAK and have meetings which are half interviews and half scrutiny
to make sure your
intentions are
honest.
5. Step 5.
You are invited to photograph the tanks. It's exciting, things always go wrong;
either exercises are cancelled or
no-one has
told the bored gate guard that a funny little foreigner is turning up at the
base. I am accompanied at all times by
a
representative from Field Security and usually a senior member of the Merkava
design team.
6. Step 6.
Photos are taken and immediately vetted by Field Security and a senior officer
at the base. Several shots have to
be deleted.
7. Step
7. Usually an intense meeting with MANTAK personnel at a very senior level. You
are talking about, say the actual
head of
the Merkava programme, or the bloke responsible for ballistic protection they
are friendly and efficient but very
security conscious. More photos will be deleted. they will ask to look at the
text of your article and again it is vetted. You
remove
text as requested. Finally, after a meeting, where you are not present, your
work is further subjected to security approval.
8. Step
8. You are flying back to the UK that morning. You receive a phone call stating
that you must go to the Kiryia as General
Tal,
wishes to meet you and discuss the photos, book or article. Its Tal; you go. Its
great ,but then you nearly miss your flight. yes,
this
really happened to me.
9. Step 9. The article is finished. Before publication, if the article is about
a sensitive beast such as the Namer, then a final copy of
the article is sent back to MANTAK, along with all photos that are going to be
used in the article for final approval. At the last
moment, before publication, you are asked to remove some technical detail which
you have been told you can use and which you
are excited about. Yes this happened to me too.
That is why I got a little hurt at the reaction by some to the publication of
the Merkava with the ghillie suit. I didn't take the photos.
Soeren did. However, he will have worked under the same rules and restrictions
that I did. Jochen Vollert the publisher I work for,
is a careful and scrupulous man. He would not publish material that has not been
subject to security clearance. I wouldn't even try
to get such work published. I don't just turn up at a base and take photos, it's
the result of a lot of negotiation & security clearance.
Sirpad, I would
be really grateful if you could show your friends this!
Hope this all makes some sense. Cheers Marsh
2007 Merkava IV BAZ (FCS 4) returning
from
Negev Desert field trials being transported by the Merkava Mk IV Prime Mover to
our Golan staging area. It's almost impossible to find the new Soltam 60mm internal remote
control 3,700m roof turret Mortar!
Trophy
II
C
Add-On had not been installed at the time
of this picture was taken in 2006. I know, this is my crew's damn Mk4 tank. Thank You.
You arm chair dummies
look carefully & you will see FCS 4. RAFAEL's modular Add-On ASPRO-C
series was installed summer
FY-2008 and funded with
the new approved TEFEN funding program 2006 thru 2012.
Above Mk3 DD & Below Mk4 A
IDF's
MERKAVA
on its PRIME MOVER
heading to the Golan Heights
from the new armor corps live
fire Shizafon Training grounds.
Ok, I get this asked a lot, can you show a
picture of a Prime Mover loading a Merkava MBT?
Well, that turned out to be
harder than I first thought so I grabbed a shot while being Off Loaded
of our PM during the big May
2009 exercises. This Black Mamba image will have to do for now.
Depending on what our mission,
will determine if supply will issue anti IED
/ RKM &
etc. Please
do not ask about all that
brik-or-brack hardware on top of our turret, sometimes WE don't know!
Fill Her Up... diesel will be just fine for the next 500 clicks... Gee, a Merk Siman ARBA going into battle with a PAZ gas station sign
seemingly on the
turret... How Novel !
NOT . Want to see this image Really
Beeg ? Right Click Above
''TOCHNIT HA MERKAVA''' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: {{Audio|He-Merkava.ogg|מרכבה}}, ''The
Chariot Program'') is a
series
of
[main battle tank]]s
developed and manufactured by over 250 Israeli
and
100 foreign companies with main assembly at the IDF
(Israel Defense
Forces)
Logistics & Armor facilities
inside the Tel HaShomer (Hill of the Watchman)
Army Base near Tel Aviv at Plant
#7100. 'Merkava'
name was derived from the IDF's
secret developmental
program name and was kept by the late General TAL (the
overall
Merkava program
administrator)
because he liked the biblical reference. Also, because he sometimes
listens to me! Note on THIS military base that use to be
called Tzerefin (Sarafand)
will soon be replaced as a
basic military training facility by a massive new
installation South of
Beersheba called
Ramat Hovav. First IDF
construction began in 2006 with an expected first stage opening date of 2009.
Merkava plant stays.
The Merkava has been designed for
crew survival and rapid battle damage repair thanks to an Israeli development
called 'Telescopic
Production'
and the novel use of quick appliquƩ modular
ceramic armor panels. The Telescopic Production method allows for changes
on the
assembly line at
the last minute, such as the installation of the 1500hsp
engine, which was not ready when Merkava Mark IV
tank production began in 1999,
but was immediately installed once they began to arrive, first from Germany &
only later from the US
GDLS (General Dynamics Land Systems) corporation two years later in 2001.
With the use of spaced-armor techniques and quick-
replacement modular designs,
the assembly line team was able to incorporate secret
compositions of a derivative of Chobham type
ceramic armor, RHA ([[rolled
homogeneous armor]]) and U.S. developed carbon
epoxy fiber
filament. It should be pointed out that a
further enhancement to
crew safety was the use of the space between inner and outer armor walls to be
filled with diesel engine fuel;
an excellent storage technique and a method to
defeat HESH and HEAT enemy tank rounds. The Merkava's unique
layout was
accomplished by the positioning of the powerpack to the front of the tank thus
increasing frontal mass while affording greater crew
protection. Then moving
the main gun turret towards the back of the hull for both over-all tank balance
as well as allowing for a
fighting
compartment strategy. This revolutionary
tank now had a rear compartment area that could be accessed in complete safety
while under fire by use of a double vertical door called a 'clam-shell,'
that when open, provided a roof above and a ramp below.
2007 Merkava IV B firing the new improved 120mm I.M.I.
APAM (Anti Personnel - Anti
Material) round in the Golan Heights
Away from anti-armor
munitions, Israel Military Industries (IMI) has introduced one of the more
intriguing anti
personnel munition innovations of recent years, primarily intended to neutralize
infantry tank missile killer teams.
Known in the IDF as APAM this innovation is already in Merkava Mk III and Mk IV
service. Once fired the
APAM ejects six sub munitions over a pre-selected area for the sub munitions to
airburst and scatter lethal small
fragments and blast effects over a wide area of terrain beneath. The APAM is
highly effective against terrorist
in asymmetrical warfare and can reach into cover such as over hills and into
trenches as well as fox holes.
I.M.I.
Anti-Personnel / Anti-Material
(APAM) tank round
Rafael EXCALIBUR Fire & Up-Date Round
What most likely will be the most significant
advance in tank gun ammunition accomplishment for decades to come
is
when the RAFAEL TERM
(Tank Extended Range Munition) enters the Merkava fleet with
the new Mk IV BAZ
tanks in 2007 for 120mm (a world's first). Although handled, loaded and then fired as
a conventional projectile, the
EXCALIBUR TERM will be
Fire & Up-Date
versus the USA/Euro versions Fire & Forget
which leads to accidental
collateral civilian casualties. It should be remembered that the
controversial anti-personnel mines fired into Southern
Lebanon were US Army munitions. Because Israeli munitions could not be
bought when US FCS funds can only be
applied to USA purchases. One fall out of the '06 Lebanon War report was to
terminate that contract and purchase
IMI non-collateral damage artillery shells immediately. Same now goes for the
IMI TERM EXCALIBUR
a kinetic
energy projectile now has last stage rocket motor to boost final velocities. Excalibur
will extend the Merkava Mk IV
lethality to BVR (beyond visual ranges) of 14+ miles via forward teams, UAV's,
aircraft and other Merkava tanks.
Shizafon tank range with Excalibur round
training under way
With engine up front and
ammunition reloading could be accomplished without exposing the crew or any
of the reload teams to
enemy fire on the field of battle. This
compartment has
now been used as: a medical operating theater (Tankbulance), a forward
command and control center,
a UAV (Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle) control tower, an ELINT forward operating office, an
air-to-
ground FAC (Forward Air Control) station and a forward battle
field
command post. If this rear tank compartment contained
armed infantry, then
up to 10 fully combat soldiers could be carried & the clam-shell
door would
allow for deploying these soldiers
while on the move under combat conditions and taking fire. In an emergency the crew can use the
clam-shell door as an escape
hatch to safety on the battlefield, even from an internal fire. These are just some of the many lessons that were
painfully learned
in the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars when the Merkava was under
development from 1970 to 1977. One such lesson
from
the 1973 surprise Yom Kipper War was from Egyptian AT-3 swatter and
RPG-7 anti-tank weapons. These were all single
stage
war-heads which
were defeated by
the Israeli invention of the 1970's of RA (reactive armor) panels that fired
outward upon
impact to deflect
the penetrating enemy rounds.
Merkava Mk IV firing a 120mm
Lahat ATGW round at the
Southern Armor Training site at Shizafon
IDF Ordnance And
Tank Workshops
The lead organization for system
integration of the Merkava's main components is I.M.I. [Israel Military
Industries]. The IDF Ordnance
and Tank Workshops of the Armor Command are responsible for all of
the
Merkava final assembly. In the beginning (1960's) these were the old WWII British vehicle
repair
shops
at what was once called by the British, Sarafand Army Baracks. The primary assembly facility, "Plant 7100,"
was later built in time for the new Merkava Mark III (1988) and
is co-located in the IDF armor complex at
now called Tel HaShomer which is just outside of Tel Aviv.
All new MBT construction,
development, R&D,
modifications & up-grades to older tanks
is done here at Plant #7100 to this very day.
Major LOCAL Israeli suppliers,
which there are 200+:
Merkava Prime Mover
Local Israeli TRAILER builder Netzer Serini Metal Works fabricates all Prime
Movers for the
entire Merkava series over the past forty years from
the Kibbutz of the same name. Cabs have
come from America, Europe and elsewhere. Volvo,
Mercedes, GMAC, DAF, MAN & MACK.
Israel Military Industries
Little known story about the main armament of the Merkava. It was originally
thought the first Mark I's would actually
get the new developmental 120mm barrel but the ammunition was
not ready in time nor in any inventory to be rushed to
Israel in time of war. It did make it for the 1989 Mark III model and more
interesting IMI was able in the next ten years
to develop an improved version
with higher recoil pressures and able to take a whole
new generation of gun fired missiles
called ATGW (LAHAT, TERM, EXCALIBER and ETC).
IMI Locally
Produces the Merkava 120mm Main
Canon Shells & All IDF Ammo Among It's Merkava Long List
The Merkava Mk IV has incorporated an IMI 120mm Smooth Bore main gun that
can now withstand higher ballistic pressures and
has a softer recoil due
to a
locally
developed an ingenious more compact Breech than the first generation 120mm gun
found on the
Merkava Mark III
series. Ever notice how much
smaller the
Israeli
120mm guns barrels looks on Israeli tanks? That is not
a co-incidence, it's... Technology.
IAI (Israel Aircraft Industries) ELBIT Division
*ELBIT Revolving 10 Ready Round Automatic Magazine
with computer auto selection choices
Microprocessor controlled, fully automated,
electrically driven,
120 mm magazine rounds. The system
is located in an
isolated space of the turret and is designed to protect the crew in case
of ammunition
explosion. The system is easy to operate from
the
crew compartment. Also, the tank loader can select
ammunition
out from TEN choices of 120mm ready rounds in the revolving magazine.
Ballistic Steel Foundries:
Urdan (now
called: Associated Steel Foundries)
makes all the ballistic
steel parts i.e. hull, turret, road wheel
assembly, skirts, hatches & frame
and accessories in
association with Netzer Sereni such as... Mine plows
/Roller Systems, RKM,
TWMP, Dozer Blades, anti IED devices & Cranes
Merkava Siman II with Urdan MCRS 1983 anti mine clearing roller
system and used during Lebanon 1982 Campaign
IDF ARV with Urdan's RKM-4 version of
Russian KMT-4 anti-mine plow, returning from
Golan region.
Compare this 1960's generation anti mine equipment
with 1990's Mk III BAZ 1990's
below & even newer RKM5
located near the very bottom of this web page. So good have the Israelis become,
that these are now sold to NATO.
Merkava Mk III BAZ with 1990's version of Urdan's RKM rollers
Merkava Mk III below @ Shizaphon Tank Proving Grounds in
10/9/2002
*All Ballistic steel castings: complete Merkava Hull,
wheels, suspension, drive systems, gun shield, belly armor,
mine
plows,
bulldozer blades,
turret shell, cupolas, hatches, track shoes, hubs,
sprocket carriers, idler wheels,
ballistic covers,
final drives, grille doors
as well as the
newly design Mark IV bustle
is by ''Urdan Industries."
Urdan also contributes the
remote control 120mm barrel travel lock, IED/mine
clearing roller systems, low profile
cupolas and clam shell rear doors. Below is
a LIC Limited Intense Combat Mark 4 Merkava Tank version
Above Merkava MkIV with
Nochri-Kal Mine Roller System & Droid
Haifa's Urdan Steel Works is only 1 of 6 armor
foundry's in the world capable of Ballistic Castings
New 2009 Tank Supply Trailer...
Announced by Armor Command August
10, 2009 because of positive feedback from
the 2006 Lebanon conflict,
a new under armor trailer being attached to the back of
specially designated Merkava
tanks within the tank company depending on assigned
task. This trailer includes new Urdan's
360° wheels
to carry onto the field of combat:
ammo, fuel, water, food for the entire Merkava tank company. Therefore
a trailer is
assigned to Merkava company, brigade or even the frontal
command. This changes
dramatically the calculus for Merkava force projection, since
this brings about certain
instances where main tank round availability jumps from
roughly 50-100 to hundreds!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/A5NbrZBoPPM?rel=0
There are many players on the F.E.B. (forward edge of battle) with the MBT being
the
big guy on the block. Here you can see Merkava's being
serviced by 'fast-fuelers' (the
combat front line mobile gas stations), trailers by
Urdun above and even troop type
vehicles with the Namer and
Achzarit's seen here also pulling these replishment trailers.
Soltam
Internal Anti-Personnel 60mm Soltam Commander's Mortar
Above is the 60mm Soltam mortar for the Merkava
MkIII,
This Merkava Mortar went from the
2,700 meters range out to 3,700 meters. It's now Auto Fired & Targeted by the
BMS computer
Up-Graded 2007 Merkava Mk IV with Improved Legend
Resin Kit @ LINK below
Extended range (3700 meter) Soltam 60mm
Mortar compartment can be found above with an expert eye. Also
the new spotter's
hatch door is closed & is used in LIC & centric battlefield warfare. Tank Commander's
hatch
is now open. New thicker side skirts is seen.
The smaller rear tank bustle stowage basket now just holds the tank
one piece camouflage netting with an all weather tarp. See Video.
This image is a GATEWAY,
just right Click for
Above model and 'Walk Around' on this 2008 up-grade Resin Kit by
Legend of Korea.
Below Left 60mm Mortar door open while
on Right 60mm Hatch door is lifted open on Merk IV
*
As soon as they let me I will post some outstanding MkIV
mortar images like night firing illumination rounds, daytime WilleyPeet and
new Kalanite TERM
GPS state-of-the-art round by IMI. They can be very PR touchy on enemy
'surprise' subjects not geting spoiled.
Improved 60mm Internal
Remotely Controlled 3,700 meter range Soltam Mortar is primarily
used against anti tank
teams & terrorist
snipers. Rapid return fire is now linked to enemy fire direction finder Rafael SpotLite for
rapid Counter Fire for suppression of any
possible ambushes and well concealed sniper fire
positions.
We can now go into 2003 detail on MerkavaIV versus
Abrams on Golan.
http://www.supervideo.com/MXCD-ROMOSd.htm
120mm Intelligent Mortar
Round by
I.M.I - Raytheon - RAFAEL
TERM
120mm Top Attack Excalibur Merkava tank ammo
Tank
Extended
Range
Munitions
with Intelligent Brain on board.
In conjunction with USA Raytheon
Corporation, Israel Military
Industries (IMI) & RAFAEL in production & placed aboard IDF
MBT Merkava Mk IV's
a state-of-the-art
mortar shell which has
a range of greater than 10 miles & with an on-board GPS system
that hits its targets within a three-yard radius. IDF 'smart mortar'
built in celestial guidance system allows armor command to direct
the mortar to its designated target with a laser-homing beacon.
RAFAEL Armament Authority of Ramat Hasharon 120mm
GPS EXCALIBUR
Merkava Mk IV BAZ Tank
Round 2010 through 2019 now in service with IDF
Because this new IDF GPS guided mortar is so accurate, it will
enable a target to be destroyed with only 1 shot, thus reducing
the number of mortar rounds needed and also to be transported.
That in turn will greatly reduce the strain on logistic resources
during conflicts. The so called 'brain' of the mortar shell is a
combination computer, guidance & navigation system that IDF
calls 'Pure-Heart' which operates in Pure Digital Real Time.
REMEMBER...
Many of the Armor Crews are FULL time
armor assembly line workers and this
Merkava tank is the only tank in history to have been designed, built & improved
by the very same troops that use the tanks... Crews, Repair Teams and logistics.
*Electronic sensors, Infrared
equipment and targeting radar are all from I.A.I.'s Elta Division
Mark IV BAZ, Mark IV,
Mark III BAZ and Mark III Merkava Pyramid Aiming Device
Business End of all
current Merkava's the IMI 120mm smooth bore Gun up
very close...
*120 mm main gun
plus
all other ammunition is made by Israel Military Industries & Rafael
And BELOW we have the Action End of the 120mm Smooth Bore IMI Main Gun
Unlike many other MBT's there are 4 safety features that prevent jamming &
Injury!
*Ballistic Firing Computer and digital FCS
[[Fire Control System]] interface systems
from Elbit Computers Ltd'
(Knights MkIV Tadir SharpShooter
Barak Zoher System),
Merkava III BAZ and
Merkava IV BAZ Fire Control Systems
We are the manufacturers of all of the Merkava series FCS as original equipment
including the latest and most up-to-date
MBT any where in the world today. We are since 2004 called Elbit Systems of Ramot
haSharon Israel. We are both a prime
and a sub contractor for the supply of various sophisticated electronic systems in the IDF Merkava
tank platform including the
new electric gun, turret drive as well as firing on the go stabilization systems. These systems include
day / night gunner and
commander ballistic sighting systems flat thin panel color display screens, advance warning systems against all laser
guided
threats, life support systems & BMS battle systems.
Since 2006 Lebanon War we have been awarded orders for the development and
supply of electronic and optical systems,
improved electrical drive systems for all Merkava series to bring them up to Mark IV BAZ
standards. Elbit was just awarded
orders by MANTAK to supply a new generation of classified electro-optical systems for the Mark IV BAZ series. The orders
will cover the period from now until the year 2012, is part of the TEFEN multi year IDF plan. We remain the prime
contractor
for MANTAK for all Merkava new construction on the tanks Fire Control System. We have also received a contract to
begin
the upgrading of
the firing computer of all IDF Mark III and early Mark IV main battle tanks over a three year period and to join
our subsidiary Kinetics
to supply a new type of life support system, new Tadiran encryption equipment and a new generation
of helmet slewing / aiming
technologies. Over half a billion dollars in Merkava programs.
*Tadiran (Now with Elbit
Systems) supplies the air
conditioning, intercom, HF, RF, communications relay equipment & C4I such
as...
We at Tadiran along
with our sister companies of the Elbit Systems electronic warehouse, are the
prime contractor for the new
generation of Merkava series of main battle tanks now being fielded by the IDF from 2007
through 2012 called the BAZ series.
We integrate theater missile defense and armor with artillery through a new centric BMS matrix,
spectrum management, also
command and control systems, data link solutions for a 'next' generation of stealth UAV called the Silver Sparrow
as well as
new guided munitions and IDF ELINT satellites, a video dissemination system that will link ground and front commanders with
armor, naval as well as combat air assets with the integration of the new IAI G550 series of AESA based AEW. Spectralink
&
even search
& rescue systems along with counter IED solutions are all being implemented over the next four years by Mantak
on this new Merkava BAZ
program as can be seen in the picture below.
*Optical Peritelscopes and LWS (Laser
Warning Systems) is from 'El-Op, Elisra', Elscint, Elbit, Scopus and
'Astronautics'
(who
all supplies driver compartment equipment, actuators, electronics
and automotive
system integration),
MERKAVA Mk IV BAZ
Merkava Siman Arba BAZ / Merkava Mk 4B /
Merkava Mark 4 BAZ / Merk Mk IV BAZ TADIR &
ASPRO-A 2nd Generation
APS
(now featuring an Auto Internal Re-Loader)
&
at the center top above the new Remote-Overhead Weapons Station (R-OWS)
TADIR FCS = Mark IV BAZ
2007 Production Series
(All Because of the TEFEN 2012 funding program)
*R-OWS (Remote - Overhead Weapons Station),
THOR & Trophy APS (ASPRO-A). is from 'Rafael Armament
Development
Authority,'
while the new redesigned turret bustle with the integrated Trophy APS was
developed by IAI and built by Urdan ballistic
steel works. THOR Laser will defeat in place IED (Improvised Explosive Device), EFF (Explosive
Formed Fragments) and the new
Iranian EFP (Explosive Fragment Projectiles). Also in August of 2007
Raphael announced M-TAPS (Multi Threat Armor Protection
System) which is a break-through technology of a new generation of appliquƩ
armor far more advanced than Chobham Armor which
is found on many US, English & NATO tanks today. It's a Hybrid reactive-passive
add-on armor that is designed to defeat modern
Russian, Chinese and Iranian tank threats such as dual and tandem warheads. It
is modular and very quick field repairable. It is even
effective protecting against IED, EFP and FSP including the Bushmaster high
velocity gun ammunition. It will be installed on Bradleys.
U.S. Marines will use it in all their 2008 and on-ward production of MRAP-II
vehicles according to the Commandant of the USMC.
This Section Begins Below After the Mark
IV Lebanon 2006 Conflict Entry...
Some of the more prominent FOREIGN suppliers are:
*GDLS (General Dynamics Land Systems), who at Israel's urging got the
license production rights from Germany's MTU for the
state-of-the-art 1500 hsp
GD883 V12 air cooled diesel engine
along with the RENK RK325 Transmissions make up the power
pack (which is army
vernacular term for a field quick change package of a tank power plant system.
For example the Merkava
Mark IV B engine weighs 1.7 tons while
the field replacement Powerpack weighs over 4 tons complete.
A Merkava Mark III BAZ Up Close and Personal with Knights Mk III FCS
Business End of the Merkava BAZ 120mm Rheinmetal
Germany developed, But IMI (Israel Military Industries) produced main gun .
Revolutionary MBT approach to defense, Smallest &
Hardest to hit target on Battlefield of Any tank in the world... to this very
day!
BEEP BEEP, OK Move Over Amigo or I will place this barrel where the Sun Doesn't
Shine. Hezzie's co-operation is SO important.
"Smile Partner
- AND MAKE MY DAY"...
*DARPA who
obtained the design details for I.M.I to develop and produce a native 3rd
generation FCS, But more
importantly was
the German direct under the counter secret transfer of the
manufacturing production of the smooth bore MBT tank gun. This 120mm
XM-256
(Watervielt Arsenal) smoothbore Rheinmetal main tank canon barrels was
provided under an arrangement between intel type
agencies (Israel & German). The trade - I.M.I. agrees to
sell to Rheinmetal the LAHAT 120mm anti-tank missile that can destroys
air
borne attack
helicopters, aircraft and fast moving enemy tanks with an on-board auto-tracker and slave
system). In fact the very same
Germany in 1950's transfer the necessary Billion (round numbers) Dollars to pay France for the entire 1957
nuclear weapons
under
ground
facility at Dimona in the Negev dessert, a so called 'textile/ cum desalinazation / cum peaceful enrichment plant'... Go figure...
TRIVIA POINT OF FACT - IMI
Manufactures under
license Rheinmetal 120mm SB Barrel
Merkava live fire exercise firing IMI Depleted
Dimona Uranium (DU) 120mm Round (talk about A head ache)
*Motorola for the Tadiran
on-board communication encryption systems,
*DuPont for the Nomex and other
ballistic and fire retardant materials used by Hagor tank uniforms,
*Russia's Military Industries for
unknowingly
helping Israeli equipment designers with both the KMT-4 & KMT-5 (see
above) anti-
mine rollers
(RKM) as
well as the ABK-3 dozer blade, now all built by Urdan with exports to NATO countries, US Army and
US
Marines
*Belgian Herstal FN for supplying MAG 7.62mm
heavy coaxial and roof turret machine guns,
*Caterpillar who is producing a
revolutionary Israeli designed tank 'rubberized' track tread system,
These systems & others are now
being deployed on Mark IV BAZ SharpShooter
version of the Merkava tank, now in
full
production with first
deliveries expected early 1st quarter 2007. To date
about 200 Mark I's were built, 550 Mark II's, 650
Mark III's and now 400
Mark IV First Generation. In 1999 400 1500hsp power-packs were
ordered and
in 2006 post
Lebanon another 400 powerpacks were placed, with
deliveries
beginning during 2007 according to L3 who purchased (in
2006) GDLS,
the German MTU licensee in America.
A 2007 Up Date:
all 400 Mark IV A's have been built and power-
packs installed.
A RUSH order of
200 Merk IV's (now BAZ) are now in various stages of
production & one IDF Battalion
or batch of 30 Merkava's was produced at the beginning of 2007, a
second batch of 30
has been constructed & are under
going field trials
in the Negev while a 3rd
batch of 30 are either off the assembly line or just about completed by winter
2007.
All of these versions are full Mark IV BAZ with the new Knight's Mark 4 FCS Tadir (BAZ) and incorporate well over 200+
modifications since
the first Mark IV
was delivered back in June of 2002. It is true that in a perfect world and in Normal times
we can expect about 60 units per year,
however... in the early years of the 2000's there was severe military cutbacks & scaling
back across the board which hit the Merkava
program hard and several times looked as though the whole program would end.
Only to be resuscitated at the last moment usually by
'events' which can thank Yasser and now Nasrallah in a strange twist of
IRONY. Because of the 2006 war and all the recriminations and
feedback there are now many crash programs funded by
TEFEN 2006 through 2012
that is now bringing about another side of telescopic Merkava production.
3
sets of 30 tanks at a time are now being ramped up
per year like never before and you can bet that MANTAK is taking full advantage
of this 'windfall' money before it evaporates...
again. Also
concurrently
early Mark IV A's and Mark III's are being now Up-Graded with
the new ASPRO-C APS
Add-On
package along
with
the new
Knight's Mk4 FCS among other
systems to
bring them up to Mk IV BAZ 2007 IDF standards.
Note: Mark IV
production numbers above can only be extrapolated from the US based tank engine supplier
L3 & Not MANTAK or
other IDF / Official sources as that is Always considered sensitive information
and is neither discussed or ever disclosed... BTW.
NUMBERS (Merkava Mk IV):
Platoon = 3
Company = 12 Battalion = 30
Brigade = 90
The late Aluf Israel Tal said that he
"hoped" 1,200 Merk IV B's
be fielded by December 2012 with the Tefen
2006 Funding. That's not necessarily a production line of 90+ units per annum
however." I'm
guessing here
Talik is referring to new
Mk 4 BAZ turret, bustle and APS with Knight's Mark 4 replacing Mk 3's as a
series
wide Up-Grade for older Mark 3 Merks! Then THAT dead line
would certainly be plausible and realistic! The
only catch is the annual IDF budget battle with
finance ministry to prevent this from coming about. We'll see
Undergoing
Live Fire Negev field exercises
at Shizafon with
new 2007 Merkava Mk IV
BAZ with integrated ASPRO-A APS
Compare Original Merkava Mk
I Alef Below & Latest Merkava Mk IV BAZ Above
Enter
Merkava Mk4 BARAK
Iin February 2020 the DF commander-in-chief Rav Aluf General Avi Kohavi has
named
Maj General Ziv Avtalion to head up the new Momentum 1sr Strike Division 99 made
from 1 deactivated Armor Brigade of 90 outdated Merk III tanks, 2 squadrons of
outdated
F-16 1980's aircraft with 150 new latest Merkava Mk4 Barak tanks and 25 F-35I
Stealth
fighters along with unmanned drone Swarms, CH-53K King Stallion
helicopters, new
Up CH-53K
Below Eitan APC
Eitan & Namer personnel carriers, Magen Corvettes All interconnected with
concentric
real time Comm. Links . This Lightning Fast Strike Attack "Tenufa" unit is
particularly
aimed at IRAN and any Kuds Force in Lebanon, Gaza & Sinai that threatens any
Israeli
strategic assets like oil platforms, IDF bases & positions and the home front.
The results
will be catastrophic devastation to the point of unrecognizable landscape from
which
these attacks are prepared, carried out and supplied! Here is Carmel latest
HyTec Toy!
== Merkava Tank Series
History ==
Tochnit
ha Merkava (the Chariot's official development program name)
This is the actual
May 1977
1st official IDF released photo of the THEN
new Merkava MBT # 820001 Z
(Zahal)
Note at the time, this particular angle was suppose to make the new
Merkava look at it's WORST!
The First Public Showing of the Chariot would be ONE Year later on Independence
Day May 22 1978.
One note here about this Merkava Mark 1 ALEF bereft of all crew accoutrements, kits, stretchers, shovels,
tow cables, bustle baskets, balls & chains. As time passed and new Merkava Marks
and derivatives were
produced; these later changes, lessons learned from the field and instituted
during wars; all of the Merkava
family of tanks evolved & would no longer Looked, Performed, Resembled or
Handled like the original.
The story behind the above picture may prove to the
reader to be a real eye opener some 30 plus years later...
Dateline: HaKirya, Tel Aviv (Israel's Pentagon) by Hirsh Goodman JPost Military
Correspondent TUESDAY
(May 17, 1977)
Defense Minister Shimon Peres (current President of Israel) officially
acknowledged for the
first time Saturday (14 May 1977)
that Israel is producing a main battle tank called the Merkava (Chariot).
The
announcement followed the unexpected public
disclosure in Washington D.C. by President Jimmy Carter
of a most unusual pledge
of $100 million dollars of U.S. funds to help start
initial production of a new Israeli
domestically built tank on Thursday (May 12,
1977). Coverage of this signing was provided by Jerusalem Post
Washington Correspondent Wolf Blitzer (current CNN news anchor).
This up to now secret
tank program is
headed
by the Israel Armor Corps and by Aluf Israel Tal, a world authority and proponent
of armor warfare
since beginning of the
decade. Peres elaborated that the Merkava has a typical crew of 4 and can carry
as much
as 92 rounds of 105mm ammo. He
also disclosed that this tank would be unconventional as certain lessons from
recent wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973 have made
the Merkava the safest tank in the world. If only a basic load of
62 rounds were
carried then up to 10 combat infantry can be
accommodated in a special rear compartment as the
engine in the Merkava is in
front which adds to its safety design. The tank
will be powered by a newly developed
900 hsp version of the U.S. Patton 750 hsp Teledyne Continental Motors engine. The
main armament is 105mm
canon now found on all the German, British and
American main battle tanks and is the current
NATO standard
found in inventories across Europe. The new joint American-German
next generation MBT is not expected for
another seven years and would not be made available to Israel for at least
another decade after that to allow for
both the US Army
and German Army to build up inventories. A factory especially set up for the
production of
ballistic armor casting is the brand new Urdan steel foundry in Netanya and is only 1 of 10 in the entire world
capable
of producing ballistic castings. Urdan just recently
(1977)
got a multi year contract that went a long way
to pay for the plant
capitalization, to manufacture for the U.S. Army the cupola for use on the M60 Patton series
of tanks. The Chariot it was learned
Sunday (May 15, 1977) has completed field trials of
10,000km in both desert
and mountain areas of Israel and passed with flying
colors. Full production will commence immediately. The
first
castings of 40 tanks was completed in 1976 and it was expected by
the IDF to have first examples in units hands
by November
of 1976, there was a major hurdle with funding, transmission problems and
U.S. State Department
licensing rights. (As Usual!)
One more urban rumor to be put to rest... a so
called preliminary sketch of the
Merkava Siman Aleph signed by Moshe Dyan.
Close
but, no cigar. Ok, it's 1970 & the English next
generation Chieftain tank project is no more and
the IDF staff
wants & needs a tank badly, like yesterday! Aluf Tal was tasked with the proposal to be studied, worked, planned,
find infrastructure & prepare for a major briefing on a massive IDF
project... Tochinit ha Merkava, classified code
for "Merkava Planned Tank Project."
Tal
works out what he needs, what the IDF can afford
and what the armor
commanders in the field ask as their #1 priority; which is crew
protection over mobility and lethality (coming on the
heels of the 1973 surprise anti-tank weapons). He gets all his ideas
together except one remaining important item...
a color image. He goes to
Jerusalem, finds celebrated Master Builder Moshe Safdie who
just moved from Montreal
Canada at Mayor Teddy Kollek's urging. They collaborate on
a sketch /architectural conception of Merkava
for the
First time. This did the trick as the project got full
IDF and government
funding.
SO,
the "Moshe" on the drawing is
Safdie's
NOT Dayan. Here's that rare
Painting...
End of Story...
Division Commander 1967 War
Deputy Chief of the General Staff IDF
Commander Armor Corps
===Major General Israel 'Talik' Tal===
Born Sept 1924 Died Sept 2010
He was Affectionately Known as the 'Father Of The
Merkava' IDF MBT series of armor fighting vehicles
LEFT 1970's Director of the IDF Merkava Project Office 'MANTAK' & RIGHT at the Sarafand work shops.
Born in 1924 the now eighty year old Octogenarian (upper right) still can be found
each day on the grounds of
the new Tel HaShomer armor work shop facility busy as ever on the development of the
'Next' Merkava
challenge the
NAMER (Tiger, above) APC built around the hull of the Merkava Mk IV, Engineer ARV
Armor Recovery Vehicle, the unique Tankbulance or the next new Merkava; the 2010 Mark V 40
ton
Hi-Mobility class MBT! Speed in excess of
60mph, Laser anti-IED/EFP gun, all wheel drive & Smart shells.
Major General Tal single handily molded the Armor Corps into a Sharp-Shooting
tanks corps with one shot
equals one enemy tank hit. Ask the Syrians back in 1964. His command and
leadership of armor divisions
is renown. His tactics are legendary and are taught in every major military
school around the world today.
The idea, thought, design of the Merkava is icing on a distinguished military
career of 6 decades. This MBT
is not just revolutionary and unconventional but practical, sensible,
economical, Deadly and gives the Israeli
Defense Forces an UNFAIR advantage over all its adversaries regardless if their
equipment is the most
EXPENSIVE,
the Greatest or from Russia, China or even the USA. It has changed over the
years and adapted very well to
changing tactics, battlefield lessons learned and advances in enemy technology.
Nothing is perfect in the real
world but, the Merkava series has stood the test of time and it's Mark IV BAZ
will verify that fact once again.
For all those nut cases out there in web chit-chat posts endlessly arguing Which
Tank Is Best might find it
very annoying that Aluf Israel Tal may have had a part in the development
of another tank, the Abrams MBT!
Surprised? You shouldn't have been. He was
already known to have helped the XMBT-70 the Abrams tank
predecessor
with vertical hanging armor skirts that Creighton Abrams liked so well that it
was ordered by the
U.S. Army. And:
Abrams recalled when the American M1A1 MBT, then in first production and using a
turbine engine, was failing
in every phase of its construction. It suck sand, its suspension could not
take desert punishment, its bearings ate
dust, its firing on the move was inadequate, etc. We called upon Israels
General Tal, the father of the Merkava, to
assist us in de-bugging the M1 from head to toe, A to Z. After
General Abrams passed away the tank was named.
But, the 'official' Thank You that followed was to be a charge of stealing
US technology for chrome-plated tank gun
barrels, which was later quietly dropped. Turned out that this chrome
lining technology was being sold in 3 countries.
Israel had asked for bids on transfer technology of chrome plating from
Swedens Bofors, French Giat & Germanys
Rheinmetal, all of whom had developed chrome plating for gun barrels
a year before. It was a trumped up accusation
inspired by the hostile US State Department so it did make it to the front
pages as planned. However, when proven
wrong, there was never any printed apology either by the US media or
the United States State Department. As usual!
In Honor of General Tal's Contribution to the Abrams MBT Development, A Section
of the U S Army Armor Corps
Museum is Dedicated to Him with the awarding of the
Patton
Armor Corps Medal. He's only 1 of 3 non Americans.
Major General
Israel Tal being Congratulated by
Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Gabriel Ashkenazi
Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor at Fort Knox
International Commanders Wall honors General
Israel 'Talik' Tal
In the entrance hall to the
Patton Museum, there is a special section dedicated to only 5 great armor
commanders of the 20th
Century.
One is a German; two were U.S. Army general officers and
two were general officers in the Israeli Defense Force
(IDF). The Israeli generals were Commandants of the IDF Armored School and of
the the IDF Armor Corps. The German,
of course, is Field Marshal Rommel. The U.S. officers are Gen. George Patton and
Gen. Creighton Abrams. The Israeli
officers are Gen. Israel Tal (Talik) and 1973 Golan Heights armor Gen. Musa
Peled who successfully defeated an enemy
that out numbered his tank force by 46 to 1. Defeating over 600 Syrian T-62
tanks in four hours of intense close battle.
"Israel Tal, a
teenager at the time, fought as a sergeant in the Jewish Brigade with British
forces in Italy in World War II. He
would leave that war just in time to participate in the Israeli War of
Independence, and again in the 1956 War, and again as
a division commander in the Six-Day War (1967). Then as the Israelis struggled
to separate themselves from dependence
on foreign equipment, General Tal set about to design
& produce a tank, a
tank for the unique combat circumstances faced
by the Israeli Defense Force. The Merkava was the result and is by all odds the
best of the world™s tanks in terms of most
nearly meeting the requirements set forth for it by the user “ the Armored Corps
of the Israel Defense Force. In every detail
it is Tal's tank. Its capabilities include, among other things, the ability to
provide crew and vehicle survivability at levels never
dreamed of before its design. Syria's attempt to divert water away from the
Jordan River from the snow melt run-off on the
slopes of Mount Hermon on the Golan Heights prompted the Merkava's capability
for long range gunnery. That run-off was
a critical source of water into the Jordan. Having failed at political
persuasion with the Syrians, Israel called on its Armored
Corps to solve the problem. Tal and his tanks opened fire across the border onto
the Syrian bulldozers digging trenches to
divert the water. The Syrians backed up the mountain; the tanks opened fire at
greater range. After several such episodes,
the digging stopped, not to be resumed. The Armored Corps became world class
long-range tank gunners and the water
continued to flow into the Jordan till this very day."
Citation by General Donald A. Starry, US Army Armor Corps.
Little Known Story behind The Legend of General Israel Tal...
HERE
Click Image Above for Classic Review "The
Tank Even a Jewish Mother Would Love"
Above Gen Tal Showing PM Begin Merkava Plant @ Grand Opening Christmas 79
Merkava Mk 1A 30 unit 1980 assembly line
@ new Armor Workshops
Merkava Mk III 30 unit 1994 line at the
Tel HaShomer
armor plant
Merkava Mk IV BAZ 30 unit
production line during 2007 with Mk2 & Mk3 Lebanon
Conflict
damaged tanks
under repair foreground above with a new Tadir Knight Mark 4
FCS and Trophy II Mark 4
BAZ tank finished in back.
While below is the new Merkava
Mk IV BAZ coming off the assemble line bottom left with more units in back on
the line.
All Lebanon damaged armor has been now repaired & the Merkava Mk IV BAZ 2008
production line is in full swing
Also there are now parallel lines for Nemer Mk IV APC's,
Older Mk III, pre-2006 Mk IV Merkavas being sent through IRAN complete upgrading.
Note on IRAN, a common term for Zero refitting and Zero Timing process first
used in air
craft to bring older models of the same series to that of the latest variants
and technologies.
History of the Merkava series of main
battle tanks (MBT) dates back to the 1960's.
Israel realized that to defend
itself in times of
war, it
had to have unrestricted sources of
the major
weapon's platforms of land, sea and air. To be able to do that, a country would
have to have
the infrastructure to build and adapt those systems to it's own
specific geo-
graphical conditions, a technological base as
well as have a history
of
national-defense
industry. Israel could buy nearly any plane, ship,
submarine, gun and ammunition on the
world surplus market. However,
not a single country in either the West or the East was
willing to sell her MBT
during the 1940's and
1950's. It was not until the French sold
Israel tiny AMX light tanks for the 1956 Suez war did the IDF have any armor
capability.
Later when the British began to unload their WWII
style Centurion tanks did Israel have a
main battle tank. This French and
British
tank would be upgraded dramatically by the IDF
repair base
at Sarafand until it was not feasible any longer to keep fixing up 20 year
old
&
out dated technology armor. Israel still lacked the experience or
the infrastructure to design
& construct a
contemporary MBT
by 1960 that was comparable to any industrialized nation,
either from the
West
or from the Eastern. They would have to start from
scratch and they
decided to
build a 'Sabra' (Hebrew for Native Israelis) indigenous type main battle tank.
So you might ask, Does the APS work and has it been tested... uh,
duh!
What smoke Marshie? I don't seem to
remember you being inside this sardine can of a tank with us guinea pigs!
IDF EXPORT SABRA Mk I MBT
Design, Planning, Proof of Concept
and even wooden prototypes were begun for the Sabra...
Above SABRA series began after Merkava as
'conversion' kit for older existing tanks in inventory
Design started in mid 1960's but
because of Chieftain fiasco was delayed 20 years to mid 1980's
It has now been successfully
exported to a half dozen countries and is still going quite well in all.
So in 1965, Israel set about to design and produce a 'Sabra'
IDF main
battle tank. However, fate would intervene
in 1966 when
Israel was
approached by Britain to help jointly develop & conduct field trials for a
new next generation
MBT called the [Chieftain] MBT. Israel agreed if they would be given the opportunity to locally produce a
variant for
the IDF and
so 2 examples arrived in January
1967 along with a team of British armor and
technical experts. The two
Chieftain prototypes were put through exhaustive
tests of their
performance in dirty, dusty desert climatic conditions of
the very hot and dry Sinai Desert. England back then, had hoped to compete
with Soviet tanks for Mid East sales.
Fourth of 4 Chieftains (2 Pairs) for
Preproduction Sinai Testing Early 1969. General Tal on Right
But, during
June 1967 Six-Day War,
the technicians were briefly called back to England and the two prototypes were
hidden and stored.
But soon a second pair of 'improved' Chieftains arrived
& began more exhaustive
trials to verify the
improvements made over the first 2 prototypes to see if they held up under
the field conditions of the Middle East. This
time however, they would face the even harsher conditions of the cold, wind and
moisture of the barren Golan Heights
as well as it's notorious basalt rocks & bad topography. The first
2 examples arrived back in England
to be re-evaluated
The second two new prototypes
were tested not even 1 year when an Arab potential buyer for the tanks put a
stop to
this Anglo-Israeli
military hardware co-operation with the British Ministry Of Defense. However, many valuable lessons
were now learned by the IDF from the 4 prototypes and from the 1967 conflict,
especially the need for
more crew
protection and a new approach to an 'instant' fire suppression system as
burn casualties
top the list for armor injuries in
most of the Sinai & Golan engagements. Also factored in would be the
ground work for an IDF tank production line that
Britain had promised as a part of the package. But, politics
intervened in late '69, MOD withdrew
from the joint
program,
because the Home Office and the Foreign Ministry was coerced with an
Arab promise of future
tank sales. That there has
since Mandatory Times been a bias within the British
Foreign Ministry of Brit Army getting too 'chummy' with the Zionist
state, so a convenient excuse was now at hand to stop this program dead in it's
tracks. It was
never the British Defense
Ministry (MOD) & to this very day still purchases millions of dollars worth of
IDF desert military (UAV)
equipment. The
two remaining Chieftain tanks
were ordered returned on a cargo ship at Haifa port 17th December 1969. Dead End!
Thus 5 valuable years were
now lost
in Israel's
quest for self sufficiency in a future main battle tank production program.
A sad
foot note to this chapter was
the Pentagon would many years later
admit that the British Foreign Office also asked
the US State Department to make
sure
NO 'new' MBT's were sold to Israel.
It seems, when the
last two remaining MBT
tanks arrived 25 December (Christmas)
1969, it was discovered
all the important IDF suggested improvements and
new
recommendations for Chieftain short-comings were not included and were missing, according to the AP wire
service back
on December 28th 1969. Why the nerve of those ungrateful Zionist...
! They are still laughing at the Pentagon BTW.
Israel then realized that it could
not rely on other nations to help her produce a main battle tank, it would have
to be done
by Israel's own
manufacturing base.
General Israel Tal, began
considering a new Israeli-made and Israeli-designed MBT
and put
forward
on 15 of May 1970
a proposal that was accepted by the Israel Parliament
for funding, scouting for an
industrial base and the search for native
as well as foreign suppliers began. This
May date would then come to be known
as the birth date for the Merkava tank
program. However there would be many
set backs, shortages of funds design flaws
and developmental problems that
would arise over the next few years adding to the Merkava's birth pangs. One of the
worst would be the 1973 Yom Kippur
War &
just as the first proto-types were being approved for
funding & constructing.
The Israeli High Command realized that
they
did not have the human resources to withstand a war of attrition again with
Arab
neighbors. Now, with that conclusion,
the Israeli government decided to initiate
at once spin off projects related to
designing
the Tochnit ha Merkava
(the Chariot's
official
development program name) where crew survivability would take
precedence
over firepower and tank
mobility
attributes. So terrible were the tank crew
losses in both the previous 1967 Six-Day and the
Yom Kippur
War of 1973 that
drove the Merkava program to what it is today. After those battles General Tal would shut down
the tank program and all
production; to inspect, photograph and document every single armor casualty as to it's cause
and possible
prevention.
Because of this type of
attention from war feedback from
previous battles, Israeli priorities were firmly reset
the 'Crew First'
concept
from that date (June 1973) forward.
To this very day this Priority
has not
changes one iota in the last forty years of the Merkava Tank Program.
Here we see an excellent example of Lessons
Learned. Because in all tanks world wide; reloading has to be done through the
top
hatches, many injuries, casualties and
even fatalities were incurred while tanks attempted to re-supply while under
combat. With the
innovation of the rear clam shell door seen above the canisters
protecting
the 120 mm main armament ammo rounds are quickly and
now safely brought on board, even
while under
combat without compromising crews. Simply Ingenious.
By 1974 the tank's design was
complete, prototypes fabricated and a temporary
factory (the current plant
dates from 1988 and the
Merkava III series) created
from
existing World War II
British armor workshops back when the base was
called Sarafand (Tzerafin
in
Hebrew). Work soon began on adapting these workshops into
Tell HaShomer
Ordnance Depot for permanent full-scale mass tank
production
over the next ten years.
Ten-thousand kilometer field trials commenced in December
1974,
first with
four examples, then
later expanding to six Merkava proto-types (all
of which can
still be seen today at the newly refurbished Armor Corps museum at the
mandatory times British Taggert Fort in Latrun, Israel).
Merkava
was
formally acknowledged among military circles for the first time
during
March
1977 in the 'International Defense Review'
monthly magazine. But the
huge
Merkava
program was in dire need of any
kind of additional funding. Aluf Tal (General
Tal,
Father of the Merkava tank)
then made a rare trip to Washington D.C. in
hopes of
finding an
American financial support source for his Merkava. The United
States Congress
accepted Tal's proposal & the agreement
was enacted when
President of the United
States Jimmy Carter publically signed a
multi-million dollar
grant for Merkava development
on
Thursday, May
12, 1977. Then the first official images of the Merkava MBT were
then
released 2
days later to the world military
press, like the US "Armed
Forces Journal" on Saturday May 14, 1977. HOWEVER, it
would be a more memorable
experience on
the Merkava Chariot's FIRST public appearance during Israel's 30th
Independence Day celebrations May 1978 in the huge new
Jerusalem University
sports Stadium.
The 100 million dollars provided all the seed money for the mass production and
large scale purchases from foreign sources of many
state-of-the-art components not yet available in Israel and that allowed the
Merkava
program to go forward. It was THAT crucial.
Interesting enough only 1.7 million
dollars was actually used for the new plant because war from the North loomed in
those dark days
of 1970's and instead of making one or two more "pre-production"
batches of 30 tanks each to work out in the field with the regular
IDF forces
all
the kinks and oversights that happen with a first model of anything, the IDF
ordered immediate 24 hrs a day around the
clock production so that by the actual
date of the Lebanon war almost 200 Merkava's were completed and in the field ready to go
to
war. The new purposely designed final tank assembly factory, the famous
building #7100, would not be constructed until the first major
definitive change
to the Merkava tank (the famous Mark III) in 1989 began production. The old WWII
British & Palestinian Quonset
huts and dilapidated workshops of the Merkava Mark
I and Mark II would be used for follow-on maintenance, up-grading old tank
series from Korean & older wars which would then be sold off as Export. Soon
they began to get work orders from other countries for
PM (preventive
maintenance)
such as the U.S. Army and Marine Corps European / NATO theater. MANTAK had come
a long way
from Nothing to a full MBT assembly line infrastructure.
President Carter focused
world attention on this Israeli 'Black' secretive military
enterprise with his public
signing but, those needed funds
did speed up tank assembly so
that by 30 April
1978 the first production examples of the Merkava Mark I tanks
rolled out with
one of
them making the first official public appearance May 1978
during the annual Israel Independence Day celebrations at Jerusalem's main
university
stadium. A
Merkava Mk I rolled slowly out onto the large elliptical race track to
the
applause of many there that day, The four
IDF tank crew members were announced &
stood proudly up in their fighting compartment positions & waved to the crowd.
Then
Colonel Avigdor Kahalani
(tank hero of the '73 war) received the ceremonial 1st
Keys from General Tal on
behalf of the 1st armor
group in the IDF to get the brand
new Merkava tank
(7th Brigade). But, then, slowly the rear hull began to open up
with
these giant
armored doors in a vertical clam-shell arrangement & the
crowd fell
silent. No one had ever seen anything like this, including all the
attending foreign military
attache's that were in attendance. They could not believe
their eyes when ten fully armed
combat soldiers began
racing
out on the
lowered ramp of the clam shell door & then
stood in formation in front of this
56 ton behemoth. All the while the
complete
Merkava crew of Commander, Gunner, Loader and Driver stood in their tanks'
open hatches. Fourteen fully armed troops in
1 Tank.
There wasn't a dry eye in the
crowd that day. Me included! A new Tank era was born. Israel had just joined an
elite
small
group of
nations
on the world's stage To Be Able To DESIGN, DEVELOP and
MASS PRODUCE their own MBT in 1977.
1st Merkava Mk I in
Feb 1977 at Tel Ha Shomer IDF armor workshops outside Tel Aviv (seen on
horizon) near Sarafand (Tzerefin)
Note:
This Tank's Serial Number is 820001
or the very first production model. See First Released B&W Photo Above...
Also note the differences in detail on this model today versus the released
censored B&W photo by the IDF PIO office.
The IDF hand over ceremony would not
be until December 1978, when the first full brigade of 30 Merkava tanks began
unit training.
One
year later in 1979 the first Merkava unit was officially
received by the IDF as operational with 90 Merks. By late 1980 the second
brigade of 90 takes began training so that by the 1982 Lebanon war over 200 Merks could be ready. Some would think that ten years
was a
long
time for a start-up of
a MBT program. Others would have blamed funding problems
of 1973-1976, growing pains from
transitioning from an
economic based industry to a
military industrial complex, the many equipment failures with such a radical new
platform, the 1973 Yom Kippur
War did not help matters and would actually cause years of funding issues, then there was tank crew
conversion difficulties of going from a WWII tank mentality to a next generation
armor warfare that the Merkava would be the first in
the world to adopt arriving before the French, German and even the US next-gen
tanks, also the longer
than normal crew
training and
a whole new set of armor tactics that had to be
developed due to the new tanks shape, speed and capabilities found in such an
unconventionally design tank.
Further, the first deployed Division of Merkava tanks would not be battle ready
and finish training until
mid 1980's. Still, 10 years from nothing
(no money, no infrastructure, no experience workers, no existing similar
programs)
to full
tank
deployment is quite an achievement in the annals of
world armor history. Especially when you
think that in Israel's case there was
absolutely no industrial production located anywhere in the
country before the 1970's.
Everything had to be developed from scratch.
=== Merkava Siman Echad (Mk I Series)
1970 to 1983 ===
Only 5 Years From First Casting 1973 to
First Production Units 1978 On Display
First Six Merkava proto-types began their 10,000km field testing in 1974,
first
definitive tank 1977, first series production 1978 & IDF acceptance
June 1979 &
BTW, this is a plastic model of my first assigned Merkava tank.
Compare Original Merkava
Mark I Below with Latest Merkava Mk IV BAZ
Rare AP wire photograph of Jerusalem stadium May 22
1978 Independence
Day Celebrations unveiling the first public showing of the 'Chariot' Tank. On
this first occasion the Merkava tank went on display, 10 Combat IDF troops
came out the back clam shell doors, while the 4 man crew remained visible.
Merkava Siman Aleph with new bustle basket but NO
chains prior to 1982 Lebanon Conflict
The Merkava Mark I was Israel's first home built
MBT that was designed, fabricated
and put into
mass production. This tank represents a departure from basic MBT
layout,
the high degree of crew
protection and the amount of armor
between the crew and
incoming projectiles.
Even the tank's
shape and general layout of the Merkava is very
unconventional and most
unique among all tank's.
The Merkava I was designed with the
engine mounted in the front and the turret placed
toward the
back of the tank.
Most
remarkable of all however, is that from a 'prepared
position' the Merkava
series of tanks presents the Smallest front silhouette
of any MBT
in the world, making it the hardest
tank to hit or even for the enemy to see
despite it's
great size, bulk (above). The MBT's visible turret
area measures
as follows: the USA Abrams
M1 is
1.17 square meters, British Chieftain is 1.55sqm,
German MBT
Leopard is 1.29,
Soviet T-72
and T-80 is 0.90 square meters while the Merkava is
only 0.76 square
meters
visible. Even the current Mark IV is still one of the smallest targets
(below).
When the Merkava tank is in 'Hull Down' battle
field position it is almost impossible to see and when
it approaches it is still able to mask it's great
size and mass, after all there can be 14 troops inside!
No
other tank on the scene today can make that
claim, now it's over 80+ storage of main canon ammo...
Merkava Siman Aleph arriving at mouth of
Lebanon's Litani
River beach for an assault during 1982
One of many Israel Naval LST's landing armor forces all
during 1982 Lebanon War from the sea
Even though the tank was equipped
with the state-of-the-art 105mm rifled US M68
main
gun, developers pointed out
that up to
a 120mm main gun could be easily retro-
fitted, once
NATO
officially adopted that weapon caliber & it's 120mm ammunition
became
available
to Israel in times of war and crisis. Both the Chieftain & the
Abrams
tanks came with the
105mm caliber main gun when they were first produced for their
respective armies in the
late 1970's.
This pair of Merkava Mk I's are seen here on the
Golan prior to the 1982 war. NO CHAINS, yet!
The Merkava first saw combat action
in the June 1982 Lebanon War when 180 units in
three brigades (six
battalions) were
deployed. There, many battlefield issues would come to
light
and later be addressed. It showed a need for the 60mm mortar to
be installed
inside &
fired remotely, rather than outside the turret in an exposed urban
battlefield environment. A
shot trap was
discovered in battle under the rear
area of the turret bustle which was easily
remedied with a field installation of
hanging chains & steel balls at the turret bustle over hang.
The high-power typical tank Zeon
spotlight was removed as not needed nor wanted. Tracks
were modified and
strengthen due to their constant failure on Lebanon's steep mountainous
conditions. Unlike most MBT's in the
world, the Merkava could climb a 70 degree
incline, a
most amazing feat that even foot soldiers would have difficulty
in trying to accomplish. A more
powerful automatic transmission was also needed, as well as
an up-grade to the Merkava's
main braking system. Major
up-grades that were also
found in the Mark I's Lebanese conflict,
would have to wait till after the
December 1983 introduction of the
Merkava Mark II, for a
next generation
Merkava Mark III series in 1989. They were: an improved cabin
(NBC / air-
condition)
system, a pure water supply, an anti-helicopter weapon
system, a more powerful
engine pack with an Israeli built and designed transmission, a more deadly main canon, longer
or extended range parameters and even a basic
increase in the over all size of the tank hull
itself that would provide for a more comfortable ride in the most inhospitable
terrain.
Lebanon1982 Merkava I First
Combat...
Go
HERE
for Images, Stories, Actions & Battles
Soviet T-54, T-55, T-62 & T-72 have always managed to come in a
strong Second place to
IDF in Wars
=== Merkava Series Aerial Deployment
===
Anyone Want To See A Merk Mark IV BAZ
Being Off / On Loaded to a C-17 ?
Many arm-chair would-be generals would tell you
that one of the DOWN sides to a Merkava tank
has to be it's weight as that would prevent it's deployment to many of the
battle front areas in the
world today by aircraft. Well, that has not slowed down one tank, the US Army
M1A2 Abrams
which if I am to believe the manufacturer (General Dynamics Land Systems) is
about 70 tons, give
or take depending on... accessories. Well, they also had no problem on hundreds
of occasions to
have to airlift Abrams into the thick of battle in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Merkava tank can
weigh about 50 tons give or take, but due to recent developments
(like IAI Iron Fist and Rafael
M-Taps)
can weigh even less now. Ok, meister, show me ONE
example. OK, How about....
this case of a development model (shown here a Merkava Mark I upgraded to Mk II
standards) and placed
with the Czech Republic, France and above Germany on an exchange for T-80,
Leopard Mk V & LeClerc.
Later, to satisfy the U.S. State
Department, an agreement between Turkey and Israel that
was finally reached
in 2005 was that Merkava Up-Grades would be made to existing Turkish M-60 series Army tanks
such as:
engine-packs,
armor,
weapons and even an Israeli FCS system. Also, "tests have been conducted with DOD
teams over the years & All Merkava series (Mk 1 - IV) COULD be airlifted with USAF active air assets."
Just Because Some
Nut-Job Head Puts a $1.75 English
Sign on a Hebrew Tank... Does NOT Make It So
There are NO Merks in IDF service with English Markings, Model or Versions
but All Merks do go through
Up-Grades constantly just to stay current even if they are like this old 1980's
Mark now on a Museum loan...
EXPORTED MERKAVA's
The Israeli government agency that is
responsible for military exports and their web site have
listed the Merkava Mk I, the Mark II and now the Mark III at
www.SIBAT & have done so
now for decades. However, sales are kept quiet and always been censored in the
Israeli press.
I expect Iran's northern neighbor Azerbaijan will not be the only recipient of a company of
Merkava's, even if for only palace guard duties
in Baku. SIBAT has no less than 5 request
on record in late 2006 for reconditioned Merks Mk 2 & Mk 3 which the IDF now wants all
to be replaced with the new edition of the state-of-the-art Mark 4Baz
up-grades & production.
Currently with Merkava Mk III's there is an on-going proof of concept to swap
out the turret
with new Mark 4 state-of-the-art electronics, APS, armor, GPS, WiMax, Ammo &
intel gear.
SIBAT has over 600 ex-IDF Merks ready for export as of 2008 if anyone is
counting...
The definitive fully mature Merkava Mark I back from Lebanon
Combat...
Notice old turret bustle basket but with new "Shulamit
Hair Chains' now attached?
=== Merkava Siman Shteim (Mark II) 1983 to 1989 ===
Merkava II out
scout'n for a
parking spot!
What ignoramus said the Merkava was 'Under Powered?'
You wanna see a
wheely?
Where are you suggesting?
Tibet climbing the Himalayans?
Antarctica?
Maybe Laguna Beach?
FYI, USMC Abrams M1A2SEP
did not fare well against Merk IV's OR the Golan Heights BTW. Jes Say'n !
The Mark II was first introduced into
general service in April 1983 after the previous year's incursion into
Lebanon.
Some (like Royal
Armor expert Brigadier General Richard E. Simpkin)
have said; 'if it
were not for critical timing &
the need to get Merkava Mark
I into
service of the IDF ASAP, that the
Merkava Mark II would have been the
first
definitive production model in the hands of the armor
brigades
and that the
Mark I would have been just another of the
many proto-types and development
'mules'
that were used and field
tested prior to IDF 1977 acceptance.'
So put THAT into your pipe and smoke it!
World Armor Expert In Depth
Merkava Series Review
HERE
The Merkava Mark II included many new
upgrades & improvements because of the Lebanese 1982
Spring conflict, such
as
the focus on urban warfare. By adding additional 7.62mm machine guns to
the
weapon stations for the T/Cmdr,
gunner and loader allowed increased
fire-support for dismounted
infantry along side the tank. Mark II
displayed
further improvements in crew-survivability: functions
such as relocating the 60mm Soltam mortar's firing station inside the crew
compartment, introducing a
new Israeli-designed & built Ashot automatic transmission,
increased fuel storage for
improved range
of 500 km (by putting the diesel fuel between the outer layers of the ballistic
steel shell which help defeat
HEAT warheads), by replacing a 5 cent
engine spring (this lead to the amount of time between major
engine
overhauls
from 100 operating hours to over 1,000 hours), as well as the modification & installation
of the
ubiquitous ball
and chain arrangement seen hanging from all Merkava rear bustles.
These clever
simple devices deflect RPG's and other
projectiles away from the
tanks shot-trap areas that all tanks have.
Various upgrades to the Merkava
Mark II models emphasized improved FCS systems. The new mast
for the
meteorological
sensors, crosswind analyzers, thermal imaging & night vision
optics, and the new
El-Op Matador 2 fire control system have
all been improved & modified. This created a new Merkava
Mark I-BIS series in 1985. Although the 900 hsp Teledyne
pack
remained the
primary power plant for
the platform (1200hsp still was not ready), an Israeli break through in automatic
transmissions designed
by Ashot of
Ashkelon Israel
was developed & incorporated
into the Merkava Mark II BATASH series.
== Merkava Siman Shalosh (Mk III Series) 1989 - 1999 ==
First Merkava Mk III's to be deployed to a war was
Lebanon June 1989 straight from production line
Another Under Powered
Merkava, this time the
Mk III seen here heading out for some coffee &
donuts... Mustava
been a Monday!
This tank is IDEALLY suited for the environment for which it was built... The
Middle East. Not Europe you chat
room dummies.
Professional Precision Scale Model Merkava Mark III
by Colonel Fernando Galdiano-Ribeirao
For in depth discussion, picture examples and
HOW-TO instructions on making a Merkava MkIII BAZ
go
HERE
Following new intelligence gained
during Israel's 1982 campaign in Lebanon, the Mark III was first seen in
December 1989 with
more major modifications. Among the many modifications
were major changes to the Merkava basic turret silhouette features:
West Bank Patrol for new Mark III BAZ April 2000, Note the New
Low Streamlined Silhouette Turret
Merkava Mk III Dor Daleth on maneuvers among the Daisies in the Galilee's Plain
of Esdraelon at the foot of
historic Mount Megiddo (Armageddon)
Merkava Mk III Dor Daleth up Very Close indeed with the snow caps foot hills of
the Hermon mountain range
seen here above in the distant back ground
Merkava Mk III Dor Daleth company up close with smoke canister container open at
the ready
*120mm smoothbore main gun
(designated MG-251) originally developed by Rheinmetall of Germany.
*1200 hsp powerpack for improved
mobility & terrain handling (1500 hsp version was NOT ready in time for initial
tank production)
*Special new type Israeli ballistic
ceramic armor suite (a local version of British "Chobham" armor). Above,
border patrol company.
*Solid state ruggedize Digital
electronic communication suite,
*External, two-way hard wire
telephone for secure troops-to-tank communications,
*Main gun stabilization system, which
allowed for independent turret movement and anti-helicopter capabilities,
*Implementation of dual round
protective munitions containers for minimizing ammunition cooking off,
*Laser target designators and
360-degree laser warning system (LWS),
*Improved modular armor system
allowing quick replacement of damaged armor (designated Kasag).
**The modular armor is designed for
rapid replacement and repair in the battlefield and for quick upgrading as new
designs and
sophisticated materials become available.
== BAZ (Falcon) FCS
Knight Series Up-Grade Systems==
Merkava Siman III BAZ (HAWK)
SharpShooters series
laying a smoke screen for on board troops prior to combat field deployment
For the arm-chair generals out there,
we have BAZ units of every shape, model and Merk derivative as it
Only
refers to the FCS (Fire
Control System) that is being 'constantly' upgraded by Mantak
and not some dumb chat room preconceived
idea it applies to a 13 year
old Mark III's wandering around in search of a mission. This 'Sharp-Shooter' version is deadly accurate with the
IDF Armor goal of 1
shot Equals 1 Hit and is just as deadly accurate against armored helicopters as it is enemy MBT's. All else is... FAILURE.
Talik's Law
Debuting in 1995, the
BAZ Up-Grade to the Merkava Mark III
BAZ Series was designed with improved
Sharp-Shooting BAZ
and
additional electronic systems...
ElOp up grade FCS for BAZ on Mark III Merks is Knights Mk3 System
*Upgraded FCS (Fire Control System)
Both Knight's Mk3 for Mark III
Merkava's & the Armor Corps
new 1999 Tadir Knight's Mark 4 for the entire Mark IV
production line 1999-2009
through 2012+.
*Improved Protection against weapons of mass destruction; NBC
ventilation / air conditioning and heating / air cleaning systems.
*Locally-developed central
Micro air-conditioning system (this
was revolutionary in tanks).
NOTE, all Merkava series have had A/C from
day 1.
(In Micro A/C a distribution system of flexible tubing pipes cool (or heat)
air right into the tank crew suits for individual comfort.
Also,
since the Mark III BAZ units of 1995, all seats in Merkava tanks have
also
had an
air cushion suspension and anti-IED blast system installed.
2007 Merkava Siman III BAZ LIC (FALCON
FCS) undergoing new Up-Grade at Plant 7100 including the new Belly Armor Pak
The designation appended to the name; Merkava Mark
X "BAZ" (Falcon, Hebrew Barak Zoher meaning shining lightning), which
the
planners & engineers deemed
appropriate for a SharpShooting tank
killer
sniper platform with a computer
based FCS. It's now the
most advanced type found
anywhere. The Mark IV BAZ it's Tadir beats M1A2 SEP as proven by one on one USMC Golan trials.
=== Dor-Dalet (Fourth Generation
Armor)===
Merkava Mk III's with Dor Daleth 4th Gen. up-grades on the
Golan Heights. Hezbo's confused these as Mark IV kills
The latest generation of the Mark III
class is the Mk III BAZ D or Dor-Dalet. The most significant difference between the
two
versions is the
installation of the ''Kasag'' modular-armoring system,
specifically around the turret area. Some of the other differences
include
up-grades such as:
Merkava Mk III Dor Daleth (Reserves) on
Prime Mover trailer by Netzer Sereni
metal works
heading to Lebanon Front
*Upgraded and strengthened Cat-Tracs
(built by Caterpillar) and design by an Israeli. If you look at the
6 ground
road wheels
you will
notice
an obvious space between the rear two wheels and the
forward four wheels. This is so a 'Quick-Fix' can be done in the field to
rescue
disabled
tanks by shortening the track around just the first four forward wheels and
the tank will be still able to continue under
it's own power to safety. You can see this clearly in the next four Merkava
Mk IV photos that follow below. Look Carefully.
Merkava Mk III BAZ In Depth Report-Here
Click Image Above For BAZ series of Merkava tanks both
UP-Grade and Mass Production Versions
*Upgraded machine gun placement and
installation of a remote OWS (Overhead Weapons System) with a Laser anti IED
system.
The newer model also keeps many of
the previous modifications, such as air filtration and advanced NBC
protection. Prospective up-
grades
planned for this model include a
battlefield-management system (similar to the 'IVIS' system installed in
the American M-1 A2
Abrams MBT.
The system's deployment is crucial
to integrating individual tanks and allowing a central command authority to follow
the course of battle from
an individual tank level perspective.
=
Merkava Siman Arba (Mk 4 Series)
=
Merkava Siman Arba
BAZ Aleph 1999 - 2006
Merkava Siman Arba
BAZ Bet 2007 - 2012
Above First
Series Production
Merkava Mark IVA June 22, 2002 Coming Off Assembly line in back.
Merkava Mark IV 'proto-type' from 1999
trials, proof of concept, now on display at Latrun Museum. A
2008 rumor has it that
this Lebanon veteran was
1 of 2 IED MBT's and could not be
restored completely!
Aerial of Yad LaShiryon Armor Museum at
Latrun Israel, Click image for Link
These images above and below, show the
Merkava Mark IV with some new
features such as the anti-ballistic mesh coverings here on the right forward
engine exhaust grill, optics and
sensitive turret electronics
as well as a set of new Up-Graded side skirts for the Tractor - Roller assembly
areas on the sides.
Here Mark IV can be seen in it's best
profile with the new rubber treads, newly designed ballistic skirts,
anti-fragmenting mesh, close quarters LED marking polls and the
BAZ
FCS sharpshooter
aiming system
I Forgot to say cheese, besides it was my Day-Off... ugh!
I
Just Hate It... When That Happens!
The Gap between the rear two road wheels and the front four is very noticeable
on this angle.
The Mark IV is the latest generation
in the tank's line and has been in production since 1999. It's production was
first
announced
in an October 1999 edition of ''Bamahaneh'' (In The Camp)
IDF military publication. It was then published
in December of 1999
in
additional publications such as ''Armed Forces Journal''. The 1999 articles
discussed many of
the qualities, features and
specifications of the Mark IV version. Production
and ordering long lead items such as the
German transmission & power-pack as
well as the necessary ballistic steel.
It would not be until 2002 first production models rolled out for trials,
testing & unit teaming.
One Version Of A Merkava Proto-type
Six Merkava
4 prototypes were started in 1996 and
all eventually were in the test
program at the same time prior to the 1999 announcement of the new IV
Series.
The prototypes accumulated over 10,000km field trials by end of 1999. October
1999
the IDF military publication Bamahane
(In The Camp)
had an in-depth article on the
new MkIV. There it said Israel had placed an immediate order of
400
rush
US GDLS
(General Dynamics) now called L3 Land
Systems and their new license built 1500-hsp
GD-883 power-packs
(tank engine and transmission power plant),
featuring the new
German Renk RK-325 Automatic transmission with five forward
gears &
two reverse
gears. Note: that L3 Systems bought out all GDLS military
contracts in 2006. In
early
2002 the IDF asked NRG (Haaretz News) to video six Mark 4's undergoing field
tests
in the rugged cold Golan Heights. See
Video section near top of this page for That
clip.
Here New FCS prot-type mini
is shown
ADD-ON SERIES
and been
installed to a pre existing Mk IVA turret.
Definitive Merkava Siman
Arba (Mk IV A) Upgraded tank series
Since the 2006 war all the Armor brigades have been on
refresher, intensive training and mountain courses; here Mk 4's at Shizafon.
German MTU - US GDLS - USA L3 : 1500
hsp Power Pak
Standard on all Merkava Siman Arba (Mk IV) series tanks 1999 -
Present
Merkava Mk IV 883 Engine Only
Merkava Mk IV Renk Transmission Merk 4 1500 hsp PowerPak
RENK of Germany now allows Israel to
liscense produce the Merkava IV transmission locally...
FYI
License production by MTU of Germany to General Dynamics at their Muskegon
diesel engine assembly
facilities for export to Israel due to FCS payment restrictions & the technical
agreement signed by none
other than General Tal in 1997 on behalf of MANTAK and the CEO of GDLS (now L3
systems).
Here the 1500 hsp Merkava Mk IV
PowerPak being Changed Out by this new ARV vehicle above that
has On-Board 220 volt generator, air pressure system for impact tools, air
conditioning, 8 man crew cap.
of tank engineers, a latrine, APU (auxiliary power unit), with hydraulic field
Crane of 50 ton/meter torque.
Merkava MBT Power Pack Coming Out
Merkava Engine Compartment Cavity Mk IV 1500hsp MTU-883 Exchanged Out
Above the Merkava Mk IV BAZ 1500 hsp
Power Pak engine change on a field exercise. Total record time 35 min
flat. Gen Tal told me one of the lessons learned from the 1973 war was
quick tank engine change out under 1 hour.
The L3-883 USA-German Engine is 2 Tons while the total weight for
1500hsp field Power-Pack is over Four Tons!
(Left) PowerPak German MTU 883
MTU 883 1500hsp Turbo-Charged PowerPak (Right)
Merkava Mk IV PowerPak Engine Cavity Forward of the Crew
Compartment
*The Merkava main PowerPak has been
upgraded to 1500 horsepower in the Mk IV & allows the tank to accelerate
to burst
speeds
of over 65
km/h and have a Military Power Ratio to Weight factor of 24.5, which is similar
or better
than
other current MBT's in the
world today. This
engine
was pioneered by the famous German 'motor-works' MTU
as a supercharged
V12 Diesel air cooled combat
power plant. Israel' s Merkava
IDF
office 'MANTAK' convinced
General Dynamics to acquire the license production
so that the entire PowerPak could be purchased with
the annual
FCS funds from Congress that had to be spent in the US on US made &
produce
equipment each year. Four hundred 1500hsp PowerPaks
were
first ordered in 1999 when the Merkava Mark IV production series started,
with first USA made
PowerPak models arriving not until 2002. Because
of MANTAK's 'Telescopic' process this was
never a problem, this
despite the erroneous PRESS at the time of a supposedly German Boycott of the
MBT
tank engines that come from the final assemble lines of General Dynamics and now
L3 in York, Pennsylvania USA.
==Merkava ARV & ERV==
Armored Recovery Vehicle with PowerPak lifting Crane and Eight man Engineer Recovery Vehicle
Merkava 3 based ARV with 4 Ton PowerPak & Crane
before Trophy II installation
The Merkava '''ARV''', named:
''Namera'' (Hebrew: Tigress) is the latest
armored recovery
vehicle based on a Merkava chassis. It is capable
of towing disabled tanks and carries
a complete
Merkava back-up
PowerPack that can be field changed in under 90 minutes.
Rear quadrant view of Merkava Mk IV Armor
COMPANY Recovery Vehicle
Here Merkava IV chassis as ARV (Armor Recovery Vehicle) for field repairs
Merk IV body Namer Armor Recovery Vehicle (ARV) for field change out of the
Power Pack MTU883
Battalion
Vehicle capable of lifting both 2 ton 883 MTU/L3
engine & entire 4 ton PowerPak assembly
Merkava Mk IV in Lebanon Border position
with LIC Belly Pak Configuration
Notice how my Golan buddies will seek out shade no
matter how difficult to find, to stay a little cooler and little less
conspicuous?
Merkava Siman Arba (Mk IV) In Gaza Action
& etc...
Here Merkava Mk IV company on patrol in Gaza as
Hunter / Killer teams looking for Kassem Rocket bandito's...
In this case a Palestinian Red Crescent Van (Islamic Red Cross)
is used as Hamas troop
carrier / rocket transporter.
Lovely.
Merkava Mark IV on Lebanon border patrol against nasty Hezbo's who kidnap,
murder, plant IED's, terrorize, etc..
Then wonder why they get no World sympathy or support from the 37 Moslem
counties or any of their oil billions.
UN teams along this border are the 1978 - today UNIFIL from Noqoura to Shaba
Farms area foot of Mt Hermon.
Merkava Mark4 on the frontier with Egyptian Sinai, since their border with
Hamas controlled Gaza is now wide open.
UN teams along this border Eilat to Rafa near Gaza is MFO 1981 based out of El-Gorah
with USA participation.
Merkava Mark IV on routine patrol in Samaria against Palestinian Liberation Army
(PLA or PLO) & Fatah guerillas
with UN observation post, in the vicinity of their Mid East headquarters
complex at, Hill of Evil Counsel in Jerusalem
The UN teams here are UNTSO and have been here since 1948 and monitor Palestine,
Jordan and Israel positions.
Merkava Mark IV on border patrol in Judea to stop 'friendly' Palestinians from
attempting suicide bombings by young
children (some under the age of 9!).
Very Nice neighborhood huh? Most are young girls BTW. Their reward; they get
their Mommy back... no wonder Euro's, flakes, Quakers and other imbeciles
love these poor Palestinians so much !
UN teams in this area are UNDOF since 1974 and are
based in Damascus & also cover Syrian - Israel Golan border.
You May Ask the Reason for having a MBT in the above cases. WELL, that's because...
it's air conditioned,
Israeli
troops get to go home each night to their families, it protects against IED's
& they eliminates wounding IDF troops.
Here we have Merkava Mk IV Winter Syria Frontier on Station
1st WAR deployment for
Merkava IV was 2006 Lebanon Conflict Now all 4 Merkava versions
have now seen combat except Trophy & THAT is about to change with 2008 revelations in Gaza!
It would not be until the beginning of 2002 that completed Mk IV's would be in
IDF hands. Usually
30 tanks would roll
off at a time and about two production runs would average out during one
calendar
year. Since 2006 summer war all
Merkava production has been put into over drive and will
hit 3
production runs of 30 units: 90 tanks annually
Pair of Golani Armor Brigade Mk IV's with Anti-Mine devices on patrol during February 2008 snow
On Patrol near Jericho West Bank 2004, Rear bins empty in LIC warfare, here at
the west side of the town's road approaches
Oh, & Don't Be Fooled Like the Hamas & Hezbo
Press, This Is NOT
A Merkava Mk IV, The One Below IS!
Merkava Mk IV shown in detailed at the 6 o-clock position &
ready for inspection. It's MaTak
Cmndr below:
MERKAVA Mark IV
BAZ
Size: 9' Feet Height, 30'
Feet in Length and 12' Feet Width @ 60+ Tons
2.66 Meters by 9.04 Meters and
3.72 Meters Width @ 60,000+ KG
BAZ upgrades; Trophy/ASPRO,
M-TAPS can reduce 1,000's of pounds
Representation
of a company of
3
Merkava Mk IV with scale
toy models
It is only with the accuracy of time
and hindsight will the real story of what happen and what went wrong, but also
what all went right
during this 2006 Hezbollah conflict. Some things are for
certain. A perceived deterrent by Iran against it's nuclear warfare program
by an Iranian Hezbollah army threat to Israel, has all been destroyed and now
pushed back by over fifteen thousand NATO troops,
French armor tank brigades and
German Naval warships. Many of the so called civilian casualties were in fact
Hezbollah forces and
their families. Such is the price with 'sleeping' with the enemy. It is also feared many Hezbollah casualties may
never be found and are
actually entombed in their deep under ground bunkers
and caves. They are sealed
under tons of collapsed concrete and steel. Rather
than risk IDF troops lives searching
the labyrinth of hidden bunkers, the IDF relied on a
I.M.I. developed new Thermo-Baric 155mm
arty
round
which completely collapses any under ground harden sites most effectively in
seconds. This was 1 of the reasons IDF took
so long to pull out from all
South Lebanon. It has been estimated that between 4
and 6 billion dollars worth
of Iranian weaponry has
been destroyed, damaged and even captured & brought
back to Northern Israeli
military ammo bunkers in many convoys over a period
of months in 2006 after the
cease fire was declared. This was in an after-battle report to the U.S. Congress
by the GAO in late 2006.
Chief of Israel Armor Corps,
General Benjamin Gantz
said of the 2006 Lebanon conflict...
We always knew that the anti-tank threat would not
stand still, and that over the years, we have to go to the next level of protection,¯
in reference to a family of active armor protection systems that has been
developed by Israel's Ministry of Defense. In all fairness, the
Merkava series of Mark II, III and IV's did not demonstrate even half of their
capabilities in this war.¯
Aside from its war-fighting contributions, the Merkava is credited by the
Manufacturers Association here with attracting some $250
million to $350 million in annual exports. More than 200 firms and
factories employing some 10,000 workers in 2006 to participate in
Merkava production, rendering the program not only a clear strategic asset,
but the industrial backbone driving a critical sector of
Israel's defense industrial base through the year 2020.¯
Some of you wanna-be tankers have notice the apparent discrepancies in both
Merkava antenna Count and Placement. When you
look over entire
series you will begin to see aerials more prominent in Older models and versions, to
a point where in the latest
2007
BAZ
series they seem almost invisible.
Different angle of 2007 Merkava Mk IV BAZ
with factory installed ASPRO-A integrated
APS after a day of Live Fire field exercises
MERKAVA Mk IV
BAZ
Explaining the above schematic:
the TOP
BAZ
is a M-60 or similar Conversion Export customer
tank with what can only be described
as a whole new
120mm turret, bustle and electronic sensor placement.
While below schematic: shows
#1. The RAFAEL APS system
in
place covering over lapping arcs of
180°
along with #2. Showing
the placement of the directed projectile defense mechanism & finally
#3. The location refers to
the internal BMS and all the concomminent electronic tracking, traversing and firing sequencing calculations
intercept computer positions. This concept offers additional crew protection, a more powerful, accurate fire-control system, produced
by El-Op,
the Knight
Mark 4 FCS.
Optimized for urban combat, the Mark 4 BAZ has been given
improved armor on all sides including
the top and even underneath the tank with
a removable "belly armor pack." The modular armor system introduced in the
Mark III
series is further
advanced in the Mark IV as well as the
NBC measures of the previous generation. An IDF
approved upgrade to the
BAZ series was the
implementation
of individual fire-proof GRP ammunition
storage canisters to
reduce the chance of tank
rounds cooking-off if the tank compartment
was
compromised by a fire. The turret is classified
as "dry," because no active
rounds are
kept in storage above the turret line. The
Mark IV also has the
lowest cross-signature of any modern MBT. Some stealth features,
like hull shaping, the exterior non-reflective
paints and shielding for engine heat
plumes mixing with air particles to
help confuse enemy
thermal imagers, were carried
over from the IAF
''LAVI'' ATF (Advance Tactical Fighter) program of the 1970's to reduce further
the
battlefield signature of the Merkava series
tanks. In 2009 another upgrade.
Undergoing
Live Fire
dessert field exercises
at the Shizafon armor base in 2007. Merk Mk IV BAZ
& integrated ASPRO-A APS
In Depth Merkava Mk
4 BAZ Above
with Walk Around & Extended Info @ bottom
MERKAVA IV
Iron Fist
Web page is from
Fresh.co.il ABOVE: Merkava Siman Arba Aleph with
add on
Iron Fist
Article is by noted
British World Armor Expert Ogorkiewicz (wrote Merk MkII 25 yrs ago)
This Merk Mk IV became the definitive
example used by LEGEND in their Resin 1/35 Scale Model tank below
August 2007 LEGEND MODELS of Yongsan, Seoul, Korea 1/35th scale resin model that
is in high detail relief.
For up close
Walk-Around
of the Mark IV series just click the LINK above. Very large images of Merkava IV
We now have coming NEXT YEAR in July 2008
a new ACADEMY of Korea Merkava Mk IV model
HERE
Excellent top view below as Lebanon war Mark IV calls in for aerial fire
retardant to put out hezzie started fires
I guess the old axiom if you can't beat your enemy, burn his trees, forest, parks,
yards, flowers etc down. Nice...
Sources HERE for Mk IV numbers data is NOT Israeli, but
from RENK, builder of
the German transmissions and L3 Corporation
1500 hsp engine orders
and delivery
schedules from Open Public Sources. It is true that MANTAK never discloses
those
numbers and most likely Never Will...
The World Famous Merkava MBT Mk IV
Elevator...
One little known feature is that the
Merkava Mark IV now includes an elevator... of sorts. The tank commander's
position has a
small
platform
that can quickly elevate & lower back into the
protective commander turret position with optics, communications,
station
keeping
and electronic
warning instrumentation. Most of the crew interior
positions are white and very brightly lit. Many
redundant systems have
been also
implemented
to insure fighting capabilities even when hit or damaged in combat,
this would also
includes the complete electrical
power grid, fuel lines, fire suppression
systems, communication systems, drinking water, food supplies and tank ammunition.
Below screen shot from a PC game
called "Operation Flashpoint"
Above is NOT from any
simulators... air heads !
The Merkava comes with it's own full size as well
as specialized simulators that offer realistic combat environments and
conditions
== 2007 FCS (Fire
Control System) & BMS (Battle Management System) ==
New Merkava Mk IV incorporates a sophisticated and
elaborate computerized integrated BMS (Battle Management System)
A new very sophisticated BMS (Battle
Management System) has been completely designed, constructed, and tested using
local
Israeli
technology. Named the BMS (Hebrew: צי"ד), it was designed by
[[Elbit Systems]] and allows for a centralized distribution
of battlefield
data
on color plasma TV like screens. It collects data from tracked units and
[unmanned aerial vehicle | UAV]s
deployed in theater and
then this data is
distributed encrypted by central command authority instantaneously to all other
tank units
in a given theater. This is all part of the IDF new 'centric warfare' C4I being
implemented since 2006 Lebanon conflict.
Israeli El-Op computerized
Knight Mk3 (2000) & now Knight Mk4 "TADIR" (2006) FCS enables the Merkava to
operate
as an
anti-
helicopter sharpshooter platform & is most capable of detecting and taking
down armored attack helicopters such as
the French
AĆ©ro-
spatiale
Gazelle, ubiquitous Russian MIL Mi-24 Hind D as well as many others used by many of Israel's surrounding
Arab neighbors)
to say
nothing of fair
weather neighbors... like Egypt, Saudi Arabia or even Jordan who have
previously attacked Israel many times,
usually without any provocation since 1900!
Yes for well over 100 years.
==About IDF Markings==
White painted markings on IDF armor indicate the
Battalion, the Company and the Platoon. For instance; the battalion is
indicated by the white rings around the barrel of the main gun. One ring 1st
battalion, Two ring 2nd battalion and so forth.
The armor Company is indicated by the rotating chevrons (V's). V is for 1st
company, > is for 2nd company, ^ is for 3rd
company and finally < is for the 4th company. US, NATO and many other countries
have also adopted this symbol as well.
The Platoon and the position of the tank in the platoon is indicated by a Hebrew
letter A (Aleph), B (Bet), C (Gimmel) and
D (Daleth). For Platoon A, B, C or D) followed by a number, 1, 2,3 and 4..
They are normally indicated on panels at the
rear of the turret. These indications are sometimes are also present on the
front left and right mud guards and they include a
geometric symbol ( star, circle, square, rhomboid) that represent the regiment
of that armor formation..
Rubber whip pole-markers with LED
tips and a driver's rear facing TV camera
have also been installed to improve
navigation and inner city maneuverability day
or night on LIC
Merkava tanks that are used constantly in Gaza and West Bank
areas that are notorious with
small narrow streets. Merkava Mk IV A's have
rear TV camera while Mk IV BAZ have 360 degree TV color camera coverage.
MANTAK said in 2007 that there are now well over
200+ changes and new
improvements being applied to Merkava Mk IV since 1999 first production run!
Merkava Mark IV series has a smooth bore 120 mm main
gun which can fire the
I.M.I. APAM, Kalanit, HESH, HEAT, APFS-DS-T tank
rounds. 2008 choices:
It is not like there is few choices now for the Merkava 120mm Ordnance Rounds :
Depleted Uranium (DU), White Phosphorus (WP), Lahat & Excalibur ATGW here
Loading 120mm
LAHAT ATGW round
Above
120mm
Excalibur DTW
ATGW Above
Merkava
BAZ Tank
Missile Rounds
Lahat (Knife Blade) 1st generation &
Excalibur 2nd generation 120mm
ATGM round for the latest Merkava (Chariot) MBT tank series armament.
Some of these new missiles go far beyond the 7,000 meter to 30,000m.
They can bring down gunship helicopters and aircraft as well as UAV's
!
Israel Military Industries (IMI) & Rafael are working jointly on the follow-on
guided tank shell to IMI's current top-attack ATGW Excalibur design. This
new guided round will retain the top-attack approach & Terminal-Sensor
guidance system as used in the Excalibur Mk I, rather than reverting to the
older Laser beam-riding guidance approach used by (IAI) Israel Aircraft
Industries in its LAHAT (Laser
Homing Anti-Tank)
120mm round. Back in
2007 a consortium of Rheinmetall W&M Group,
Diehl Munitions System and
Rafael agreed to produce the new Spike-Excalibur Mk II in Europe and
have signed contracts with NATO armies for 10,000 examples at over 1
Billion US Dollars in the next five years.
The IMI-Rafael team believed that four
years and US$70 million was all that
was needed to bring this improved version of Excalibur to operational service.
Developmental issues include making sure that the on-board seeker and
guidance unit both survive the force of being fired from a tank gun. Like the
original Excalibur design, the new round will have the same external volume
as a standard 120mm tank shell.
This system also incorporates a .50 caliber
coaxial main gun feature and an
improved
60mm mortar that has increase range
(3,700 meters) from previous
Merkava versions.
A new rear
facing firing port with an
internal sniper M4 rifle
can now be fitted to the
rear door and has proven very
effective in many urban LIC
(Low Intensity
Conflicts)
environments. It was announced
late in 2006 that the
new Knight Mk4 'Tadir' FCS
is being installed
on all new Merkava Mark
IV's production line, creating
what will be
the new Merkava Mark IV BAZ for an
early
2007 introduction. Some features of the
new 2007 BAZ
edition of
the Merkava Mark IV is the complete integration of the
Trophy APS (Active
Protective System) a first in the world since Russia's Arena
never
was adopted,
worked & had to be retired.
1 of the advantages of the new Trophy
(ASPRO-A)
system is the internal re-load capability since
reloading takes
place inside
under
protective armor during battle with access to more ammunition
from the rear
compartment. Trophy II is very
effective against most
rockets (i.e. RPG's), Kinetic
energy rounds, top attack munitions, ATGW's and
Dual
Tandem
Warheads
such
as
the (Metis-M, Kornet E and the new Soviet RPG-29).
New I.M.I. Kalanit round at the Baladia Negev Training
area 2007 refresher course for all Merkava crews
A Merkava Mk IV White Phosphorous round heading down range at Shizafon February
2008
=== Upgraded Israeli Designed 'MAZKOM' tracks ===
Track 'Shedding'
A perennial
favorite Tanker past time
The Merkava has been built with an
Israeli designed concept of improved [[caterpillar track]]s system. Called "Mazkom" by
IDF
official designation of "TSAWS," is ''tracks, springs, and wheels system'' (Hebrew language|Hebrew: מערכת
זחלים קפיצים ומרכובים).
The new system is designed to endure the harsh ground
conditions of desert sand (Mk IV), basalt rock conditions of Lebanon & the
Golan Heights to minimize
incidents of track-shedding. For quick FIX repairs under field / combat
conditions there is a space between
the back two road wheels
and the front four
road wheels so a smaller 'run' can be devised in case of broken or damaged
tracks, say
from an IED (improvised roadside explosive device). Above Merkava Mk IV under
going track maintenance repair in the field.
=== Unique Merkava Rear Fighting
Compartment Interior View ===
Similar interior arrangement of Merkava IV & Namer
AFV shown with clam shell doors removed.
Right image has
8 position seat troop arrangement for their similar configured rear compartment
areas.
Note the two forward facing seats are for Namer driver on left and OWS gunner position
on right.
Merkava II here named Shahak (Sky) deploying Nahal Scouts
for MOUNT LIC Gaza operations.
See this in Video provided at
top
of page. Below you see 4 troops ready to exit out the back,
plus this cameraman & tank crew of 4 AND 4 men already deployed!
It's crowded but, this Merkava
Battalion deployed swarms of IDF troops in support of armor attack in
2006 war
Merkava III BAZ deploying it's EIGHT man platoon from rear compartment
during Gaza CAST LEAD 2009
Interior view of the closed clam shell door
with a full load of spent GRP ammo containers,
Mk IV can easily hold 48 rounds plus 10 in the Elbit electrically driven Auto
Magazine
Rear Storage / Fighting
Compartment Initially this was a secret, then it
was not
when it
was publicly demonstrated
on it's first appearance back on
Independence
Day 1978 before
the world (see below), then it was denied, then it
was
made secret
again as if it never existed.
Later, it was then said that there was
no room for a rear
compartment and besides, if there
was this
'hidden' compartment it was always filled with extra main
canon
ammo! Now...
there
IS most surely a rear
compartment area and it Does Surely exist as can be seen
here.
Special
Ops will deploy 7 plus squad leader while 10 combat troops were carried in 1978
during 1st public roll out and recently the Mark 4's during 2006 conflict. A
Medical team is
now fielded in ten special unmarked Tankbulances that are getting the Trophy APS
installed.
They have 1 doc plus 2 orderly's with 3 casualty stations. A
Forward
Command
Post with 5
specialist depending we're talking about a company, brigade or battalion Merkava.
See below.
1000's of IDF troops have ridden inside Merkava troop compartments over the past 30 years.
It's true that all the
main gun 120mm ammo makes for one very cramped riding condition but,
I never saw anyone complaining of too much ammo! However the
Mark IV ride
is smooth.
Don't forget a bathroom facility & air conditioning. Of course they could
walk or Run alongside!
Tavor armed tanker hand launching BVR 'eye-in-the-sky Merkava Mk IV TADIR Down-Linked
mini UAV
Newer, faster, further and more precise UAV for Merks but does take up more
crucial space
Stealth Silver Arrow UAV on
board Merkava IV BAZ units 2010
There is a quiet program of incorporating a state-of-the-art Mini-UAV from the
Silver Arrow project called Skylark III
which is a man-pack system, individual deployed Stealth UAV by virtue of it's
surface color, design, carbon fiber
material & a whisper quiet Electric Engine. Highly
COVERT
day or night electrically propelled medium range (5 to 10
miles) providing the Merkava IV BAZ net-centric system of receivers:
Intel, image surveillance, target acquisition &
reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities to tank companies, brigades and battalions.
UAV is very light weight, foldable
and canister deployable in a matter of seconds by a single individual soldier
from the Merkava on board team. The
system includes a mini ground control station for UAV combat operations. Below
is an example of rear hull view of
Merkava Mk IV
FCP.
UAV duration is from 2 to 6 hours and altitudes up to
15,000 feet... day or night, rain or shine.
BTW in conjunction with the above article, it might
be of passing interest... that a little
known fact, but very
important is
that
the Mark 4 and the Namer APC both contain
a
full
permanently installed
bathroom facility
on board as missions usually run over 12 and 24 hours in combat. Just another
Merkava World's first.
===
While We Are On the Subject of CMND
Tank ===
Anything moving around a battlefield with more than a couple of dozen antennae's
is more than likely
NOT the cooks tank Marshie !
Upper and Lower Clam Shell doors in the open position to Merkava IV company
commander's tank.
Our Tanker above didn't want any quick pictures of the below 'Forward Command Post' set
up as it
wasn't for export then. Lot's C4I equipment, LCD HD screens, map table, computer work
stations,
dials, switches, gauges, UAV joy stick, tons of crypto, communications gear and
Centric electronics.
Some of the power supply and non essential access equipment is now stored
below
in the Pantiers.
I would tell you exactly what all the goodies are here, but then I would have to
shoot you afterwards.
Most Merkava 4 BAZ 2007+ up-grade series have these
'Electronic Pantier' storage areas installed,
notice too the triple cooling fans to keep sensitive electronics from over
heating esp. desert conditions
===Mk IV Baptismal Of Fire 2006===
There are currently four versions of the Merkava tank and all saw combat in
action in Lebanon 2006, including Merkava Mk2
with reserve units, the Merkava Mk2D (with a Merkava 4 distinctive sloped
turret) Mark 3 BAZ and the new Merkava Mk 4.
Before the end of the 2006 battle Brigadier General
Halutzi Rodoi, chief of the IDF armored corps, was asked to assess the
performance of his tank force and especially the lessons drawn from the fighting
against advanced antitank missiles fired by the
Hezbollah gorillas on the Merkava series of tanks. According to General Rodoi,
the Merkava proved to be well protected and
designed to minimize risk, even when it was rarely penetrated. The IDF employed
almost 400 tanks over a period of 33 days in
Lebanon. According to official reports & about 10 percent were hit by various
threats, of which less than half were penetrated.
The overall assessment, the potential risk to crewmen
would have been much higher, if the tank had been more conventionally
designed. Colonel Moti Kidor, commander, 401st Armored Corps Brigade, which bore
the brunt of many battles, mentioned
in
an interview that during the war, 800 to a 1,000 antitank missiles were fired on
IDF armor and in total, only 18 tanks were
seriously
damaged to require depot maintenance. Of those, ATGW actually penetrated
only ten vehicles (four of which were
tanks). According
to statistics, only two tanks were so damaged that they would require a
Zero-Time rebuild and even then
1 of those 2 was later
given to the Armor Museum, Latrun where it remains on display to this day.
Both of these were struck
by super-heavy improvised
explosive device (IED) charges. One officer, Lt Yotam, reported that his
Merkava Mk4 tank had
been hit by 3 unspecified
antitank missiles simultaneously but miraculously, all 4 of
his crew members evacuated unscratched.
The unique Merkava design uses special armor to
minimize the risk of spall, which is generated by shaped charge plasma jets.
All
Merkava vehicles use fire retardant containers to store ammunition, preventing
highly lethal secondary explosions. Further,
tanks
are equipped with a rapid fire suppression system (by Spectronics of Israel)
that eliminates sympathetic detonation of any
ammunition. As
a result, only a few tanks encountered any catastrophic fire hazards after
suffering penetrating missile attacks on
ammunition. Thus,
substantially reducing lethal-bum casualties to Merkava crew members during the
course of the 2006 war.
Some of the tanks, especially those outfitted with the
low-intensity conflict (LIC) urban combat kits are equipped with bottom hull
plates
(belly-armor) to protect against heavy mines and under carriage charges. Several
Merkava tanks and heavy armored fighting
vehicles
(AVS's) encountered a number of these charges, some weighing more than 300
pounds. While heavy armored vehicles can
hardly be
expected to survive such an attack, the upgraded vehicle types demonstrated
effective protection for the crew, which, in
some cases,
even managed to survive such an attack with only minor injuries. In one
instance, a Merkava 4 tank was hit by a belly
charge carrying
more than 380 pounds of explosives, which killed one crew member and wounded the
remaining six. This particular
Merkava was using
its rear compartment as a troop carrier & some 7 personnel were aboard.
Despite the loss of one crew member,
this incident gave considerable proof of the effective protection of the new Merkava Mk IV in its
first combat deployment.
To reduce this threat even further, the heavily armored
D-9 bulldozer was later employed to precede the tanks over high-risk routes
in
the
last two weeks of the 33 day conflict. The D-9 would blow up IED's with minimum
risk of danger to the driver or dozer, thus
clearing the
way for the tank columns that followed. IDF Armor Corps has traditionally
invested considerable effort in examining after
battle hit statistics
on its tanks to establish new tactics and techniques. The founder of this
procedure was Major General Israel Tal,
"Father of the Merkava" and a leading armor expert of worldwide renown. He said in 2007 that over 47
changes have now been
implemented on the Merkava Mk IV
production
line from detailed lessons, experiences and feedback of the tankers involved
since
the very first Mark IV entered the Lebanon
2006 conflict.
His vision goes on; now almost 40 years later. Shiryon is Fists of Steel.
[as reported]
Aviation Week & Space Technology by Lt Col David Eshel IDF-Retired
Merkava Mk IV Marshalling area just prior
to last
day's attack on Hezbo's
post at the crest of Wadi Saluki and on to the Litani River
Merkava Marshalling area prior to evening launch into Hezbo-stan of
Southern Lebanon, on last day of the war
FOLLOW ME !
ZANEK!
Attack! Move Out! Here Merkava Mk III BAZ battle experienced units in Lebanon
July 2006
Mk III's at first light. First task; Secure High
Ground then eliminate mines, bunkers, snipers & Hezbo stragglers
These Merkava III's are preceded in battle by
D-9 'Dozers' to remove any IED's or booby-trap roadside 'gifts.'
During 2006 conflict the IDF successfully deployed the D9 with an Anti-IED Mine
Plow Blade Above & Below
Here seen with Mounted Remote Control 50 Cal Machine Gun on the top right of the
roof above the driver.
This Mk III in English is Kimo for Kimo-sabe and here you see an
excellent 'Hi Yo Silver' in a cloud of dust.
If this is #3 in the company, then it is "Sabe' as in Kimo-Sabe and they ARE
indeed both very in separable... Trust me.
One Very Proud
MaTak
T/C (Tank / Company Commander). They ALL
performed most bravely and heroically in 2006 battles
Hunter Killer tank teams tracking Hezbo Rocket Launchers & Hamas
Missiles, tunnels and underground storage
Notice my tankers with their Type 602 Merkava combat communication ballistic
helmets in our old Mark III's.
Anyone In The Merk Seen Our Pakal Kufa Kits Laying Around
Eating Up Space ?
Crossing Over Into Hama-stan land in the Gaza Strip terrorist
Playground Area... near Sderot which has been
attacked over 6,950 times since the Hamas 'Cease-Fire'
!
Visiting the Peaceful, Kind and Generous
Palestinian terrorist in Hamastan part of the Gaza strip.
Close up Merkava IV Lebanon deploying troops interfacing with on scene combat
teams called 'Combine
Arms'
Once the Saluki Valley is secured the way
is cleared all the way to the Litani River and all in under 5 hours and
All On The Last Day Of The War with a UN ceasefire already set...
Politicians make for Very Poor arm chair
generals... and could not have made worst decisions or constant hesitation of stop,
then go, then stop etc orders.
Mark III Combat Team deployment here has old style combat helmet
while T/C has tanker Type 602 helmet
2006 Lebanon Conflict Merks (Mk4) Pushed in The Last Day Of the War To The Banks
Of The Litani River
Merkava Mk IV Sniper Teams Dismount from tank to take out Hezbo Embeds among
civilian hostage homes
Rear Door Sniper port installed on
LIC Mark III in 2006 Lebanon (looks sorta like a Mk IV huh?)
Note: There were no less than SIX (6)
armor vehicles with Trophy mounted and operating during the
2006 Lebanon war. However, it may be correct if it was stated 'no Merkava used
Trophy
nor was
it seen
in combat. Trophy Vehicles were 2 Stryker proof of concept, 2 Merkava III Baz and 2 Merkava III D's.
Also there're several APC's that also had the system. But no evidence supports
Trophy combat use
2006!
Back in 1977 the Russian newspaper 'Red Star' accurately cited that the Merkava's
most dynamic
feature was the fact
that it
"was both a fully armor MBT
(Main Battle
Tank) as well as a troop MICV (Mechanize Infantry Combat Vehicle)."
IDF
Armor
Corps commander during the 2006 Lebanon war (Aluf Bar Kochba), stated in an
after battle press
conference that "
the Merkava
performed such duties as transporting
infantry into combat engagements and it
rendered
protection once the
troops were
deployed."
In one battle in the Saluki
Valley, BGen. Bar Kochba stated Merkava Mark 3's
were called upon to
evacuate pinned
down infantry and one
Mark III extracted 13
wounded troops on just ONE trip most successfully;
all the
while coming under very
intense anti-tank missile & heavy machine gun fire from many well prepared
positions.
Please read the following very carefully. There was a case of a Merkava Mk IV
that
was a mobility kill but no loss of life. It
would be almost FOUR weeks before
that
tank was pulled back to Israel side of the border. Now why on earth would the
IDF leave such a valuable tank prize on the battlefield as it would be worth many
millions
if Syria, Iran or Russia, Korea OR
China could get their hands on it for 10
seconds?
Because, all that was left on the field of battle was the bottom empty hull.
Even
the
hinges, toilet paper, you name it was stripped and then the IAF took target
practice
with 250 & 500 pound bombs.
Now the enemy did try to steal it but, suffered what
would be later described as a human mountain of enemy dead in futile
attempts
till
the very last day of battle. Story does not end there... once the cease fire
came, the
IDF armor recovery team
picked up the hull remains and carted it off the battle
field.
However,
MANTAK reassembled all the parts and since the hull
was deemed 'Intact'
was
amazingly returned to 401st Brigade. Quite a episode for that individual Mark
IV. The
Merkava
Mark IV Aleph that's now on display at Latrun Armor Museum is an example of one of the IED
Lebanon 2006
casualties.
Eshet Battalion Mk IV On Exercises. The above photo courtesy Abir
'Abe' Sultran (NOTE: notice that this is a
company commander's tank)
The Merkava that rescued the most people in one
trip under fire in the 2006
Lebanon conflict. THAT Merkava Crew standing in front. Great Going Men
One Mk 4 tank was hit by a tandem missile which
penetrated into the rear compartment, hitting a stored HEAT round
setting it on fire, which activated the automatic fire suppression system,
wounding two of the turret crew, who were
evacuated & replaced by a reserve crew. The tank continued to still fight.
Another Mk IV tank had its main armament
120mm barrel blown off by "The Lucky Shot." But, crew managed to drive it back
to BASE, where a field ordnance
repair team exchanged out the barrel and sent the tank back into battle within
hours. Below, the famous 'Lucky
Shot.'
How About a Direct Hit by a Hezbo RPG at the same
Exact time a 120mm round was
fired All in the same location ?
Talk about a 1 in a million shot... so went the Hezbo-Lebanon 2006 Summer War.
Note that the Tank is Still
Intact.
I guess in the enemy's mind and some of the stupid press, this was an example of
a Mk IV destroyed. Barrel replaced
in under 2 & half hours and tank return to battle that night with the rest of
it's platoon. Just in case any were wondering.
Up close I guess I look older as my BFF T/C here can
attest, but wearing my eternal
floppy hat - well that's... 'priceless,' as in the American Express TV
commercial goes!
Here I'm leaning on our favorite iron baby which came through Gaza No Worst for
wear
But,
Thank You for asking...
Despite disinformation put out by Hezbo &
Their press, Merkavas would become a major IDF Success in the 2006 War.
Here a Mk III BAZ Merkava, defeats many years of Iranian planning, Billions of dollars
of Syrian weapons & Russian
stocks.
Here a Merk Mk III Goes Rolling On In To A Hornets Nest Of The Hamas Strong
Holds In Gaza
The Hezbo civilian gorillas were firing missile after missile from vantage
positions at the vulnerable points in the Merkava armor.
Commanders were frantically calling for air and artillery support, but because
of the large number of Nahal reserve infantrymen
present, Northern Command refrained from ordering assistance from
artillery and helicopter gun ships, fearing they would hit
friendly forces. The tanks were left to fend for themselves until they reached
the top and stormed the Hezbo's anti-tank positions.
Merkava Mk III Dor Dalit
2006 Lebanon
When this was achieved, the brigade commander making his rounds, found to his
surprise, that in all, only four crewmen had been
killed, with several dozen wounded, fortunately most of them suffering only
minor wounds. Later summing up the battle of Saluki,
Colonel Kidor said that it had been "an unqualified triumph of his Merkava
force."
Had those tanks been of an earlier generation,
and not equipped with state-of-the-art High-Tech armor, then hundreds of crewmen might have perished"
or at least injured.
Colonel Kidor said this was the single most important battle that
assured the continuation of the whole Merkava Mk IV program!
Merkava After Battle Report &
Combat
Images 2006 Lebanon Conflict
ALL HERE
All the various different 120mm rounds can be
easily and quickly re-supplied through the back clam shell door as demonstrated here.
Note: Very Rare Look at the Merkava's Soltam 60mm
Mortar in the raised position next to the leg of the turret roof
soldier
& bottom half of clam shell door shows part of the M4 sniper barrel firing port
for rear protection of LIC Merkava
At first during the 1990's Lebanon conflict,
Merkava I & II crews would carry as much as 92 105mm rounds into combat unless they
carried
troops in which case they would carry 47 rounds and up to 10 combat
troops. Now with a slightly larger tank in the Mark III &
IV series they
can carry 50
rounds of 120mm main gun ammo and an 8 man combat platoon into combat. This would
still be 10 more
120mm rounds than a
current Leopard 2, LeClerc, Chally or Abrams M1A2 SEP (improved) carries in NATO exercises. Even LESS
aboard a French LeClerc in UN
Lebanon service BTW.
What sets this concept apart from
both Russian doctrine & the Abrams/Bradley M1/M2 combination is that with the
Merkava you do
not
have a gas guzzling turbine tank, plus another vehicle in combat
with all your infantry without the protection afforded by the heavy
armor only
a
main battle tank provides and you have less the congestion of vehicles for
targets swarming all over the battlefield. Now
the possibilities
are limited by only
the combat commander's imagination and the infantry NCO's in charge, of their
men's' lives when
practicing Combined
Arms tactics on the asymmetrical battlefield of the 2000's..
Merkava LIC rear quadrant view with Sniper Port door
sealed.
Notice the square door next to the left tail light? It's a 2-way phone.
An example of 360 degree tank
protection is that the foot thick rear
hatch door have
withstood direct
anti-tank fire without major damage
in 2006 Lebanon conflict. The tank
includes a firing port built inside
part of the rear door for a
sniper's position with a .50 caliber specially
dedicated M-4 weapon for this
purpose.
There are 360 degree vision
blocks for the commander and gunner. There are also
video
cameras
available to all crew member's flat panel color screens for 360 degree
situation
awareness.
There are now motion detectors to warn of
surrounding movements
& 360 degree laser warning
coverage devices
for incoming rounds and
projectiles.
New M-4 Sniper Position within Door
==== Merkava LIC & MOUT
====
LIC (Low
Intensity Combat) edition
MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain)
Eight and Ten Man Squads Dismount From their Mk IV's
Following the al-Aqsa Intifada,
the IDF began modifying
some of the Merkava's to satisfy the needs
of Asymmetrical Urban warfare.
This
adaptation is LIC (Low Intense Combat). Can be done by field
engineers and does
not interfere with the tank's combat handling.
Look Carefully... New Trophy II Lite APS
ADD-ON SERIES
Installed Above...
Merkava Siman IV BAZ
LIC 2006. The Merkava LIC Mk III & IV Is Most
Suited for MOUT Because of it's Troop Compartment,
it's Wide Assortment of 120mm Ammo & Missiles, it's R-OWS with Laser & Chain
Gun, it's Micro UAV's and it's Hybrid M-TAPS.
One Merkava Mk IV A that fought in the 2006 Lebanon
conflict was hit NO LESS than 11 times (possibly more) by RPG's & ATM's!
It was able to returned to base under it's own power (although with many systems
down or damaged) but was repaired and no casualties.
== Merkava Mk III &
Mk IV LIC
==
Look... New Trophy II Lite APS
ADD-ON SERIES
Installed Below (now ASPRO-C)...
This is the main series of Merkava
tanks designed for urban warfare. The 'LIC'
designation stands for "Low
Intensity Conflict",
underlining its emphasis on counter-insurgency,
street-to-street inner-city asymmetrical type warfare of the 21st century.
The most sensitive areas of a tank,
its optics, exhaust ports and ventilators, are all protected by a newly
developed high-strength
metal
mesh, which prevents damage from a direct impact
from RPG's [[Rocket propelled grenades]] and most ATGW's. In
addition the vulnerable under carriage of a tank in the LIC Merkava's have
now removable BELLY ARMOR seen above & below.
Merkava Mk IV LIC with Belly Armor plate installed
at Lebanon border (seen on the left above) during 2006 war
Merkava Siman Arba Aleph LIC in 2009 Gaza dust
up over raining rockets, missiles, granades, planting IED on Israeli
villages
Merkava is equipped with a turret
.50 caliber coaxial machine gun, enabling the
crew to
lay down fairly heavy
cover fire without
the use of the cumbersome and
ineffective main gun
against
individual enemy combatants. It also provides much
higher protection,
because
like
the new remote OWS it is fired safely from inside
the
tank without exposing
the crew to
small arms fire and snipers.
=== Merkava Droid Enters Gaza Combat ===
Droid above is under Dust Cover &
Below has been Uncovered
Here a Reserve Merkava Mk II DD (Dor Daleth) with special
ATGW Sensor Tower Detector seen
during 2009 Cast Lead Gaza action and close-up below
Mark III BAZ with field dust shroud in
place
These detectors have been placed on ALL model series of the Merkava
including Mk IV below & usually are leading a tank column
This ATGM FCD (Anti Tank Guided Missile, Fire Control Director) was successfully
deployed in 2009 Gaza conflict with company
level lead Merkava tanks MkIIDD, MkIII Baz & MkIV Aleph. There's no confirmation
that any Mk IV BAZ engaged even though
there are examples in the field and training at the time. The only cases of
Trophy was the Lite II versions on 'lesser' armor equipment.
This FCD is a Local invention and involves some cutting edge technology and
computer software as it will in a split second determine
the exact co-ordinates of enemy fire and then through the FCS quickly re-aim
weapons and return withering fire down upon targets.
Right click image above for more in depth details...
Shizafon
Trials Reach Their Final Testing
Returning From Combat South Gaza January 2009
Merkava under attack, while laying smoke screen down, by Metis Russian anti tank
munitions. BELOW we see
Merkava Siman Arba Aleph with IAI's
IRON FIST under going proof of concept trials during 2008 R&D prgm.
2009 it was decided the Namer APC series of MkIV production would get the
Iron Fist instead not the tanks.
IDF now expects first field trials to be completed fourth quarter 2008 for IMI's
Iron Fist APS
which is about 1 year earlier than previously
expected due to interest not only in Israel but, from
world wide markets and a
successful break through with the 'Interceptor' and the Elisra IR
sensor / detector part of the Iron Fist light weight system for all battlefield armor
vehicles.
===THOR
Laser R-OWS===
As if this new
Merkava Mk IV BAZ is
not armed enough, we now have a LASER gun added
to the
R-OWS (Remote Over Head Weapons System) that is able to
defeat and 'neutralize'
Both IED and
the newer EFP road side anti vehicle bombs.
This system saw combat last year on
Merkava APC's
called Namer (Leopard) & was
successfully deployed and neutralized many
Hezbo road side devices.
It is now
being installed on Stryker and Up-Armed HUMVEE vehicles
in both Iraq &
Afghanistan as
well as Merkava Mk IV BAZ MBT's right on the Tel Hashomer
assembly line outside Tel Aviv.
Link at the picture below shows Abrams M1A2 SEP
after a little IED surprise. Very Nasty results indeed!
THOR R-OWS with Chain
Gun and Chemical anti IED Laser Gun now equips Merkava IV & Namer APC
The directed energy beam from
the laser is capable of rapidly clearing unexploded ordnance
and defeating
IED / EFP's
by inducing a low-order burning or deflagration reaction in the
explosive fill
at a safe stand-off
ranges (see photo above). THOR uses a powerful, air cooled
Chemical Laser, measuring up to 700 watts. The
kinetic energy from the 12.7mm
bullet fired
by the M2 functions as a standoff disrupter, destroying fusing,
thick-cased munitions & booby
traps. The M2 machine gun also provides
accurate, direct fire upon enemy forces & targets in
either an offensive or
defensive role.
RAFAEL's New Spotlite II - M
RAFAEL's Trophy System
o
In ASYMETRICAL warfare the next Add on
version of the Trophy for pre 2006 armor
step would be automatic weapons cueing. MBT's as an Active protective
System (Aspro-C).
Rafael's high-tech
Spotlite Mk II
M can
This is currently being accomplished by MANTAK
already point out where a sniper is on
right on the Tel HaShomer production line on a new
the tank plasma screen. Thus the logical parallel
assembly line program in conjunction with the
next step would be to put up a sensor on TEFEN 2012 Merkava
build-out of 1,000 Mark IV
a armored vehicle and then link it to the
and BAZ improvement program. It is believed that
remote controlled weapons turret. Upon certain
MkIII models will have the entire MkIV turret
being fired on by the sniper, the sensor will installed during
upgrade and visually will be hard to tell
calculate the rough location of the sniper the
difference between Marks. This upgrade amounts
and pass this info to the remote weapons to a full
Zero-Time renovation of the 10 to 20 year old
turret, which will slew the weapon onto
Mark 3's. The new Trophy Lite system above are being
the sniper's position. The firer, within the
installed on early Mark IV's (1999-2006) and many
safety of the Merkava or Namer, can then secondary armor & reserve
units battlefield equipment.
make adjustments and then RETURN fire This is a multi-year
project for MANTAK. Separate
back at the sniper upon visual confirmation program altogether is
the light armor vehicle fabrication
utilizing the THOR's 30 Caliber chain gun plants. The
NAMER is still another main assembly line
for very effective fire suppression.
at the Merkava Tel HaShomer facility near Sarafand.
===
Merkava Mk IV Tankbulance ===
Merkava Mk IV 'Tankbulance'
carries No Medical ID / Markings, but is better
protected than anything else available.
Note: All SIX Merkava Mk
3 & 4 Tankbulances have
now (2008) been fitted with TROPHY II APS
(Add-On) & Tadir FCS.
Some of the Merkava's were fitted
with full medical and ambulance capabilities. The rear cabin area of the tank can
now be converted
for
carrying
injured personnel and has had stretchers,
life support medical station systems and emergency operating theaters added
along with
a full medical team
compliment to operate them
under the
harshest of combat conditions with a under combat Merkava battalion.
Merkava Siman IV Tankbulance Operating Theater
Compartment
which can have a full Medvac / Casevac
EMS Team with
Doctors.
Note: Trophy II has been now completed on all existing tankbulances
according to the October 2007 Winograd report on the 2006 War.
Because the "tankbulance" is an armed
vehicle of war, it is not protected by the Geneva Convention as an
ambulance theoretically should BUT, because it is still a tank, it's
survivability far exceeds that of any traditional
battlefield ambulances in use
today. No Red Cross or Red Mogen David Adom emblems are displayed as all
Israel's
enemies have NEVER in 65 years honored
medical teams or their vehicles during War OR even Peace!
To this day Hamas in Gaza preferred choice of transportation for terrorist & Kassem rocket teams has been
Red Crescent (Moslem Red Cross) vehicles almost exclusively as well as cases
reported of Hezbo's in Lebanon.
=== Merkava based APC / IFV ===
\\\\\
Including 'Trophy
Shredouts' /////
First Aircraft to be fitted with
Airborne version of Trophy Light
System: CH-53C
The IAF (Israel Air Force)
plans to conduct the first test flight this week (Nov 10th, 2007) of its newly
up
graded transport helicopter - the Yasur 2025 - equipped with more than 20 new
electronic systems including,
for the first time anywhere an airborne missile-defense system. It is a special
newly developed by MANTAK
(Merkava Tank Office) light weight system (Trophy II) that's added to small vehicles,
boats & now aircraft.
The Yasur - the IAF's name for the Sikorsky CH-53 - was first put into service
with the IAF in 1969 after
being bought from the USAF
It is the IAF's primary craft for
transporting soldiers - it carry's 35 -
and was used extensively during the Second Lebanon War in 2006
and in Gaza 2009. Below an IAF Huey is shown armed with Trophy II Lite for
air defense while on Gaza border patrol 2008 and 09.
#### This
'Just'
In ####
Trophy & Thor Enter Gaza Combat
Rafael has begun testing with active units
under combat conditions
Tanks and TIGER (up-armor
APC's) In Gaza for months here with Thor, Trophy & Spike
As of second quarter 2008 there are numerous Trophy equipped vehicles.
Some of which that are publicly known and others (above) not so widely
known.
Used in 2009 Gaza Conflict Successfully!
ASPRO-C fitted to M113 as well as HMVEE vehicles
At least 6
IDF STRYKER proof of concept Trophy Add-On
ASPRO-C
At least
6
Merkava Tankbulances all ASPRO-C
Production
90 + ?
Merkava Mk IV BAZ ASPRO-A
models and counting
At least 15
assorted ARV, APC, Golan, Humvee, etc
Add-On
ASPRO-C
At least
90 + ?
rapid refit of existing Merkava III & early Mk IV's also
C
Assorted other Armor Vehicles from
Mantak's new production line such as:
Namer APC ASPRO-A, Golan, MRAP & etc armor equipment.
Coming soon here images of all of the above.
Click
HERE For Latest Namer
Cut Away and Interior Images
Merkava Mark IV hull enters production as Namer APC
with R-OWS of Thor Laser, M2 heavy machine gun station
and Trophy (ASPRO) APS on 2008 deployed versions
New 2007 Merkava Mark IV Family shown at
Plant 7100
Merkava IV chassis on NAMER APC during desert
trials above and below...
Wider door ramp than Merk tank for stretchers &
casevacs
Sniper port in rear door above has been retained as well...
Rafael THOR Laser system is on Merkava Mk IV's
and Namer (Tiger) APC's
Merkava Series Up-Grade internally
operated R-OWS
The First of hundreds of Merkava based
Tiger APC's
Detail rear quadrant view of 11 troop Armor Transport
made at MANTAK
Fourth generation reinforced entry way
with integrated TV, IR & sniper port
Interior cut-away view of new Merkava 11 troop APC vehicle NAMER
Merkava new version of Namer
(Tiger) below
during proof of concept trials earlier (2005)
Merkava MICV R-OWS (Mechanized Infantry Combat
Vehicle)
Configuration & layout is for 3 crew plus
Eight combat Israel Defense Force troops fully equipped and armed. MICV can
keep up with Merkava IV's.
First rolled out at MANTAK Plant #7100 November 2007. HYBRID M113
& Merkava IV seats 11 troops with
A/C, Laser
gun and a toilet.
Merkava Mk IV chassis continues with a family of no less than 7 vehicles now
here with 5 ton PowerPak lifting
crane ARV engineer vehicle
Israel developed a heavy-duty
[[Armored Personnel Carrier|APC]]/[[Infantry Fighting Vehicle|IFV]] based on the
Merkava chassis called ''Nemmera'' (Hebrew for [[tiger|tigress]]). Because many
of the 200 built Merkava I's are
being withdrawn from service (and now it can be
told) that it's been found that the Mark I & II 105mm gun can
NOT be upgraded
to the IDF standard 120mm main gun... this APC conversion can now be utilized
(in 2003).
So now the IDF has allowed SIBAT to sell off the Mk. I's and Mk II's and soon
even the Mark III's. Baz is spared.
MANTAK is now producing 'hundreds' of these APC's from
Merkava Mark IV frames here shown with R-OWS
due to the 2006 Lebanon War after battle reports
& TEFEN multi year, multi
billion dollar defense appropriations.
Nemera (Tigress) has been changed to just Namer
(Tiger) with
Mk IV hulls from late 2006
NAMER on Merkava prototype Chassis by MANTAK
(here based on Mk I & MkII)
Only a handful Mark IV APC's were
produced up to 2006, due to cost and the need for main battle tank chassis.
<ref>Page 7, Gelbart, Marsh, and Tony Bryan (illustrator). ''Modern
Israeli Tanks and Infantry Carriers 1985-04.
Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey
Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-84176-579-1.</ref> Yet following
Operation Rain-
bow
and the vulnerability of the M-113's, the IDF re-opened the Nemera program
2006 which is now been funded
&
in full development. The 2006 Lebanon conflict also verified the integrity of this
unique program now with Trophy.
Note: NAMERA (Tigress) became NAMER
(Tiger) in 2006 with the Mk IV chassis & Trophy II
MANTAK'S LT WEIGHT 10 PAX Golan
MRAP late 2006
MANTAK's Golan II for IDF & 1st USMC ORDER OF 60 with Deliveries BEGINNING
IN 2007 with
new TROPHY II LITE which competes with IMI's Iron Fist. Look for a
FORCED merger!
ASPRO is the term for the APS production line installation on Merkava Tanks and
IFV... FYI
Golan was displayed here equipped with a
new lightweight version of the Trophy APS
active protection system and the 'Samson Junior',
a lightweight remote weapon station
designed specifically for IED's with light automatic weapon (7.62mm). The
vehicle was
also fitted
with an acoustic gunshot locator, utilizing RAFAEL's SADS system. It
will
also be able to employ the company's Spotlite M - electro-
optically based threat
locator
which can serve as a gunshot locator, & threat alerting system, as it can
detects launch
sources and even
approaching RPG's, missiles and rockets in the current Russian
(Syrian) & Chinese (Iranian)
arsenal inventory for export.
Important Lesson Learned from 2006 Conflict:
Passive electronic countermeasures were
developed in time to be used in
the Lebanon 2006 conflict. Four Merkava tanks were equipped with experimental electronic countermeasures
systems. NOT one of the
four Merkava's was hit by even a single anti-tank guided
missile.
New RAPHAEL Trophy II Light system
Suitable for small MRAP vehicles like the
Wolf, Cheetah & Golan as well as high
speed patrol boats and now IAF aircraft.
Golan MRAP with Samson Jr. anti IED Vehicle series
The new RAPHAEL THOR anti-IED Laser system can
also
now be ordered and installed as all testing has been completed.
Golan Interior at the annual DESi 2007 Convention
Various interior layouts are available
with a maximum
seating of 10 soldiers and crew of 2 up front to operate
the Remote Over Head Weapons Systems (R-OWS) &
sensor suite such as SAD's and Spotlite-M.
Super Namer LIC model going to Eurosatory
2006 with THOR Laser &30mm chain gun & Belly Armor
Merkava Mark I and Mark II LIC version of
Namer will be Discontinued
On February 15, 2005,
'[Ma'ariv'' reported that a running prototype Merkava APC
was fielded by the
Givati Brigade & was equipped with a OWS, which is remotely controlled
and
loaded from within the vehicle.
It was also decided to rename the vehicle from
''Nemera''
to ''Namer'' ("Tiger"). This same unit was also
demonstrated in
Europe at Eurosatory 2005 military exhibition with 2 export
NATO customers signed.
NAMER
(Tiger) Based on the Merkava Mark IV
BAZ chassis with new
integrated ASPRO APS & FCS
Selected
September 4, 2007
as Next Generation IDF MICV / APC (Armor Personal Carrier)
Here Shown
the New NAMER with TADIR & ASPRO-A Lite System factory installed as opposed to
Add - On Systems
However, the IMI Iron Fist was later
selected to be the IDF choice for this APC APS
Rafael Concept APC based on Merkava IV Chassis with Trophy I
Upgrade kit & R-OWS
Complete rejuvenation of the whole Merkava program was the direct result
of
the 2006 Lebanon War when 60 Billion
Dollar TEFEN 2012 program to re-equip the IDF land forces with 400 new Merkava Mark IV BAZ
including the new
Trophy II APS (Active Protective System) & 200 Merk IV bodies for an UP- Graded Namer (Tiger) armor personnel
carrier for 11 crew and passengers
above in the next 18 months. All paid for with FMS credits amd TEFEN funds
'07-'09. This was announced publicly by Defense Minister and former Armor Chief
Ehud Barak.
Here is last year 2006 version ...
Namer just back from a combat patrol September 1st 2007 in Gaza strip
This variant has a single Large Rear Door with the new sniper port is
clearly
visible on the unfolded door platform with the Excalibur ATGW R-OWS.
=== Merkava Soltam Sholef (Gun Slinger) ===
155mm Self Propelled Fast Moving Howitzers
Merkava Sholef SP 155mm had a 45km range, 8 crew and
was fully air
conditioned
Image Below: Sholef-beyt-hatotchan|Sholef in Beit ha-Totchan,
Israel mid 1985.
Prototype 155mm Heavy Artillery based on the
Merkava tank chassis. This unique armor equipment featured a complete
air-
conditioned
cabin interior, seating for a team of 7 and included a revolutionary at the time (1985) auto shell loader but,
more
importantly and UNLIKE
the U.S. Army M-Series such as the typical
M-109, this piece of armor Could keep up with the fast
moving Merkava's as it had a
high
speed (55kmph) artillery support system and steep climbing capabilities.
2 prototypes of ''Sholef''
Gun-Slinger 155mm self-propelled howitzer
were built by Soltam in
1984 - 1986. The 45-ton vehicle had a
long 155mm/52-calibre gun barrel giving a
range of 45+ km and was capable of
direct
fire while on the move. It never
entered production.
The story here was this 155mm artillery was actually
superior
to the USA M-109 series
because, during the 1982 Lebanon War the US
models could not keep up with the speed,
mobility and terrain ability of the
Merkava Mark I models!
But thanks to the US annual largess
of billions of
dollars
towards defense purchases, the IDF was forced to keep on buying the
inferior M series.
The Israeli version actually
had a lot going for it. One was
it was more accurate, had 35% further range at 45kms, another was the entire crew
rode under-cover of
ballistic
armor in a protected cabin area that was even air conditioned. It also featured
for the
first time anywhere a fully automatic and
computerized Auto-Loader for higher fire rates. It can be said now that one should
never put all his eggs in one
basket, especially when it
comes to one's
own country defenses. Unspoken was
that there
was suppose to be a new futuristic piece of artillery that would make
all
others obsolete on the battle
field of the future
and that in five or ten
years Israel could have first chance of procurement for this 'Paladin'
system.
The Paladin was
NEVER adopted
by the U.S. Army, then it was cancelled by the Pentagon and the
whole program is now No
More. These TWO Soltam units can be toured today at Beit
Ha-Tochen armor facility in the Northern Galilee.
IDF Makes New Request from MANTAK
and Soltam
A Brand New High Speed (65kph) Long Range (45km)
52cal Artillery Gun System
Air conditioned cab, crew of 4 with storage of at
least 36 rounds. Hydro pneumatic
loader allows for 1 round per 30 seconds. Accuracy by GPS, Merkava IV On-Board
Data Link with IDF central Command & Control, Elint, C-3 / C-4 aircraft & UAV's.
Like Something From Science Fiction Movie...
Alien !
Hydraulic twin spades are Down and Locked in under 1 minute. A
special re-supply
M113
can be backed up for semi-auto loading of an additional 124 rounds and 2 more
crewman.
Export sales to India and Turkey have also begun as well as undisclosed NATO
customers.
The Soltam RASCAL carries up to 36 projectiles, stored
base downwards in the projectile
racks on
either side of the gun. Charges are carried in fire proof Merkava armored
PVC
ammunition
containers forward of the gun. Gun accommodate ALL NATO 155 mm rounds
= Merkava Project
Office MANTAK
ReFueler Program =
These are FAST REFUELERS as they have the
capability of keeping up with the fast battlefield Armor
question:
Is There Any Truth To Rumors Of A...
Merkava AMMO/WEAPONS
Carrier?
Now what on earth would give you that
idea that just because a Merk for a special mission might load up 7 to 10
combat
troops & then be left with a couple dozen rounds of 120mm APAM for the
conflict
and not be able to aquit itself or its personel on the field of battle?
You think a
couple of hundred more rounds and
"other"
supplies can make any difference?
=== Merkava Project
Office MANTAK D9 Program ===
Here Comes The 'DUBY'
This 'Teddy
Bear' Bull Dozer levels Mine Fields, Hideouts, Buildings, Booby
Traps and IED's
Just Right Click this DUBY to
see a Really Beeg Dozer!
Lebanon 2006 night (early morning) combat
duty leading Infantry, Armor & Artillery into battle.
Mantak's Armor D-9 'DUBY' Bulldozer on
'Stand-Up' Inspection. BTW, it passed FYI. The large hook
or
'claw' on the back can pull a 65 Ton Merkava MBT fully loaded out of mud even if the tank is
completely
submerged... And HAS
!
Over the years with a half dozen wars the
IDF and the Merkava Office have
worked close with the USA Caterpillar Corporation to developed a protected
environment with a 2 man cabin including a R-OWS for providing a dense
over laying pattern of heavy machine gun fire of .50 caliber with very deadly
accuracy that ensures the capability to clear any minefield or any
fortification.
Talk About Intimidating. You do NOT want
to be anywhere around this monster
when it is barreling towards you with several tons of Mines scooped up from your
locally laid minefield, otherwise you might be eating a lot of dirt and body
parts
for dinner. Also, you can expect a company of Merks hot on its trail following.
Below is the world's first Remote Control
Unmanned Combat Bulldozer
Under going proof of concept trials
winter 2005 & entered service shortly thereafter via Laptop controller
==MERKAVA Mk
V and
Beyond ==
2009 through 2019
Would You believe First... No tracks and then No
Conventional Gun?
Here as an Un-Manned Platform to Transport Wounded From Combat
The introduction of the Merkava Mark
V series may not feature tracks or a conventional
gun as we know it, firing a
canon
round.
It would not be due for announcement until around
2009 at the earliest
based on the past forty years
of the Merkava program history.
There is
even a proposal of a Tank Like Vehicle (TLV) that does Not touch the
ground (which ends
problems of road side IED's in an instant), but maybe something on the order of
the opening
sequence of Terminator the movie where you have hovering heavy armor platforms.
Like...
Serious thinking over at MANTAK on avoiding IED's & all land mines for that
matter, could
lead to these prototypes that are under going structural & avionic tests for IDF
field feasibility.
Merkava Mark
V series may also feature in addition to hovering capabilities but, a new
un-conventional gun as we know it
today. Firing not a
conventional canon shell but Laser.
This
Pulse Chemical Laser is capable of reaching miles & not just
meters, with a very deadly
aim & a
rapid fire rate with seemingly of limitless capacity. There's also discussion
of Un Man
type of tanks and by upping the forward propulsion as seen above you would in
effect then
have a combat vehicle that can exceed 100kph, for 1,000km not affected by mines
or even
road side devices; firing a main weapon that seemingly does not run out of
ammunition. Talk
about a Terrorist Worst Nightmare... It has been
rumored for about the past 10 years of a
140mm IMI main gun but, that turns out now to been just a rumor & stated there would be
no
re-supply of that type of
caliber ammo in a crisis from any country on earth and the IDF
has
concurred and
so would
never put their troops in that kind of jeopardy during a conflict.
MERKAVA Mk 5 BAZ
OR MayB...
Future Combat Concept System to Replace All current Naval, Air & Armor Forces
Impervious to mines, IED's, rivers, lakes,
oceans. Needs no roads. Takes on all
comers be they conventional or nuclear, stealth or embedded terrorist & IS
Unmanned!
2 on board weapons would be
UNLIMITED
energy guns. Each craft with APS
dome.
ASPRO:
Armoured
Shield
PROtection
Trophy II / ASPRO
APS
(Active Protective System)
Rafael APS & ELTA Synthetic Aperture Radar defeating ATGW & RPG's on
current 200+ new Merkava 4 B's arriving with IDF now in the Golan Heights
Please Compare the detail on the side
profile of the Turret above under going BETA testing the
Trophy APS @ Rafael Haifa headquarters during 2004, 2005 and 2006. BTW, None saw
combat 2006.
BUT
BOTH IAI 'Iron
Fist' & RAFAEL 'ASPRO'
DID SEE
COMBAT IN Jan 2009 GAZA-HAMAS CONFLICT...
Due To OpsSEC I am not saying
WHO or What Used
These Systems.
Also, What The Out Come
& Feedback
may
have been...
at this time!
But you can...
Compare
BAZ
2000 - 2006
to 2007
- 2012
HERE
Click Image Below 29 Trophy Ques LEFT 2007 - 2012 Version.
Center 2000-2006
Updated Version
ASPRO-A
Integrated
Tracking Sensor
above
& one of the 3 new automatic
Internal
Re-Loaders (see image
below),
that
now
provides FULL
360°
coverage with Elta's four Plannar
F/G Band fire control solid state Active Electronically
Scanned
Array
(AESA) radars.
Note these are improved FLAT bullet resistant
panels than the older blister type as seen below on turret basket.
When standing at the very back of the
BAZ you see the 3rd
turret & 2 rear facing arrays
RAFAEL assembly plant with the
new Trophy "Auto Internal
Re-Loader"
Older Style 2007 rear facing ELTA sensors Here attached to stowage basket. Not So
Now 2010
2 rear facing
180°
degree quadrant planar sensors on the tank turret bustle. This was a 2005 proof
of concept on a Mark III BAZ and is missing the third turret in the center.
There IS top protection
despite reports to the contrary to give the Merkava Mk IV BAZ full dome top
coverage BTW.
ALSO, THIS OLDER BLISTER ELTA RADAR COULD BE PENETRATED BY HEAVY M2
MACHINE GUN AMMUNITION, BUT THE NEW PLANAR FLAT PLATE... CAN
NOT!
the
360° hemispherical protective
dome of the 'ASPRO-A' system now being installed on
the latest
2007 series of
the
Merkava Mark IV BAZ series tanks. It detects, tracks and even
kills incoming rounds
of RPG's,
anti-tank missiles and
even enemy tank rounds by means
of an Active
Protective System or APS. Advent of
this new technology holds great
promise
to neutralize the current advantage of asymmetrical warfare by
terrorist
in urban
fighting environment against
conventional armies like the IDF here and that we see
USA forces facing around the world today.
There Are NO Blind Spots...
despite what Jeffery Sorenson said, stated or wrote and
his opinion was tainted by Raytheon collusion. He not only never came out
here to MANTAK, never saw the inside of the BAZ Merkava or the outside for that
matter. Why, he even failed to show at his own
demonstration of the Trophy equipped U.S. Army Stryker vehicle at U.S.N.
Dahlgren Proving Grounds Virginia in fact. Sad to say.
2005 Merkava Mk III BAZ with Trophy I original configuration
during LIC
convention Tel Aviv fair grounds
Trophy Trivia Question...
I understand that the new Active
Protective System has many advantages not normally found
in MBT's today such as allowing for thousands of pounds of heavy armor to be
removed since
shells no longer can hit the tank itself. However, is it true that this new
Merkava Mark IV BAZ
tank will be the first NOT to include those chains with spheres to deflect RPG's
from the rear
turret bustle in the vulnerable space between the hull and the turret?
Here is your answer...
IF YOU SEE A MERK
MARK FOUR AND IT HAS CHAINS...
LIKE IMAGE ABOVE,
IT IS AN
ALEPH
OR "A"
1999 TO 2007 MODEL.
BUT, IF YOU SEE ONE WITHOUT THE CHAINS
AND THE TROPHY
SYSTEM IS INSTALLED THEN IT IS A 2007 TO 2012
MERKAVA SIMAN ARBA BAZ...
Latest 2010 Production series of
Merkava Siman Arba BAZ
Joining First Golan Battalion
Look Ma,
No Chains!
Because Trophy systems are being installed
on the Merkava BAZ assembly
line, it has resulted in a turret redesign and closed the 'shot trap' making almost
all
60 chains now
superfluous except those on the remaining small turret stowage basket.
Note New Side Skirt Design
Folks, this is NO Longer Your Dad's
Merkava. Over 250+ changes since 1999 1st Merk IV in fact!
== General remarks ==
According to Jane's Defense Weekly
September 2006, "most tanks today are not so much vulnerable to other
tanks than
they are from insurgents that embed themselves with the local population like
those in Iraq (huggers),
Afghanistan (chicken
shadows) and in the case of the Merkava
tank, those battles taking place in Gaza with
Hamas (skirt hiders)
below left and Southern Lebanon with Hezbo's (baby shields)
below right.
In order to combat against such unconventional warfare like the
roadside IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices),
today's tanks
must be able to
carry into battle 'add-on' armor. The Israeli approach with the Merkava Mark III
and IV LIC series is a new
removable "BELLY-armor" plate that dramatically enhances the
tanks ability to cope
with roadside charges. For about seven
years now, valuable
experience has been gained in these three different
locations of combat with a
marked improvement to the
lowering the casualty rates. GDLS, the manufacture of the
Abrams tank is watching very closely and even testing some of these
new
developing Israeli technologies such as
Old pre 2006 Merkava 4's with the new
ADD-ON Trophy II LITE with
360° APS Kit
here shown installed below
Upgraded 2007 ASPRO-C LITE
(Mini Trophy) to existing Merkava Mk IV now to BAZ standards
above & below
Front view of the add-on APS to the Merkava Mk IV LIC model here shown with the
new M-Taps hi-tech
Armor kit
In the 34 day conflict in Lebanon
during the summer of 2006, the publication IDR (International Defense Review)
stated that not quite 50 of the almost 400 Merkava tanks that took part were of
the latest Mark IV series and that
many of the similar looking tanks captured on
TV were actually Dor Dalet 4th generation armor versions of Mark II
and Mark
III Merkava tank series. Most of the 47 tanks damaged in Lebanon was confined to
the modular elements
of the Merkava tank and so were easily field repairable and
therefore able to return to service after only a few days of
depot maintenance.
About a dozen Merkava tanks were actually penetrated as was about dozen other
armor type
vehicles but, even they were eventually repaired and have return back to
service according to Lebanon front OC
Armor Commander General Hirsh. In Total About 5 tanks were
not returned but, were still have been recycled.
Remember: 1 of the out standing qualities of Merkava series was easily &
quickly modular repair & replacement.
Merkava Mk IV Siman Aleph detailing the ASPRO-C ADD-ON
Trophy with Internal Re-Loader's 360° coverage
Color Schematic of early
3 Dimensional Merkava generic series concentrating on Drive Train and Turret
Layout area
Approximately 200 Merkava Mark IV BAZ
units with the new upgraded Elbit FCS Knights Mark 4 are currently
under
development and all
of these are being modified on the assembly line with both the permanent Trophy Mark
II
system with a further order of 400 Merk IV's & early units
Mk IV A's & Mk III's are to get the modified Trophy
Mk I
Add-On (seen below & above)
installed on a separate production line at Plant 7100 at Tel HaShomer.
Target date for
the Add-On completion date is second quarter 2010 for Merkava fleet
up-grading to BAZ standard for a total of 600
Merkava IV BAZ Trophy units.
Both the Trophy Add-On
and the Integrated system includes the internal re-loader.
It looks clear at this time all MkI's & MkII's will be retired and made
available for export. Not clear however is the
status of the 1989 Mark III series and the Mark III BAZ 1995 series disposition.
It has been discussed to replace the
entire MK III series turret with the new Mark IV BAZ turret with concomitant
electronic & SPS suites however.
Click Image Below for
2008 U.S. Army / NBC TV Investigative
Report on Trophy
ASPRO-C (Trophy II) add-on to existing armor such
as the early Mark IV's as seen above in Rafael display 1/20 Molded Model
Another note to those arm-chair generals about the
numbers of Merkava's especially Mark IV's. You would not expect
any Israeli military organization with Common Sense to publish or confirm
production numbers of current armor... BUT,
you would get VERY reliable statistics if you were a share owner of L3 systems
of US government contracts on export
orders for 1500 hsp 'TANK ENGINES' especially if tax payer dollars and
congressional funds were appropriated!
Trophy II
360°
DOME of Protection for any Armor
Vehicle
Click All 3 Below o NBC TV 'Trophy'
Investigative Report
360°
Coverage by
Add-On version ASPRO here IDF Stryker
Part 1 TV Video Rpt
IDF STRYKER proof of concept vehicle with APS deployed
Part 2 TV Report
Same IDF STRYKER with full APS and new Rafael R-OWS
Part 3 TV Video Rpt
In an on air 2006 interview on CNN
International the Israeli Government spokes-person Miriam Eini
said that
currently about
5,000 Israeli workers are directly employed in the Merkava production, with
another 5,000
employed indirectly in a little over 250 Israeli companies. SIBAT,
the Israeli government
official sales agency of
marketing IDF related equipment
and located in Tel Aviv, stated (2005) that
although no Merkava tanks are
currently being exported, still over 350 million U.S. dollars was earned
in sales
of Merkava related technology
sub systems each year on the world market.
Recent contracts
with Turkey and India have amounted to over a
billion dollars
in tank up-grading projects with existing
fleets. Now the annual exports will
run 400 to 600 million dollars per annum. However, just with Trophy
it will over double that figure.
==New Merkava Mk
IV Nochri Kal
Anti-IED Armor Mine Roller System ==
RKM Merkava Mk IV's being demonstrated to new Merk teams
during a hands-on familiarization course at Shizafon Armor Base
This new anti-mine device tears up and destroys roadside IED's and EFP's .
Want to see an Abrams MBT after an IED hit?
Click the
Image above or below. This nasty incident in Iraq was caused by a couple of old 155mm artillery
shells, a donkey with cart and 3of
Secretary of defense Dum Dum Rumsfeld called just a bunch of "Dead Enders!"
Yeah, he had that right didn't he? Thanks!
New anti-IED / Mine equipped Merkava Mk IV's on 2008 maneuvers in the Golan
Heights
MANTAK stated in January 2007 that the IDF
'After
Battle Reports'
of the 2006 Lebanon conflict have begun replacing the
venerable Caterpillar D-9 from the front of armor columns in battle to the new
Merkava Mk IV BAZ with anti IED detonators
(above
& below), New THOR Laser anti-mine guns & new Trophy II to take all the heat
and attacks from terrorist in the Gaza
& Hezbo fronts. Reasoning: a heavy offensive MBT leading is more effective if it
has Trophy, Thor, SpotLite & 120mm Canon.
Below is the
Nochri-Kal
Anti Mine Roller System
Right Angle view of IED / EFP anti Mine Warfare
Suite with instructor waiting for next team in a little shade of 110 degree
heat. This Road Side detonator destroys in place safely BOTH the
old IED's and the new EFP's from Iran very effectively.
Meet
2 of my Tank Commanders Post Lebanon Conflict about their BAZ Merks
==Female Armor Instructor Teams==
Affectionately referred to by their
tanker students as the IDF Armor Corps "A" Teams. Now you most
probably
guess that they got their name from having a great piece of... nu nu nu.
They
ALL had to
pass the instructors
course with at least an "A"
Whoa.....
This Merkava IV BAZ all female Instructor team
cover each of the
four positions of the
Commander,
Loader, Gunner, Driver with
the
Team Leader that overviews the whole Field
Training
exercise programs, class room courses and IDF Combined-Arms field maneuvers
from lessons learned in
2006 Leb War.
If you want to meet one, the Mark IV driving instructor check out the VIDEO at
the top of the page with TSGT Elenor Kushner and
click on
Video Clip of tank marked...
Merkava 4 Background.
== Notes ==
<div
class="references-small"><references />
== References ==
* Gelbart, Marsh. "The Merkava
Project, A History of Israel's MBT". Erlangen, Germany. Tankograd Publishing,
2005.
ISBN 3-936519-01-3.
* Gelbart, Marsh, and Tony Bryan
(illustrator). ''Modern Israeli Tanks and Infantry Carriers 1985ā€“2004''.
Oxford,
United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-84176-579-1.
* Katz, Sam, and Peter Sarson
(illustrator). ''Merkava Main Battle Tank MKs I, II & III''. Oxford, United
Kingdom:
Osprey Publishing, 1997. ISBN 1-85532-643-4.
==External links==
All My Fellow Tankers Wanted
To Just Say Shalom and Hi Mom...
ZAHAL Merkava MBT Siman IV A by Abir Sultran above
* http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/vehicles/tanks/merkava/Merkava.html
Israeli-Weapons.com Merkava Page
(Considerable tank info and pictures)
*
http://www.idf.il.co IDF
overview of Merkava's history & variants
*
http://www.defense-update.com/products/m/merkava-lic.htm Merkava Mk 3 LIC], Merkava Mk 4 at
Defense-Update
*
http://www.waronline.org/en/IDF/arms/merkava.htm Merkava Mk 1,2,3,4 at War
Online.
* http://www.supervideo.com/MXCD-ROMOS.htm /
Merkava Mk I, II, III, IIIBAZ & IVBAZ Tanker Insider
*
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/merkava/index.html Merkava Mk 3 Baz,
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/merkava4/index.html Merkava Mk 4 at
Army-technology
(tank features and pictures from different angles)
*
http://www.army-guide.com/eng/product.php?prodID=2050 Merkava Mk1,
http://www.army-guide.com/
Merkava Mk2,
http://www.army-guide.com/eng/product.php?prodID=261 Merkava Mk3,
http://www.army-guide.com/eng/ Merkava Mk4] at
army-guide.com
*
http://www.acpr.org.il/ins/articles/Fishbein1.htm ACPR's analysis of Merkava
*
http://www.defense-update.com/ Continued
Evolution of the Merkava Program at Defense Update
*
http://www.halfvalue.com/wiki.jsp?topic=Merkava This is what's left
of my original 2004 Wiki posting
*
http://64.26.50.215/armorsite/Mekava.htm The Armor Site Page on the Merkava
No, this isn't the record number of troops
carried by one Merkava MBT. It's A Portrait Of My Barak Armor
Brigade Teams... FYI
On Guard, 24/7/365, Cold of
Winter, Heat of Summer, On Land, Sea and Air. Stay Safe Mein MaTAK...
OK, that finishes this page and the
Three dozen
Videos (did
you find them all?),
but
did you know there are Other Merkava web pages with links all scattered?
1.
http://www.supervideo.com/MXCD-ROMOSa.htm
Merkava Mk IV ALEPH
BAZ
and
Mk IV BAZ Models
2.
http://www.supervideo.com/MXCD-ROMOSb.htm
Merkava I, II, III & IV History
3.
http://www.supervideo.com/MXCD-ROMOSc.htm
Lebanon 1980 MkI, II & III
4.
http://www.supervideo.com/MXCD-ROMOSd.htm
Merkava Mk IV In Depth Trophy
5.
http://www.supervideo.com/MXCD-ROMOSe.htm
Gaza 2009 & Lebanon 2006 Merks
6.
http://www.supervideo.com/MXCD-ROMOSf.htm
Legend Of Talik
Merkava Father
For all my modeling enthusiast that are deep into
making precision detailed Merkava's,
let me refer you to my International fan club, this time
Italy, on
Making Of The Merk...
http://girellalandia.freeforumzone.leonardo.it/lofi/Merkava-III-Baz-W-I-P-/D7760890-10.html
Shalom L'hitra'ot
שלום להתראות
Merkava Second Parting Of The Red Sea?
Nah, but nice shot though.
