The rescue of the Merkava tank from mud captivity was shown on video

During the exercises of the Israel Defense Forces, one of the Merkava Mk tanks that took part in them.4M is stuck in a mud trap almost up to the very tower. A video of this incident was posted on social networks last Wednesday.

The driver-mechanic drove into a small hillock during maneuvering on the ground and, apparently, did not notice a deep hole or an abandoned caponier. It is good that the tower was turned to the right, as a result, the barrel of the 120-mm gun did not stick into the ground.

After that, the tank drove forward by inertia for some distance, getting even more bogged down in the wet ground. It would seem that the task of freeing a 70-ton monster from captivity is very difficult - shovels certainly won't help here. Therefore, we urgently had to call an armored ambulance - another heavyweight, an armored repair and evacuation vehicle based on the Namer armored personnel carrier. Cables were stretched from it, thanks to which, after a few minutes, Merkava was on a solid surface.

Experts who follow military news note that various incidents with these combat vehicles happen quite often: rollovers, fires, incidents during shooting occur. However, everything is explained by the intensive training of personnel and participation in numerous combat operations.

Currently Merkava Mk.The 4M is considered one of the best mass-produced foreign tanks. They are significantly superior to the Egyptian M1A1 Abrams or the Jordanian Challenger 1. Only the Syrian T-90A or the French AMX-56 Leclerc supplied from the United Arab Emirates to the Hashemite Kingdom can compete with it on an equal footing.

Israeli engineers and designers have created Trophy active protection complexes for the "Chariots" (which is how the tank's name translates), which have already been tested in real battles. They are equipped with the most advanced electronics, allowing them to be used at any time of the day. At the same time, problems with the 1500-horsepower engine and deterioration of mobility and cross-country characteristics due to a mass exceeding 70,000 kg were reported.

As for the BRAM based on a heavy armored personnel carrier, the Israelis also managed to create a sample of equipment that meets the highest standards. True, it is still inferior to the Russian T-16, but it is still only being tested.

Alexey Moiseev