The Israel Defense Forces are currently armed with modern Merkava Mk tanks.4, equipped, among other things, with active protection complexes.
? Hizmet dışı bırakılan ya da eğitim amaçlı bir Merkava tankının İsrail Ordusu tarafından tahliyesi. pic.twitter.com/hVzYmmSH5W
— Savunma İşleri• (@savunmaisleri) February 8, 2022
Machines of earlier versions are no longer in use. According to reference publications, more than six hundred Merkava Mk.3 are in storage, the rest can be seen only in museums, at sites of decommissioned equipment and at landfills where various training tasks are being worked out on them.
For example, a video appeared on the Network where one of these decommissioned tanks just lit up. An armored vehicle with a turret turned to the right apparently interfered with the passage of the column, and an armored Caterpillar D9 bulldozer was called in to solve this problem.
The first attempt of the multi-ton giant to clear the road was unsuccessful - having buried the blade in the "Chariot" (this is how the name Merkava translates), the heavy tractor began to slip. After driving back a little, the driver of the "nine" changed the direction of movement, after which he managed to move the tank from its place - with a clang and a screech, it rolled down the slope.
Probably, the trajectory of the uncontrolled vehicle seemed too unpredictable to the crew of one of the Merkava Mk.4 tanks standing below, so he hurried to roll back to a safe distance.
Tanks of this family were created based on the rich combat experience of the Israelis. They differ from their foreign peers in an unusual layout - the engine and transmission compartment is located in the front part, which, as it was supposed, increases the chances of the crew to survive when projectiles hit the forehead. In addition, the applied booking was of a spaced type.
Serial production began in 1977. The weapons used were a 105 mm cannon, three 7.62 mm machine guns, and a 60 mm mortar. The engine power is 900 hp. The maximum speed on the highway is 58 km/h. The crew is 4 people. Combat weight - 56000 kg.
Allegedly, Merkava Mk.1 they showed themselves very well during the events in Lebanon in 1982, suffering minimal losses (seven pieces were irretrievably lost).
In 1983, serial production of the Merkava Mk began.2, who received improvements based on the experience of the recent war: armor protection was strengthened, the fire control system was improved. As a result, the weight increased to 60,000 kg.
Alexey Moiseev
