Merkava: Encyclopedia II - Merkava - Merkava Mk 4

Merkava - Merkava Mk 4

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

The Merkava has improved armor on the front and sides of the tank, and even the top of the turret, making it one of the best protected tanks in the world. The armor is modular so when the tank is hit, only the damaged armor plates need replacement. The Mk 4 also has additional crew survivability features: Each tank component is designed to act as back-up armor if the main armor is penetrated. The Mk 4 has an integrated air conditioning and NBC protection system. Ammunition is stored in fire-proof canisters.

The Merkava has an advanced fire system with a new 120 mm smoothbore cannon and an advanced targeting system, giving the tank the capacity to engage and shoot down anti-tank helicopters, such as the French SA342L Gazelle anti-tank helicopters and Russian Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters of the Syrian Air Force.

It also has .50 BMG (12.7 mm) coaxial machine gun (MAG Rafael) which enables the tank crew to shoot soft targets from the turret without getting out. A new generation of internal 60 mm mortar is installed. The internal machine gun and the rear door (which exists in all generation of the Merkava) have proven to be useful in urban warfare.

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

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

There are rumours that the Israelis were at one time working on a 140 mm cannon-armed variant of the Merkava, maybe the Mark 5. They may still be, but there has been mere speculation as to when such a tank will appear.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Merkava Mk 4", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki