Made in Israel: Meet the Most Survivable Tank in the World

The Merkava tank was designed in the 1970s following the failure to purchase Chieftain tanks from the United Kingdom.

The Merkava was designed in the 1970s following the failure to purchase Chieftain tanks from the United Kingdom. Originally designed to duke it out with Soviet tanks in the deserts surrounding Israel, the tank was laid out in a rather unorthodox manner compared to contemporary Western and Soviet tanks, featuring a design more akin to some infantry fighting vehicles. Instead of having the engine at the rear, the engine was moved in front of the crew compartment, with the turret placed further back on the chassis.

The result was that the front armor could be more gradually sloped, and the crew could enter and exit the tank quickly from the rear.

Merkava – Tank History and Review:

However, this comes with the drawback of having the engine more easily disabled, as any penetrating front hit will disable it. Israeli doctrine prioritizes the survivability of the crew in an engagement, so in the event of a disabling hit the crew will bail out rapidly through the rear hatch if the situation allows. On the other hand, a penetrating frontal hit on a western tank will likely leave the tank still mobile.

While the question of whether a tank crew would stay in a tank or not after a penetrating hit is up for a lot of debate, there are instances where mobility will increase the survivability of the crew, primarily in a fighting disengagement where the tank might be surrounded. In an engagement where an attack is succeeding (which to be fair to the Israeli Defense Forces, is likely in most of their post-1970s conflicts), the Merkava’s design makes sense, but for a European army expecting to hold against a Soviet or later a Russian advance, a mobility κιʟʟ might be a far bigger deal.

The other big issue is the storage of the ammunition in the Merkava. Ammo in the Merkava is stored in the crew compartment in flame-resistant plastic containers. While these containers can delay the cook-off of ammunition, Merkavas have suffered catastrophic failures when their ammunition load was hit. The Merkava Mk 4 mitigates this by storing some ammo in the turret with blow-off panels, but this storage can only hold ten rounds. This makes it far less survivable in event of an ammunition hit compared to bustle storage designs such as the M1 Abrams, K2 Black Panther, or Leclerc.

However the position of ammunition in the rear of the hull does make it hard to hit in a frontal engagement and a hit to that area is only likely if the tank is engaged from the side aspect, a ᴅᴇᴀᴅʟʏ situation for almost any tank. The Merkava also mitigates the risk of side sнoтs with modular armor and active protection systems, though these are becoming standard on most modern tanks.

Does all of this mean the Merkava is a poor tank? No. But it’s clear why most nations have stuck to more traditional designs instead of embracing Merkava’s frontal engine tank design.

Tom

Related Posts

View the $3 billion US Amphibious Carrier Ship that was just launched

Hello and welcome back to our channel where we will be showcasing the ⱱeгѕаtіɩe Amphibious аѕѕаᴜɩt Carrier, which shares many features with an aircraft carrier. Comments: –…

The HMT Extender Mk2, a new British-American tank with a 105mm cannon, adds fresh power to the battlefield

In the dynamic world of military technology, innovation is the driving force behind strategic superiority and battlefield dominance. The recent introduction of the  Extender Mk2, a collaborative effort…

Boeing B17: The Powerful Eagles of the Sky

Scroll down to the Ьottom of the article to watch the video Celebrated for its robust design, the Boeing B17 stands as a testament to engineering excellence….

The S-97 Raider from Sikorsky: Advancing Military Aviation’s Future

In the dуnаmіс realm of military aviation, Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider emerges as a ɡгoᴜndЬгeаkіnɡ marvel, рᴜѕһіnɡ the boundaries of helicopter design and рeгfoгmаnсe. Stepping into its cockpit…

When the aircraft uses flight maneuvers to instill fear in adversaries

In the arena of warfare, where every maneuver is laden with tenѕіon and рeгіɩ, there emerges a foгmіdаЬɩe entity: the aircraft. These powerful machines participate in combat…

SuperCobra AH-1W: dominating the airspace

The AH-1W Super Cobra, an iconic combat helicopter symbolizing military рoweг and air support for decades, was developed by Bell Helicopter. Renowned for its agility, fігeрoweг, and…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *