Development
of the Merkava Mk 4 commenced in the early 1990s
and its existence was first revealed in 2002. First
production Merkava Mk 4 MBTs have been delivered
to the Israel Defence Force (IDF) and the first
battalion was fully operational in 2004. The Merkava
Mk 4 will start to replace the older US supplied
upgraded General Dynamics Land Systems M60A1 series
MBTs. The first battalion of Merkava Mk 4 tanks
entered service with the Israel Defence Forces in
2004. The tank is capable of carrying eight infantry
soldiers, a command group or three litter patients
(stretcher casualties) in addition to the tank crew
of commander, loader, gunner and driver. The tank
is capable of firing on the move at moving targets
and has demonstrated high hit probability in firing
against attack helicopters using conventional anti-tank
munitions.
Variants
: Merkava 4 LIC: The Merkava is equipped
with a turret 12.7 mm caliber coaxial machine gun
which enables the crew to lay down fairly heavy
cover fire without the use of the main gun, which
is relatively ineffective against individual enemy
combatants. The most sensitive areas of a tank,
its optics, exhaust ports and ventilators, are all
protected by a newly-developed high-strength metal
mesh. Rubber whip pole-markers with LED tips and
a driver's rear-facing camera have been installed
to improve navigation and maneuverability in an
urban environment by day or by night.
Main
armament is a 120 mm smoothbore gun developed
by Israel Military Industries that is a
further development of that installed in
the Merkava Mk 3. Secondary armament consists
of a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, 7.62 mm
machine gun mounted on the right side of
the turret roof and an internally mounted
60 mm breech-loaded mortar.The roof-mounted
7.62 mm machine gun can be aimed and fired
by the commander from within the turret
under complete armour protection and can
be traversed through a full 360º.
Turret
The
Merkava 4 has a new all-electric turret
developed by Elbit and subsidiary El-Op.
Only one hatch is installed in the turret,
the commander's hatch. The turret is mounted
to tha back side of the hull. Around the
lower part of the turret rear are chains
that hang down vertically to help detonate
any anti-tank devices with an High Explosive
Anti-Tank (HEAT) warhead before they impact
the main armour of the Merkava Mk. 4. In
addition, the ballistic protection includes
roof protection that provides a capability
against overhead attacks. As there is only
one roof hatch it is easier to protect the
roof with a new passive armour system.
Protection
The
fighting compartment and turret occupies
the rear of the vehicle, with an entrance
hatch being provided in the hull rear. As
with late production Merkava Mk 3s, the
new Mk 4 turret has an elliptical shape
to its front and sides with a stowage basket
at the rear. In earlier versions of the
Merkava there was a roof hatch for the commander
(right) and loader (left), but the latest
Mk 4 only has a roof hatch for the commander.
In the Merkava Mk 4 the ballistic protection
is modular and is claimed to provide more
effective protection against modern threats
involving both protection efficiency and
coverage area.Installation of the new 1,500
hp powerpack has allowed for a redesign
of the hull of the Merkava Mk 4 that has
improved frontal protection. The driver's
field of view has also been improved as
there is no longer a bulge to the right
side of the hull. Merkava IV is fitted with
a modular special armour covers the turret.
The tank is protected against a range of
threats, including air-launched precision-guided
missiles and advanced and top-attack anti-tank
weapons. Automatic fire detection and suppression
has been installed. The underside of the
hull has been fitted with additional armour
protection against mines.
Propulsion
The
Merkava 4 is powered by a V-12 diesel engine
rated at 1,500hp. The engine compartment
and one fuel tank are at the front of the
tank and two fuel tanks are at the back.
The new engine represents a 25% increase
in power compared to the 1,200hp powerpack
installed on the Merkava 3. The Mk 4 Merkava
has six rubber-tyred roadwheels either side
with the drive sprocket at the front, idler
at the rear and four track-return rollers.
Each roadwheel is suspended by a separate
helical spring with suspension arms for
two roadwheels, each caged in a housing.
Accessories
Merkava
4 is equipped with a modern fire control
and sighting system which includes computerized
ballistic calculations and compensations,
a dual axes stabilized gunner sight and
a dual axis stabilized commander panoramic
sight, both equipped with an advanced FLIR
and TV channels for day and night operation.
Specifications
Armament
120
mm rifled gun, three 7,62
mm machine gun, one 12,7
mm machine gun, one mortar
60 mm, 12 smoke discharger.
Country
users
Israel
Crew
4
Accessories
Firing
gun comuter control system,
NBC protection
Armor
Composite
matrix of laminated ceramic-steel-nickel
alloy. Sloped modular design.
a
Pakistan
plans to conduct another test of tactical missile Nasr (Hatf IX) in
May 2012 able to carry a nuclear warhead, said Saturday, May 19, 2012,
the television channel Geo TV. According to the channel, the Pakistan
army is fully ready to test.
