From the Vault: Merkava 2 article from ARMOR magazine

Today we present an article from the Nov-Dec 1985 issue of ARMOR by R. M. Ogorkiewicz titles “Israel’s Merkava Mark 2 Battle Tank.”  The article gives a good description of the Merkava as well as explaining the reasons for the vehicle’s unusual design.  it is worth pointing out that the author is quite clear in stating that the Merkava is not intended to function as a tank/APC hybrid.  This claim still gets made in various online forums from time to time.  Ogorkiewicz states that “the fact that the Merkava can carry infantrymen has been misinterpreted by many people, including several contributors to ARMOR, who have wrongly assumed it to be some kind of tank-cum-infantry carrier.  Those who have done this not only misunderstand the design of the Merkava, but seem to have no idea of the monstrous size of any tank which would carry not only a major caliber gun and a full load of ammunition, but also a squad of infantry.”