Today we present another article from ARMOR, this one from the May-June 2000 issue. This article is titled “The Merkava Mk.3 Defies its Critics” by David Eshel. Eshel is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the IDF and wrote several articles for ARMOR, a few of which focused on the Merkava. Last month we posted an article by Eshel on the Merkava Mk.4. Back in April we posted an ARMOR article on the Merkava Mk.2 by Richard Ogorkiewicz.
Tank driving fail: Merkava edition
May 13, 2015 by 1 Comment
This clip was posted to youtube today. It shows an Israeli Merkava being driven over a ledge, causing the tank to roll upside down.
Israel Military Industries unveils HE-MP-T 120mm round
May 4, 2015 by 1 Comment
The Jerusalem Post is reporting that IMI (Israel Military Industries) is to display this week a tank shell that was first used operationally during last summer’s Gaza conflict, and which has been selected by a number of international military forces for urban operations. The tank shell, designated, the M339, is set to be displayed at the Ground Forces Conference organized by Israel Defense magazine in Latrun. According to the article, the M339 round was first used operationally during Operation Protective Edge last summer in Gaza. IMI claims that the M339 enables “main battle tanks to participate in urban warfare without causing excessive collateral damage.” The M399 is described as High Explosive, Multi-Purpose Tracer (HE-MP-T), the shell was designed jointly with the Defense Ministry’s Merkava Development Administration and the IDF Ground Forces.
From the Vault: Merkava 2 article from ARMOR magazine
April 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment
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.”
Israel doubles orders for Merkava and Namer APC parts
March 3, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Jerusalem Post is reporting that the Israeli Defense Ministry has doubled the number of orders for parts for Merkava tanks and Namer armored personnel carriers (APCs). The move comes ahead of an expected rise in the number of IDF orders for Merkava Mk 4 tanks and Namer APCs, as well as the need to replace parts for these ground forces vehicles following their heavy use during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza last summer.
Tank and AFV News 