Magach 3

This page is about the Israeli medium tank Magach 3. For other versions, see Magach (Family).

Magach 3

Magach 3

Description

The Magach 3 was an overall upgrade to the M48 tanks fitted by Israel. Compared to the Magach 1 and 2, it was the first to receive major upgrades not fitted by Americans or Germans. It included a more powerful American-made 105 mm M68 cannon with more powerful anti-tank rounds to deal with Soviet threats like the T-54 and T-62. The tank also eventually received Blazer ERA to deal with Soviet made RPGs and ATGMs fitted in large quantities by Egyptian and Syrian forces. The tank also received a new 750 HP engine coupled with a new Allison transmission (the same used by the first M60s), as well as new radio equipment and electronics.

It was introduced in Update "Drone Age". The Magach 3 is an upgunned version of the previous Magach variants. It has very similar mobility thanks to the new transmission and engine. However it does not use Blazer ERA blocks, since that is reserved for the premium version. The 105 mm gun with its new APDS shell is the most important upgrade as well as the new commander's cupola. The new gun packs quite a heavy punch and can be used to reliably penetrate all tanks at its BR, that being with the HEAT-FS or the APDS shell, just take in mind that ERA can already be seen around its BR which poses a threat to chemical munitions. The tank lacks a stabilizer, however, it has an optical rangefinder so it can be used to accurately pick targets thousands of metres away.

General info

Survivability and armour

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	___ mm	___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom	___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Turret	___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Cupola	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm

Notes:

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade				1,162			__.__
Realistic				663			__.__

Armaments

Main armament

105 mm M68					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	57	-9°/+19°	±180°	N/A	22.8	31.6	38.4	42.5	45.2	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					14.3	16.8	20.4	22.6	24.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
M392A2	APDS	350	347	333	317	302	287
M156	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
M152	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M392A2	APDS	1,478	4	-	-	-	75°	78°	80°
M156	HESH	731	11.4	0.1	4	3.17	73°	77°	80°
M152	HEATFS	1,174	10.5	0.05	0.1	1.27	65°	72°	77°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
M416	732	11.6	16	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Magach 3

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
57	49 (+8)	34 (+23)	23 (+34)	17 (+40)	1 (+56)	No

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Gun mantlet	1,000 (200)	577	N/A	N/A

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Loader's hatch	2,000 (200)	600	-5°/+50°	-120°/+60°

7.62 mm M73
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	6,000 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

7.62 mm M1919A4
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Commander's hatch	2,000 (250)	500	-5°/+50°	-60°/+120°

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

Cons:

History

The Magach 3 was another version of the Magach series of tanks, based on the M48 chasis. This version was the first to introduce major modifications and upgrades outside of those already fitted by the Americans and Germans in their M48A1/A2/A2C.

The Magach 3 used many parts present in the original Magach 2 (M48A2C) but it also fixed some of the most important problems with the standard version of the M48. A new British made L7 105mm gun was installed with new rounds capable of much more firepower. The increase in gun caliber was very necesary since the M48s original 90mm gun was deemed inferior to the 100 and 115 mm guns used in the T-54s and T-62s.

Another upgrade was the installation of a low profile commanders cupola, since the original cupola was considered unnecessary and also increased maintenance, new communications equipment was installed to help with coordination in the battlefield and later on, some tanks were upgraded with Blazer ERA. The Magach 3 was one of the first to use Blazer ERA, since during the Six Days War and Yom Kippur War it was shown that it's armour was not enough to protect the crew against RPGs and ATGMs, in fact, the Magach 3 was one of the most lost tanks during these two conflicts.

With the installation of Blazer ERA, new electronics and increased firepower, the total weight of the tank increased, and thus a new powerplant was required, a  750 hp (560 kW) diesel engine Continental AVDS-1790-2A was installed, as well as a new Allison CD-850-6 transmission.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Magach 3 from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related development

• Magach (Family)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.