War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Merkava Mk.2B

2024-04-16T12:30:34Z

U146866080: added some extra armour info

{{About
| about = Israeli medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Merkava (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=il_merkava_mk_2b_early
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''Merkava Mk.2B''' is the first subvariant of the Merkava Mk.2, which is the second variant of the [[Merkava (Family)|Merkava main battle tank family]]. In comparison to its predecessor, the [[Merkava Mk.1B]], the Merkava Mk.2 variant has enhanced armour protection, a new transmission, and more fuel capacity. Chains with metal balls were added to the Merkava Mk.2's turret rear to provide additional protection against rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). The tank comes standard with NBC protection and automatic fire extinguishing equipment. Compared to the standard Merkava Mk.2, the Merkava Mk.2B also included thermal imaging equipment for the gunner and minor changes to the fire-control system. The Merkava Mk.2 was first manufactured in 1983, and it was last produced in 1989, with 580 units constructed in total. It saw service in several local battles, where it performed well. The final Merkava Mk.2 tank was moved to reserve units in 2016. Most of the remaining tanks are currently in storage, though these might potentially be modified to become armoured personnel carriers. They were never exported.

Introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]], the Merkava Mk.2B retains the unique tank design created in Israel. During battles, locating targets is much easier now with thermal imaging equipment for the gunner. To improve crew protection, some composite armour screens are installed throughout the tank, primarily in the turret. In general, the Merkava Mk.2B resembles the Merkava Mk.1B, with good frontal turret armour that can survive a wide range of ammunition. The hull, on the other hand, is not as impressive as the turret. Most tank ammunition will easily penetrate the frontal hull.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

The frontal armour on the Merkava Mk.2B is is overall decent in terms of protection. Its turret is compact and smaller than its counterparts at this BR, making it a difficult target to hit when hull down at range. Moreover, the shape of its turret features a complex design with extreme angles which boast high ricochet chances. This might confuse enemies who are unaccustomed to it, which might cause them to mess up their shots. But as a consequence to the turret being cramped as it is, penetrating shots at the turret's crew compartment might prove to be fatal.

The hull is not as impressive as the turret. On one hand, the lower and upper plates are rather thin, and despite the extreme angle of the upper plate, most APFSDS and chemical rounds will punch through with ease. On the other hand, the Merkava's engine and transmission are conveniently placed at the front to soak up most of the penetrating shot's energy and shrapnel, preventing it from going further into the tank and protecting the crew at the cost of temporary immobilization.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (67-76°) ''Front glacis''
60 - 90 mm (30-57°) ''Lower glacis''
| 50 + 10 mm ''Top''
50 + 20 mm (Composite Screens) ''Bottom''
| 30 mm (12-44°) + 200 - 600 mm (air) + 30 mm || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 - 65 mm (1-71°) + 45 mm (Spaced armour) + 100 mm ( Cast Homogenous armour near mantlet) + 25 mm (Composite Screens) ''Turret front''
Variable thickness armour (0-75°) ''Gun mantlet''
| 65 mm + 45 mm (Spaced armour) + 25 mm (Composite Screens) ''Upper turret armour''
Variable Thickness Armour mm (0-60°) ''Lower turret armour''
| 65 mm (11° - 66°) + 45 mm (Spaced armour) + 20 mm (Tracks) || 30mm
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Side composite screens are 20 mm thick.
* The turret features sides and rear spaced armour.
* Ammo racks are stored in 5-10 mm thick rolled homogeneous armour.
* Armour plates separate the engine and transmission from the fuel tank and crew compartment.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}

The Merkava Mk.2B has decent all around mobility, although it is slower than many other medium tanks at its BR. Turning bleeds speed quickly, and the reverse speed is decent at best.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,492|rbMinHp=852}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}
Since the engine, transmission, and fuel tank are all positioned right behind the frontal hull armour and serve the role of additional protection, it is mandatory that the player prioritizes the research of parts and FPE first. Then, the player can get the NVD and LWS/LR or adjustment of fire upgrades for more accurate shots. After that, the player should focus on getting the M111, and they should use it as their main ammo type.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Sharir (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Sharir (105 mm)|105 mm Sharir]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 52.7 || 64.0 || 70.8 || 75.3 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:Sharir (105 mm)/Ammunition|M152, M156, M111, M416, M413}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Merkava_Mk.2D.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 31 ''(+23)'' || 7 ''(+47)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || No
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle (loader) || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
| Pintle (commander) || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Merkava Mk.2B is built for urban warfare and sniping, and should be played as such roles. The armour and the equipment it features will make it a formidable foe in the battlefield. Use its compact turret to peak from unexpected locations and utilize its excellent 4-20x commander's view to spot enemies from afar.

Enemies that you must be most worried about are the Soviet T-72s and T-64B, as their frontal armour will be a difficult challenge to break through at range when they conceal their lower plate, and their guns are extremely dangerous from any range. The only viable tactic against them is to flank, but you must be very careful not to get flanked yourself, as your side armour can be easily penetrated by even SPAAs.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Excellent hull-down capabilities
* Effective protection of its crew members
* Decent mobility to keep up with most other tanks
* Excellent 4-20x commander's view
* Comes stock with smoke grenades

'''Cons:'''

* Only has rifle-calibre machine guns, ineffective against lightly-armoured vehicles
* Engine compartment is prone to catch on fire
* Prone to getting ammoracked
* Mediocre 8x gunner zoom (commander view balances this disadvantage, but cannot substitute gunner view)

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=il_merkava_mk_2b_early Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[Merkava (Family)]]
** [[Merkava Mk.2B (USA)]]

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{TankManufacturer Israeli Ordnance Corps}}
{{Israel medium tanks}}

Merkava Mk.2B (USA)

2024-04-16T12:29:43Z

U146866080: added slightly more info to the armour table that i forgot to add -Thunderer121

{{About
| about = American medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Merkava (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_merkava_mk_2b_late
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|market=Merkava Mk.2B (USA)
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]] as a reward for [[wt:en/news/6521-special-operation-f-r-o-s-t-en|Operation F.R.O.S.T]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The frontal armour on the Merkava Mk.2B is great and is comparable or better than tanks of similar battle rating, the frontal turret especially. If somebody is hoping to have a shot penetrate through the turret when they are facing a Merkava frontally, there is a very good chance they are out of luck and it will not go through.

This does not mean that the Merkava is frontally invincible, however. The lower front plates are weak; even if they are stronger than the upper ones in pure armour thickness, the effective one is way lower. However, the lower front plate is the weakness of most tanks anyways, so this is to be expected. Also, there are some parts of the front armour that are weak, such as the turret gun mantlet and the area around it, as well as the uppermost part of the frontal upper plate, but being hit there, especially from long distance, is going to be all in the enemy's luck, so worrying about those spots is not necessary all the time.

Where this tank shines though is how it fixes the lower frontal plate issue. This vehicle's secret ace is its position of the engine. It is in front of the tank, covering most of the frontal lower plate and a decent part of the upper one as well. Thus, any hit there will certainly stop the shell coming at it, especially against HESH, HEAT, and sometimes HEATFS shells as well. It will also stop most of the shrapnel, protecting the crew even further. However, this also means increased risk of fires and being immobilized, so having the ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' module will be important to be able to quickly repair the tank and put out fires.

Stick to facing the front armour towards the enemies. The side and rear armour are thin to the point of non-existence, and the rear of the tank has all the ammunition, so anyone able to aim there will get a clean one-hit knock-out. That, or they will knock out most, if not all, of the crew, which is still a knock-out.

{| class="wikitable"
!Armour
!Front (Slope angle)
!Sides
!Rear
!Roof
|-
|Hull
|60 mm (67-76°) ''Front glacis''
60 - 90 mm (30-57°) ''Lower glacis''
|50 + 10 mm ''Top''
50 + 20 mm (Composite Screens) ''Bottom''
|30 mm (12-44°) + 200 - 600 mm (air) + 30 mm
|20 - 30 mm
|-
|Turret
|30 - 65 mm (1-71°) + 45 mm (Spaced armour) + 100 mm ( Cast Homogenous armour near mantlet) + 25 mm (Composite Screens) ''Turret front''
Variable thickness armour (0-75°) ''Gun mantlet''
|65 mm + 45 mm (Spaced armour) + 25 mm (Composite Screens) ''Upper turret armour''
Variable Thickness Armour mm (0-60°) ''Lower turret armour''
|65 mm (11° - 66°) + 45 mm (Spaced armour) + 20 mm (Tracks)
|30 mm
|-
|Cupola
|30 mm
|30 mm
|30 mm
|30 mm
|}

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,492|rbMinHp=852}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

For Merkava it's even more important to research Parts and FPE, as the principle of its protection is to allow damage to happen, but without being lethal to the crew. Second important upgrade in tier II would be either NVD (if you play [[Realistic Battles]]) or Adjustment of Fire (for the [[Arcade Battles]]). Tier III requires you to research 3 modifications, necessary one is the Crew Replenishment. The other two depend very much on a playstyle you prefer, but in either way M416 smoke shell can be freely ignored and researched as the final modification for the tank. For Tier IV the M111 shell is a good choice if you plan on playing in the BRs higher than {{#unit:us_merkava_mk_2b_late|BR}}. Laser Rangefinder would be an improvement for a more sniping playstyle in the [[Simulator Battles|SB]] and RB. For more mobility-based gameplay Engine should be the first module researched at this tier, as it offers by far the best increase in horsepower per RP spent.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Sharir (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Sharir (105 mm)|105 mm Sharir]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.08 || 52.71 || 64.00 || 70.78 || 75.29 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.80 || 28.00 || 34.00 || 37.60 || 40.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:Sharir (105 mm)/Ammunition|M152, M156, M111, M416, M413}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 31 ''(+23)'' || 7 ''(+47)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || No
|-
|}


=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|4}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|5}}

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,000 (200) || 577 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Commander's cupola || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
| Loader's cupola || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Merkava shines in two primary roles - as an urban fighter and a long to medium-range sniper, which is not different to its real-world counterparts. When sniping, its excellent stabilization provides a significant advantage when peaking out of the cover for quick shots, and a small turret gives enemy a very little time to spot and aim at the tank. Added laser rangefinder in Realistic modes further decreases exposure time needed to get the shot. In urban environments, the engine and well-dispersed crew allows the tank to survive most direct hits, while 8.1 s reload time (compared to an analogue average 8.7 s) allows it to take the second shot before most of its competitors, and thanks to the advanced stabilization - it will be an accurate shot. What should be avoided though, is getting flanked, as the side-protection is negligible, making mobile warfare on more open maps extremely risky.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Multi-layered spaced armour provides a good protection against HESH, early HEAT and some ATGMs
* Has access to a thermal sight
* Good mobility once spaded. Can take the capture zones with lighter vehicles
* Good gun with effective choices of ammo, with stock HEATFS round working very well overall and a potent APFSDS shell that is superior to the XM-1's M735 round
* Engine in the front gives some extra protection to the crew
* Low silhouette, excellent for hull-down position
* Very good gun stabilization
* Three extra machine guns on the roof to deal with lightly armoured vehicles, helicopters and planes. (2 x 7.62 mm + 1 x 12.7 mm)
* Starts with stock smoke launcher, which improves when modifications are purchased

'''Cons:'''

* Stock HEATFS round will have difficulties dealing with vehicle with opponents composite armour
* Selecting machine gun allows to use only one of the 7.62 mm guns at a time
* Is not protected by the composite armour, therefore prone to the advanced HEATFS rounds
* Almost no dedicated protection against kinetic rounds (primarily APFSDS) which are quite common at the battle rating
* Shot to the center mass by any kinetic round is potentially lethal
* Engine will protect the crew against certain munitions but will still often catch fire and burning out after exhausting FPE is a common thing
* Driver has less protection than other crew members
* All the modules being at the front means that there is no crew protection for flankers from the rear
* Inferior optics of only 8x zoom compared to its competitors
* Ammo rack in the rear, shot from the back are often lethal

== History ==

[[File:Merkava2 Golan Heights.jpg|thumb|right|Merkava 2 during the exercise on the Golan Heights]]
Merkava Mk.2 (מרכבה סימן 2) was introduced in 1983 adding a number of improvements over [[Merkava Mk.1 (USA)#History|Mk.1]] from the lessons learned during the Operation Peace for Galilee (1982's war in Lebanon) where Israel has lost an undisclosed number of Mk.1 tanks. Some of the upgrades over the earlier generation included:<ref>[http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?shop=dae&modele=release&prod=132916&cat=3 <nowiki>[defense-aerospace.com] Years of Excellence – The Merkava Main Battle Tank</nowiki>]</ref><ref>[https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/מרכבה_(טנק)#מרכבה_סימן_2 מרכבה (טנק) – ויקיפדיה]</ref><ref>[https://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/vehicles/tanks/merkava/MerkavaMk2.html <nowiki>[israeli-weapons.com] Merkava Mk 2</nowiki>]</ref>

* added composite screens to the side of the turret,
* added hanging ball and chain protection at the rear of the turret (nicknamed Shulamit hairs (שערות שולמית), designed to counter RPGs)
* upgraded engine, fully automatic, 4-gear transmission and increased fuel storage (what resulted in improved mobility and increased operational range),
* left-side engine exhaust was removed, while the right-side exhaust was widened
* upgraded fire control systems (notably new ballistic computer that now adjusted for temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure, but also could calculate lead on mobile targets),
* location of the smoke grenade launchers was changed.
* baskets at the rear of the tank, where the infantry could store their backpacks

Upgrade Mk. 2B improved the fire control system, including the addition of the thermal sights.

Tanks took part in the number of Israeli conflicts during its career, notably 1985–2000 South Lebanon Conflict, 2006 Lebanon War and the 2008–09 Gaza War. Much like its predecessor, Mk.2 became famous for its crew protections. There's never been a crew member killed inside of the tank and none of the wounded crew members ever suffered burns, comparing to 26% in the earlier [[Magach 3 (USA)|Magach]] tanks.<ref>Armor, Volume 109, Issue 3, page 17</ref>

In October 2014 IDF's 7th Armored Brigade was the last to retire Merkava Mk.2, switching to Mk.4 instead.<ref>[https://www.armyrecognition.com/armies_in_the_world_analysis_focus/seventh_armoured_brigade_of_israeli_army_will_be_equipped_with_merkava_iv_trophy_tanks_2910141.html Seventh Armoured Brigade of Israeli army will be equipped with Merkava IV Trophy tanks 2910141]</ref>

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_merkava_mk_2b_late Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="250px">
File:GarageImage Merkava Mk 2B (USA) Operation FROST.jpeg|{{PAGENAME}} in the Operation F.R.O.S.T. garage
</gallery>

== See also ==


* [[Merkava (Family)]]

== External links ==


=== References ===
<references />

{{TankManufacturer Israeli Ordnance Corps}}
{{USA medium tanks}}
{{Winter Event}}

Merkava Mk.2B (USA)

2024-04-16T12:23:07Z

U146866080: Added a armour table with info

{{About
| about = American medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Merkava (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_merkava_mk_2b_late
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|market=Merkava Mk.2B (USA)
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]] as a reward for [[wt:en/news/6521-special-operation-f-r-o-s-t-en|Operation F.R.O.S.T]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The frontal armour on the Merkava Mk.2B is great and is comparable or better than tanks of similar battle rating, the frontal turret especially. If somebody is hoping to have a shot penetrate through the turret when they are facing a Merkava frontally, there is a very good chance they are out of luck and it will not go through.

This does not mean that the Merkava is frontally invincible, however. The lower front plates are weak; even if they are stronger than the upper ones in pure armour thickness, the effective one is way lower. However, the lower front plate is the weakness of most tanks anyways, so this is to be expected. Also, there are some parts of the front armour that are weak, such as the turret gun mantlet and the area around it, as well as the uppermost part of the frontal upper plate, but being hit there, especially from long distance, is going to be all in the enemy's luck, so worrying about those spots is not necessary all the time.

Where this tank shines though is how it fixes the lower frontal plate issue. This vehicle's secret ace is its position of the engine. It is in front of the tank, covering most of the frontal lower plate and a decent part of the upper one as well. Thus, any hit there will certainly stop the shell coming at it, especially against HESH, HEAT, and sometimes HEATFS shells as well. It will also stop most of the shrapnel, protecting the crew even further. However, this also means increased risk of fires and being immobilized, so having the ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' module will be important to be able to quickly repair the tank and put out fires.

Stick to facing the front armour towards the enemies. The side and rear armour are thin to the point of non-existence, and the rear of the tank has all the ammunition, so anyone able to aim there will get a clean one-hit knock-out. That, or they will knock out most, if not all, of the crew, which is still a knock-out.

{| class="wikitable"
!Armour
!Front (Slope angle)
!Sides
!Rear
!Roof
|-
|Hull
|60 mm (67-76°) ''Front glacis''
60 - 90 mm (30-57°) ''Lower glacis''
|50 + 10 mm ''Top''
50 + 20 mm (Composite Screens) ''Bottom''
|30 mm (12-44°) + 200 - 600 mm (air) + 30 mm
|20 - 30 mm
|-
|Turret
|30 - 65 mm (1-71°) + 25 mm (Composite Screens) ''Turret front''
Variable thickness armour (0-75°) ''Gun mantlet''
|65 mm + 25 mm (Composite Screens) ''Upper turret armour''
Variable Thickness Armour mm (0-60°) ''Lower turret armour''
|65 mm (11° - 66°) + 20 mm (Tracks)
|30 mm
|-
|Cupola
|30 mm
|30 mm
|30 mm
|30 mm
|}

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,492|rbMinHp=852}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

For Merkava it's even more important to research Parts and FPE, as the principle of its protection is to allow damage to happen, but without being lethal to the crew. Second important upgrade in tier II would be either NVD (if you play [[Realistic Battles]]) or Adjustment of Fire (for the [[Arcade Battles]]). Tier III requires you to research 3 modifications, necessary one is the Crew Replenishment. The other two depend very much on a playstyle you prefer, but in either way M416 smoke shell can be freely ignored and researched as the final modification for the tank. For Tier IV the M111 shell is a good choice if you plan on playing in the BRs higher than {{#unit:us_merkava_mk_2b_late|BR}}. Laser Rangefinder would be an improvement for a more sniping playstyle in the [[Simulator Battles|SB]] and RB. For more mobility-based gameplay Engine should be the first module researched at this tier, as it offers by far the best increase in horsepower per RP spent.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Sharir (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Sharir (105 mm)|105 mm Sharir]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.08 || 52.71 || 64.00 || 70.78 || 75.29 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.80 || 28.00 || 34.00 || 37.60 || 40.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:Sharir (105 mm)/Ammunition|M152, M156, M111, M416, M413}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 31 ''(+23)'' || 7 ''(+47)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || No
|-
|}


=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|4}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|5}}

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,000 (200) || 577 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Commander's cupola || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
| Loader's cupola || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Merkava shines in two primary roles - as an urban fighter and a long to medium-range sniper, which is not different to its real-world counterparts. When sniping, its excellent stabilization provides a significant advantage when peaking out of the cover for quick shots, and a small turret gives enemy a very little time to spot and aim at the tank. Added laser rangefinder in Realistic modes further decreases exposure time needed to get the shot. In urban environments, the engine and well-dispersed crew allows the tank to survive most direct hits, while 8.1 s reload time (compared to an analogue average 8.7 s) allows it to take the second shot before most of its competitors, and thanks to the advanced stabilization - it will be an accurate shot. What should be avoided though, is getting flanked, as the side-protection is negligible, making mobile warfare on more open maps extremely risky.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Multi-layered spaced armour provides a good protection against HESH, early HEAT and some ATGMs
* Has access to a thermal sight
* Good mobility once spaded. Can take the capture zones with lighter vehicles
* Good gun with effective choices of ammo, with stock HEATFS round working very well overall and a potent APFSDS shell that is superior to the XM-1's M735 round
* Engine in the front gives some extra protection to the crew
* Low silhouette, excellent for hull-down position
* Very good gun stabilization
* Three extra machine guns on the roof to deal with lightly armoured vehicles, helicopters and planes. (2 x 7.62 mm + 1 x 12.7 mm)
* Starts with stock smoke launcher, which improves when modifications are purchased

'''Cons:'''

* Stock HEATFS round will have difficulties dealing with vehicle with opponents composite armour
* Selecting machine gun allows to use only one of the 7.62 mm guns at a time
* Is not protected by the composite armour, therefore prone to the advanced HEATFS rounds
* Almost no dedicated protection against kinetic rounds (primarily APFSDS) which are quite common at the battle rating
* Shot to the center mass by any kinetic round is potentially lethal
* Engine will protect the crew against certain munitions but will still often catch fire and burning out after exhausting FPE is a common thing
* Driver has less protection than other crew members
* All the modules being at the front means that there is no crew protection for flankers from the rear
* Inferior optics of only 8x zoom compared to its competitors
* Ammo rack in the rear, shot from the back are often lethal

== History ==

[[File:Merkava2 Golan Heights.jpg|thumb|right|Merkava 2 during the exercise on the Golan Heights]]
Merkava Mk.2 (מרכבה סימן 2) was introduced in 1983 adding a number of improvements over [[Merkava Mk.1 (USA)#History|Mk.1]] from the lessons learned during the Operation Peace for Galilee (1982's war in Lebanon) where Israel has lost an undisclosed number of Mk.1 tanks. Some of the upgrades over the earlier generation included:<ref>[http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?shop=dae&modele=release&prod=132916&cat=3 <nowiki>[defense-aerospace.com] Years of Excellence – The Merkava Main Battle Tank</nowiki>]</ref><ref>[https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/מרכבה_(טנק)#מרכבה_סימן_2 מרכבה (טנק) – ויקיפדיה]</ref><ref>[https://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/vehicles/tanks/merkava/MerkavaMk2.html <nowiki>[israeli-weapons.com] Merkava Mk 2</nowiki>]</ref>

* added composite screens to the side of the turret,
* added hanging ball and chain protection at the rear of the turret (nicknamed Shulamit hairs (שערות שולמית), designed to counter RPGs)
* upgraded engine, fully automatic, 4-gear transmission and increased fuel storage (what resulted in improved mobility and increased operational range),
* left-side engine exhaust was removed, while the right-side exhaust was widened
* upgraded fire control systems (notably new ballistic computer that now adjusted for temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure, but also could calculate lead on mobile targets),
* location of the smoke grenade launchers was changed.
* baskets at the rear of the tank, where the infantry could store their backpacks

Upgrade Mk. 2B improved the fire control system, including the addition of the thermal sights.

Tanks took part in the number of Israeli conflicts during its career, notably 1985–2000 South Lebanon Conflict, 2006 Lebanon War and the 2008–09 Gaza War. Much like its predecessor, Mk.2 became famous for its crew protections. There's never been a crew member killed inside of the tank and none of the wounded crew members ever suffered burns, comparing to 26% in the earlier [[Magach 3 (USA)|Magach]] tanks.<ref>Armor, Volume 109, Issue 3, page 17</ref>

In October 2014 IDF's 7th Armored Brigade was the last to retire Merkava Mk.2, switching to Mk.4 instead.<ref>[https://www.armyrecognition.com/armies_in_the_world_analysis_focus/seventh_armoured_brigade_of_israeli_army_will_be_equipped_with_merkava_iv_trophy_tanks_2910141.html Seventh Armoured Brigade of Israeli army will be equipped with Merkava IV Trophy tanks 2910141]</ref>

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_merkava_mk_2b_late Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="250px">
File:GarageImage Merkava Mk 2B (USA) Operation FROST.jpeg|{{PAGENAME}} in the Operation F.R.O.S.T. garage
</gallery>

== See also ==


* [[Merkava (Family)]]

== External links ==


=== References ===
<references />

{{TankManufacturer Israeli Ordnance Corps}}
{{USA medium tanks}}
{{Winter Event}}

Merkava Mk.1B

2024-04-16T12:05:05Z

U146866080: added armour info

{{About
| about = Israeli medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Merkava (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=il_merkava_mk_1b
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''Merkava Mk.1B''' was the first and only subvariant of [[Merkava Mk.1 (USA)|Merkava Mk.1]], which was the first variant of the [[Merkava (Family)|Merkava main battle tank family]]. The IDF formerly had to rely on importing foreign weapons to maintain its armoured units since its industry was inadequate to develop domestic vehicles. The British deciding not to sell the Chieftain to the Israelis (because they were already supplying them to Arab countries) led to Israel to begin their own tank development program. Israel first deployed the Merkava Mk.1 during the Lebanon War in 1982; following the battle, numerous modifications were made and implemented. The Merkava Mk.1B and Merkava Mk.1 are essentially distinguished by the addition of a new firing control system, additional side armour for the suspension, and chains with balls on the back of the turret. Under the back of the turret bustle, there was a shot trap where a well-placed shot might totally jam the turret. Chain netting was added to pre-maturely detonate rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) before they hit the main armour, increasing survivability. In 1983, manufacturing was stopped in favour of the upgraded [[Merkava Mk.2B|Merkava Mk.2]] variant.

Introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]], the Merkava Mk.1B is the first indigenous armoured vehicle in the Israeli ground tree. The positioning of the engine at the front rather than the back, which is the conventional tank configuration, is one of the Merkava main combat tank's extremely distinctive features. The objective of such a design was to increase crew survivability, since Israel is a small country with limited resources and manpower, making it essential for them to survive battles. With its much-improved survivability compared to conventional main battle tanks, players will enjoy playing one of the Middle East's most iconic main battle tanks.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-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:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (67-76°) ''Front glacis''
60 - 90 mm (30-57°) ''Lower glacis''
| 50 + 10 mm ''Top''
50 + 10 mm ''Bottom''
|30 mm (12-44°) mm|| 20 - 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 - 65 mm (1-71°) ''Turret front''
Variable thickness armour (0-75°) ''Gun mantlet''
| 65 mm ''Upper turret armour''
Variable Thickness Armour mm (0-60°) ''Lower turret armour''
|
{| class="wikitable"
|65 mm (11° - 66°)
|}
| 30 mm
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,492|rbMinHp=852}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Sharir (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Sharir (105 mm)|105 mm Sharir]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 52.7 || 64.0 || 70.8 || 75.3 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:Sharir (105 mm)/Ammunition|M152, M156, M111, M416, M413}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Merkava_Mk.1_(USA).jpg|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 31 ''(+23)'' || 7 ''(+47)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || No
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|4}}

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,000 (200) || 577 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle (loader) || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
| Pintle (commander) || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== 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 ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=il_merkava_mk_1b Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[Merkava (Family)]]
** {{Specs-Link|us_merkava_mk_1}}

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{TankManufacturer Israeli Ordnance Corps}}
{{Israel medium tanks}}

Merkava Mk.1 (USA)

2024-04-11T14:53:09Z

U146866080: Added Armour Information

{{About
| about = American medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Merkava (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_merkava_mk_1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|market = Merkava Mk.1 (USA)
}}

== Description ==

The '''Merkava Mk.1''' was the first variant of the [[Merkava (Family)|Merkava main battle tank family]]. The Israeli Army and the British Army started working together on design notes for the [[Chieftain (Family)|Chieftain main battle tank]], which was initially used by the British Army, in the late 1960s with the goal of Israel acquiring and domestically manufacturing the vehicle. A four-year study included the delivery of two prototypes. Britain ultimately decided not to sell the Chieftain to Israel because it was already being given to Arab nations, who were then pursuing their own development plans. After the Suez Crisis, Israel Tal, then a brigade commander, revived plans to build an Israeli-made tank by learning from the Yom Kippur War of 1973, during which Israeli troops were outnumbered by those of Middle Eastern Arab nations. Israel Tal's choice led to the development of the Merkava Mk.1, which started its service in 1979. It was designed and constructed with mass production in mind. The Merkava Mk.1 had a diesel engine that produced 908 horsepower and had a power-to-weight ratio of 14 horsepower/tonne, weighing 63 tonnes. It was mounted with a 105 mm M64 L71A tank gun, an authorized replica of the 105 mm M68 tank gun used by the U.S. Army, while the British [[Centurion (Family)|Centurion medium tank]], which was extensively used during the Yom Kippur War and functioned admirably in the Golan's rugged terrain, provided the Merkava design's tracks and road wheels. During the 1982 Lebanon War, Israel deployed the 180 units of the Merkava Mk.1 into battle. By removing the palletized ammunition racks, some Merkava Mk.1s were transformed into improvised APCs or armoured ambulances. Up to ten troops or walking wounded could be accommodated via the entrance in the back.

Introduced during [[Update 1.87 "Locked On"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6145-special-battlefield-engineer-en|2019 "Battlefield Engineer" crafting event]], the Merkava Mk.1 provides a unique tank to the U.S. ground forces. The placement of the engine at the front of the tank rather than the back, as is traditional, is one of the Merkava design's most distinctive features. The goal of such a design was to increase crew survivability, because Israel is a small country with few resources and manpower, making it essential for them to survive conflicts. Due to its significantly improved survivability compared to conventional main battle tanks, players will enjoy experiencing one of the Middle East's most iconic major combat tanks.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

This tank has an extremely low profile, sloped frontal armour that is extremely sloped everywhere.

[[File:Internal shields merkava mk1.jpg|420px|thumb|right|One of the Merkava Mk.1's secondary shields (There may be multiple of them layered over each other depending on angle of attack)]]

Even if anything penetrates the front of the hull, the shell will then have to go through an assortment of modules and protection beyond the initial hull. The first in the way is a fuel tank, which shields the engine. Even if that is penetrated, there is still a list of rolled homogeneous armour behind it. Even if that is penetrated, the engine will take the entirety of shrapnel with seemingly no failure. This will often result in the tank catching fire with a destroyed transmission and/or engine but with no other damage the tank. If one tries to fire straight at the driver, the shell will most likely just ricochet, bounce off the turret and away unless it was APDS or APFSDS. Even then, any shell that hit directly from the front will likely only take down the driver.

The hull is also quite protected against ATGMs, as the module placement absorbs as much damage as [[IPM1]] and [[M1A1 Abrams]] NERA, so missiles should be fired at the turret instead unless one tries to just burn down the vehicle. In arcade mode, if an ATGM tank operator wants to destroy the tank fast, they should consider hitting the upper part of the hull next to the turret, for if only the engine is hit by projectile, then HEAT can overpenetrate it and spall into mid-section of the tank, sometimes just barely reaching the ready ammo rack and detonating it. In Realistic battle mode, simply hitting turret with ATGM might actually destroy the vehicle in one hit due to the crew loss.

The turret is well-protected, with its well-angled armour structure and layers of homogeneous armour. As such, anything short of APDS from specifically sniper tanks like [[Chieftain Mk 3]] or APFSDS have a high chance of doing no damage. The only place with no protection is the turret ring, which is vulnerable to well-aimed APHE shots.

The side hull armour of the tank is considerably weaker though and can be penetrated by APDS-equipped SPAA and light tanks. Tracks still block some shots, but it's possible to destroy the entirety of turret compartment with a high enough rate-of-fire before tank turns around. AP-I belt would probably fail to penetrate it, though.

The sides of the base of the turret seem to be a viable target for HESH, unlike the rest of the tank. Though, even there vehicle has a little fuel tank, which has a tendency to derail spalling away from last turret crew member.

As such, Merkava should avoid exposing its sides, to protect its turret crew and ammunition.

In addition to the assortment of armour, the vehicle has smoke launchers and smoke shells to cover itself.

Ammunition is stored in the very back of the vehicle, at the very bottom and is covered with even more armour lists. Most of the attacks from front of the vehicle or from above will inevitably hit side skirts, turret, or other modules in way of the shell and achieve nothing. In case enemy tank attacks from behind, even tank's back is protected with layers of spaced armour, rolled homogeneous armour and fuel tanks, completely neutralizing weak chemical shells (such as HESH), or derailing HEATFS spall away from critical components. Only firing HEATFS diagonally through the shield in the middle of Merkava's rear seems to consistently achieve hitting ammunition or crew. Using AP based ammunition instead is highly advised.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm ( 67°-76° angle) Front Glacis
60 - 90mm (30-57°) Lower Glacis
| 50 + 10mm ''Top'' 50 + 10mm ''Bottom'' || 30mm (12°-44°) mm || 20 - 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 - 65mm (1°- 71°) ''Turret front'' Variable Thickness Armour (0° - 75°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 65 mm ''Upper turret armour''
Variable Thickness Armour mm (0° - 60°) ''Lower turret armour''
| 65 mm (11° - 66°) || 30 mm
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


=== Mobility<ref>=</ref> ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1395|rbMinHp= 796}}

In Arcade battles, the {{PAGENAME}} has a top speed of about 51 km/h forward. However, either due to extreme recklessness of its drivers, or better than average acceleration, it often gets to position faster than expected. Its reverse speed is quite low though, being about -10 km/h at best. In Realistic mode, its top speed is supposed to be about 46 km/h forward and about -8 km/h in reverse.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Sharir (105 mm)}}

The Merkava Mk.1 uses a 105 mm Sharir cannon with a two-plane stabilizer. The default reload rate is 8.7 seconds and with crew training it will go down to 6.7 seconds. First-stage ammo stowage on the turret floor has 14 shells and the 48 remaining shells are in the back.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Sharir (105 mm)|105 mm Sharir]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 52.7 || 64.0 || 70.8 || 75.3 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
The gun can be loaded with:

* '''M152''': HEATFS; a shaped charge that can penetrate any vehicle's armour frontally. Like the APFSDS shot, increased armour thickness results in reduced amount of spalling (shrapnel) after penetration. You are able to take out enemies on any distance, since the HEAT round does not lose penetration with distance travelled - very handy on large maps like Kursk. Unlike APFSDS it has one downside: given that it is a chemical round, its fuse is highly sensitive in regards to its practical application in battle. As a result, virtually anything, such as trees or even a fence, will set it off prematurely, so you cannot fire through obstructions with this kind of round. Knowledge of potential opponents vehicle layouts will be very handy to use. It is the stock shell.
* '''M156''': HESH; high-explosive squash head projectiles work very differently from other shell types. It ignores any angle, except for ricochet, and deals damage by metal-flakes which are blown off inside the armour by the exterior explosion. To create this deadly shrapnel inside the tank, make sure to only hit armour plates which are a direct part of the interior crew compartment of the tank. Hitting exterior parts of a tank like spaced armour, the suspension, tracks etc. will not harm crew members/modules at all. Currently, only true armour thickness (as opposed to the line of sight thickness) will provide sufficient means of protection, benefiting the USSR turret designs and in general German tanks. Like all high-explosive shells, the fuse is very sensitive and can be set-off by most objects e.g. fences, trees, pillars. The slow muzzle velocity of this shell can make it quite hard to hit targets at longer distances, but at the same time it can be handy because its arc trajectory, allows it to land hits on enemies hiding behind shallow hills.
* '''M111''': APFSDS; a kinetic rod with high penetration power but without explosive. It is capable of easily penetrating the majority of the foes it meets, but these rounds do require finesse as to their placing. Because the projectile lacks an explosive filler, the best bet is to try and either knock out the majority of the enemy tank's crew or to destroy the enemy by ammo or fuel detonation through hitting their respective storage capacities. This, of course, requires knowledge about the vehicles the {{PAGENAME}} may face - so be sure to use the game's X-Ray view in the hangar and analyse the potential foes for their weak spots! Also, keep in mind that with increased armour thickness the amount of shrapnel shrinks.
* '''M416''': Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives.

{{:Sharir (105 mm)/Ammunition|M152, M156, M111, M416}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 31 ''(+23)'' || 7 ''(+47)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || No
|-
|}

'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 3 is a ready rack, taking up 6 rounds before rear hull racks 1 and 2 are filled with ammunition. Due to the unique layout of the Merkava and the ammo racks being away from the front, it would not harm the tank's survivability by a large margin to carry more ammunition.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|4}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|5}}

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)}}

As for machine gun armament, the Merkava Mk.1 has one 12.7 mm M2HB and three 7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine guns.

Their penetration statistics are standard for their calibre.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,000 (200) || 577 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle (Commander) || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
| Pintle (Loader) || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


At its BR, the Merkava will face some strong enemies. Although the Merkava is designed to maximize crew survivability, don't entirely rely on it. Between the armour plates sits your engine, transmission and fuel tank. These modules can absorb some damage, but in return you will lose mobility completely or even catch on fire.

The gun carried by the Merkava is familiar to all top rank tank commanders: 105 mm Sharir cannon which is a modified version of the British L7 gun. The shells it fires are quite promising. When stock, it can fire M152 HEATFS shell instead of the normal APDS shell. After research tankers can fire the powerful M111 APFSDS shell. This shell can penetrate most enemies the Merkava might face. When uptiered, play more as a support role since you can only shoot weak spots of your enemies' front.

The mobility of the Merkava Mk.1 is subpar by MBT standards. Teammates and enemies will both move faster than you, so keep that in mind. Be careful when you approaching the front line, as enemies may already be waiting to ambush you. Due to the poor mobility, it is recommend again to play as a support tank. You can also play as a flank guard, as you can easily defeat light tanks.

In terms of threats:

* Be careful for most MBTs that fire kinetic rounds.
* Leopards /Type 74 /OF-40: They carry the same gun as the Merkava, have similar ammunition, but are much faster. Their mobility makes them a threat when flanking. They are easy to kill due to weak armour.
* AMX-30B2 BRENUS: It has better mobility than the Merkava and ERA, which can cause trouble for players which have not yet research the M111 round. Stay back, tell your teammates, and let them finish it. It will be much easier to deal if you have the M111 round.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Armour is surprisingly effective, due to it being multi-layered
* Different ammunition types are cheap to use
* ATGMs, rockets, and HESH rounds may have problems destroying this vehicle

'''Cons:'''

* APFSDS does not care about module-based protection and will go straight through the entire vehicle
* Second layer of defence has a lot of openings, which can be exploited with side shots so the vehicle cannot be angled effectively
* Turret ring and middle rear weak spots compromise vehicle's defences, making it vulnerable to APHE at close ranges
* Side hull armour is weak, can be destroyed by light tanks with +30 mm cannons
* Slow for its tier, made worse in uptiers
* Thermal signature is in the front of the tank, that make you very visible on thermals

== History ==

During the mid-1960s, Israel began researching the possibility of developing and manufacturing a domestically designed tank. The need for such a vehicle became even more emphasized after failed negotiations with Great Britain around the same time led to Israel not being permitted to licence produce the Chieftain MBT. Thus, during the late 1960s official development on a domestic Israeli tank began.

The Israeli tank was primarily designed around combat experiences gained during the Yom Kippur War, resulting in heavy emphasis being put on crew survivability. By 1974, first prototypes of the new "Merkava" tank were constructed and put through initial testing. After nearly a decade of development, the Merkava Mk.1 was adopted for service by the IDF in December 1979 and modernized versions continue to serve with Israeli forces today.

''- From [[wt:en/news/6140-development-merkava-mk-1-chariot-of-fire-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_merkava_mk_1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
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;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|yWWFv8qY5rQ|'''Battlefield Engineer: all new vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:52 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|iNZUNMGt1TI|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Tank Review''' - ''Napalmratte''}}

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6140-development-merkava-mk-1-chariot-of-fire-en|[Development] Merkava Mk.1: Chariot of Fire]]

{{TankManufacturer Israeli Ordnance Corps}}
{{USA medium tanks}}