Merkava Mk.3B

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

Merkava Mk.3B

Merkava Mk.2B

Merkava Mk.3C

Merkava Mk.3B

Merkava Mk.2B

Merkava Mk.3C

Israel

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.3	11.3	11.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:300 000

Purchase:830 000

Description

The Merkava Mk.3B is the first subvariant of the Merkava Mk.3, which is the third variant of the Merkava main battle tank family. The Merkava Mk.3 variant debuted in December 1989 and remained in production until 2003. The Merkava 3 variant is by far the most numerous tank in frontline Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) duty as of 2016. It has improvements to the drivetrain, powerplant, weaponry, and electronic systems over the Merkava Mk.2 variant. The inclusion of the domestically designed 120 mm IMI L/44 tank gun (no relation to the 120 mm Rheinmetall L/44 tank gun) was the most noticeable upgrade. This gun is capable of firing all standard NATO 120 mm ammunition. It can also fire gun-launched LAHAT anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) like regular rounds. The vehicle has 50 rounds for the main tank gun. Ammunition is kept in its own canisters. The tank gun and a more powerful 1,200-horsepower Continental AVDS-1790-9AR diesel engine increased the tank's total weight to 65 tonnes; however, the larger engine also increased the maximum cruising speed to 60 kilometres/hour. The turret was also redesigned to move independently of the tank chassis, allowing it to track a target regardless of how the tank moved. The Merkava Mk.3B subvariant received an upgrade that included the installation of modular composite armour across the turret roof to provide protection against anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) fired from elevated positions. It was implemented in 1994 and was kept in all further upgrades.

Introduced in Update "Danger Zone", the Merkava Mk.3B has significantly more firepower than prior variants. The Merkava Mk.3B is the first Merkava main battle tank to be equipped with the 120 mm IMI L/44 tank gun, so it performs an important role in battle by laying down defensive fire for allies. The far more powerful 1,200-horsepower Continental AVDS-1790-9AR diesel engine improves mobility significantly. This enables players to reach crucial positions considerably faster than before, giving them a significant advantage in the fast-paced battles of modern warfare.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

LWS

Notifies about the vehicle's exposure to laser emissions

Armourfront / side / back

Hull90 / 50 / 30

Turret150 / 65 / 65

Crew4 people

Visibility107 %

Despite the hull armour being rather weak, the large engine, transmission and fuel tank along with the additional internal armour can help you withstand hits from some APFSDS rounds at the vehicle's battle rating. The turret also features armour that can easily bounce enemy darts and protect your vehicle from fragmentation shells due to the extreme angle of the armour as well as the 50 mm composite plating all over the front part of the roof.

The rear of the vehicle is also rather strong, featuring two 30 mm plates with an external fuel tank between them that can sometimes minimize the spalling of incoming rounds or stop low calibre APDS shells.

The turret also features a layout that even when penetrated can save the gunner or loader from getting hit by spall because of how low they are placed. The commander will usually be the first crew member to be knocked out, being the most exposed crew member of your tank. The breech is a rather large weakspot with a well placed shot under the gun having the potential of eliminating all of your crew.

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Hull front, Gun mantlet)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull sides and rear)
• Composite screens (Turret front and sides, Hull front and sides)
• External composite armour with NERA elements (Hull front)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	60 mm (66-84°) Front glacis 50-90 mm (36-60°) Lower glacis	50 (12°) + 10 mm Top 50 mm (12°) Bottom	30 mm (0-39°)	20 - 60 mm
Turret	150 - 300 mm Turret front ~150 mm Gun mantlet	50-60 mm	40-45 mm	20-40 mm
Cupola	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm

Notes:

• Tracks and roadwheels consist of 20 mm of structual steel of chassis
• Front of the turret composite screen armour features 40 mm of NERA elements
• Side of the turret composite screen armour features 250 mm of NERA elements
• 50 mm Additional composite screens at the top of the turret
• 10 mm of internal armour are located in front and behind the engine and transmission
• ~60 mm Composite screens covering the top of the tracks and suspension
• Two 30 mm plates spaced 900 m from each other at the rear of the hull
• First stage ammunition storage is inside a 10 mm thick fireproof container
• Ammo is stored in 10 mm canisters

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB67 / 29 km/h

RB and SB60 / 26 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight65.0 t

Engine power

AB2 290 hp

RB and SB1 200 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB35.2 hp/t

RB and SB18.5 hp/t

Despite the rather large size of the vehicle, it is quite mobile. It features a 1200 horsepower engine featuring a 18.46 horsepower/ton ratio that allows it to accelerate to its top speed of 60 km/h on a paved road within 20 seconds. The vehicle also features two reverse gears with a top reverse speed of 10.3 km/h, which far from the best but it can still get you out of a bad situation reasonably fast. The vehicle features neutral steering ~15 seconds for a full 360 degree turn on the spot.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	67	29	65	1,860	2,290	28.62	35.23
Realistic	60	26		1,061	1,200	16.32	18.46

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 216 → 6 657

RB4 147 → 6 548

SB4 878 → 7 702

Total cost of modifications241 000

411 000

Talisman cost2 900

Crew training240 000

Experts830 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces1 140 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 200 / 230 %

238 / 238 / 238 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 18 000 Cost: 28 000 460 Suspension Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 310 Brake System Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 310 Filters Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 410 Transmission Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 Engine Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360	Improved Parts Research: 5 400 Cost: 28 000 460 Improved FPE Research: 3 600 Cost: 19 000 310 Crew Replenishment Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 410 ESS Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 Smoke grenade Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360	Horizontal Drive Research: 18 000 Cost: 28 000 460 Adjustment of Fire Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 310 120mm_NATO_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 310 Elevation Mechanism Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 410 LWS/LR Research: 16 000 Cost: 25 000 410 Artillery Support Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360 NVD Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 360

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

120 mm IMI MG251 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition46 rounds

First-order5 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

7.8 → 6.0 s

Vertical guidance-7° / 20°

120 mm IMI MG251					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	46	-7°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	32.4	44.8	54.4	60.2	64.0	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					20.2	23.8	28.9	32.0	34.0

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
M325	HEATFS	480	480	480	480	480	480
M339	HE-TF	65	65	60	58	53	50
M322	APFSDS	589	586	577	565	553	541

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%
M325	HEATFS	1,078	15.81	0.05	0.1	2.36	65°	72°	77°
M339	HE-TF	900	17	1.5	3	3.66	79°	80°	81°
M322	APFSDS	1,705	5.6	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Merkava Mk.3B

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
46	45 (+1)	43 (+3)	42 (+4)	24 (+22)	6 (+40)	1 (+45)	No

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate575 shots/min

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition6 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 001 shots/min

2 x 7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine gun

Ammunition3 600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 001 shots/min

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

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	6,000 (200)	600	N/A	N/A
Pintle (loader)	1,800 (200)	600	-10°/+50°	-120°/+90°
Pintle (commander)	1,800 (200)	600	-10°/+50°	±120°

Usage in battles

In RB, this vehicle can be used effectively to snipe (ideally in a hull-down position) using its amazing penetration at all ranges, laser rangefinder, generation 1 thermal optics and amazing zoom (gunner and commander), while exposing your turret and hiding your rather weak hull increases your survivability significantly.

The vehicle's good gun handling and mobility also allow for close quarters fights but your turret being placed so far back can lead to you being trapped having your front exposed to an enemy unable to shoot back and also your gun reload (6.7 seconds max crew) being slower than others of its type (6 seconds max crew) can lead to situations where you might not be able to shoot back fast enough if the first shot was not enough. You should also keep in mind the rather poor reverse speed and not be afraid to use the 12 smoke grenades you have available in 6 salvos of two in two launchers located at the front of the turret which are airburst-capable and 30 smoke grenades in a single smoke grenade launcher located over your loader.

Do not forget that your vehicle also features a total of four machineguns, one of them being a .50 cal mounted over your main gun with a generous supply of ammunition that are more than capable of sending enemy helicopters and low flying aircraft to the hangar while also being able to inflict damage to tracks of other vehicles and being able to knock out light vehicles from the side or rear.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Amazing firepower
• Good optics

Cons:

• Relatively slow reload compared to NATO tanks
• Rear turret placement
• No commander thermals

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: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Merkava Mk.3B from live.warthunder.com.

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

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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