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. Historically, it can fire gun-launched LAHAT anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) like regular rounds directly from the 120mm cannon. The vehicle has 50 rounds for the main tank gun and ammunition is kept in its own fireproof 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 potent 120 mm IMI L/44 tank gun which has an excellent AFPSDS round. 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, allowing players to get into position first and giving them a significant advantage in the fast-paced battles of modern warfare.

The Merkava 3B is directly succeeded by the similar but uparmored Merkava Mk.3C and then the vastly improved Merkava Mk.4B after the Mk.3C.

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 plethora of additional internal armour will reduce spall from enemy APFSDS rounds and decrease the damage of chemical rounds significantly. 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 50mm composite armor 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 (e.g. autocannons), giving players a short amount of time to react and address the threat.

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 turret ring is a very large weakspot with a well-placed shot under the gun having the potential of knocking out the 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.

A plus of having the ammunition stored the fireproof canisters is that the ammunition will not "cook-off" and explode when the tank is on fire. However, do not forget the importance of extinguishing a fire, or else the vehicle will burn out after a surprisingly short amount of time.

The composite screens on the sides of the tank can be useful for absorbing autocannon fire, albeit for a very short amount of time.

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 an 18.5 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 26 km/h, which is useful for getting out of a sticky situation quickly. 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

Prioritize the researching of the "Parts" modification first, LWR/LR, FPE, M322 (APFSDS), NVD, and then the remainder of the gun/performance upgrades.

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

The ammunition should be relatively safe from enemy tanks as the majority of the rounds are stored at the very back of the tank in two large ammo racks. Carrying 20 APFSDS for tanks and 4 HE-VT rounds for helicopters should be good enough for the average battle. Carry more APFSDS if fighting on an open, long-range map that requires more sniping (Maginot Line, 2nd Battle of El Alamein, etc.)

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

The 12.7mm machine gun is mounted directly above the 120mm cannon. It is useful for lightly armored vehicles, taking out low-flying planes and helicopters, and disabling the tracks on enemy tanks. Note that the commander does not have to be alive to control the 12.7mm (not commander-mounted) so you can fire even with a crew of 2-3 members.

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

Ground Realistic 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.

Do 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. The Merkava also has an ESS which can provide a large smoke screen, but keep in mind that thermals will be able to "see" through ESS, leaving the tank vulnerable.

The good crew placement of the Merkava allows for a little wiggle room when being shot, chances are if the enemy tank shoots "centre of mass" or at the driver/engine the tank will still have 2-3 crew left to fight back. Cooperate with teammates so they can help you repair if needed.

Do not forget that your vehicle also features a total of four machineguns, one of them being a .50 calibre M2 Browning 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. The other 3 machine guns are only 7.62mm in calibre and most of the time only useful for clearing obstructions or marking enemies.

Ground Arcade Battles

The Merkava has a higher top speed and quicker reaction time in Arcade battles where mobility stats and gun traverse/elevation speeds are increased, while repair speeds are decreased. The penetration indicator will assist you showing where you need to shoot and there is an aiming indicator compensating for distance. However, you will be shown on the minimap and enemies will be able to spot the tank faster as players are marked with their username above the tank. Shoot first, and don't miss. The crew placement will also allow you to survive some shots as inexperienced enemies will see that the entire front of the hull is "penetrable" and shoot there, not knowing that the main gun/gunner will not be damaged.

Most of the strategies used in Realistic battles will also apply to Arcade battles.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 120mm IMI L/44 cannon is a significant upgrade from previous 105mm armed tanks.
• APFSDS easily penetrates enemies (589mm max) and produces more spall compared to the 105mm armed Merkavas.
• Good optics, helpful when sniping from long ranges.
• Crew placement increases survivability, decreasing the chance of a full knockout from one shot.
• M2 Browning does not require the commander to be alive to fire.
• Lot of smoke grenades to provide quick and effective cover from enemies.

Cons:

• Weak armor throughout, excellent survivability comes with the cost of armor protection
• Frontal engine placement, inconvenient to repair and will usually be one of the first things to be damaged when shot.
• Turret ring is a huge weak spot and any round that penetrates here will usually knockout the tank.
• Rear turret placement; being shot sometimes leaves the front of the tank exposed but the turret blocked behind an obstacle (peeking around a corner).
• Like other MBTs, weak sides that are vulnerable to high-penetration autocannons (BMP-2 or the Gepard).
• No thermals for the commander sight.

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

• Merkava family of tanks
• Israeli ground forces tech tree

External links

• Merkava family on Wikipedia
• 120mm IMI L/44 cannon on Wikipedia
• LAHAT ATGM on Wikipedia