Magach 5

This page is about the Israeli medium tank Magach 5. For other versions, see Magach (Family).

Magach 5

Magach 6A

Magach 6R

Magach 5

Magach 6A

Magach 6R

Israel

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.0	8.0	8.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:53 000

Purchase:300 000

Show in game

Description

The Magach 5 was, at its core, an upgraded American M48A5. The Magach 5 was introduced in Israel after the Yom Kippur War of 1973. After this war, the IDF had to replace several examples of their Magach and Sho't tanks that were lost, especially due to anti-tank weapons like the RPG-2, RPG-7, and Malyutka ATGMs. To address this issue, the IDF adopted the American M48A5 and designated it Magach 5. This version of the tank was also an upgrade of the M48A3, incorporating the 105 mm rifled gun over the 90 mm gun in earlier M48 models. This upgrade was based in part in Israeli experiences with Magach tanks in 1967 and 1973.

It was introduced in Update "Drone Age". The Magach 5 plays like most M48 tanks. However, compared to previous models, the Magach 5 incorporates a more capable 105 mm gun with increased firepower. The upgrade however does not include a stabilizer, which can often be seen at its BR. However, the tank is very much protected against all sorts of HEAT and HE projectiles, as well as early ATGMs like the MILAN that lack tandem warheads. This is because the Magach 5 incorporates Blazer ERA, this is a very early ERA, even weaker than Kontakt-1, so it is not enough to stop APDS and APFSDS projectiles, or even high calibre HEAT projectiles from 120 and 125 mm guns.

General info

Survivability and armour

ERA

Effective action against the cumulative ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull110 / 76 / 25

Turret130 / 76 / 51

Crew4 people

Visibility117 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull roof, hull rear - engine vents, turret roof, turret ring)
• Cast homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	85-200 mm (59-74°) Front glacis 63-200 mm (13-60°) Lower glacis	76 mm (5-45°) Front 51 mm (0-44°) Rear	35 mm Top 25 mm (32-62°) Bottom	57 mm (0-58°) 30 mm Engine access panel 12.7 mm (76°) Engine vents
Turret	83.2-173 mm (0-48°) Turret front 152 + 82 mm (17-26°) Gun mantlet	69-100 mm (12-36°)	51-55 mm (2-71°) 25.4 mm (75-82°) Underpart of the turret	25-69 mm
Cupola	70 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels, tracks and torsion bars are 20 mm thick.
• The turret ring is 70 mm thick.
• "Blazer" ERA is 5 mm effectively thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB53 / 10 km/h

RB and SB48 / 9 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

2 back

Weight49.9 t

Engine power

AB1 431 hp

RB and SB750 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB28.7 hp/t

RB and SB15.0 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	53	10	49.9	1,162	1,431	23.29	28.68
Realistic	48	9		663	750	13.29	15.03

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 086 → 5 638

RB4 517 → 6 233

SB6 184 → 8 533

Total cost of modifications88 200

146 800

Talisman cost2 100

Crew training86 000

Experts300 000

Aces1 200

Research Aces720 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

130 / 190 / 230 %

196 / 196 / 196 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 165 Suspension Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 185 Brake System Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 185 Filters Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 260 Transmission Research: 7 400 Cost: 12 000 340 Engine Research: 7 400 Cost: 12 000 340	Improved Parts Research: 2 300 Cost: 5 800 165 Improved FPE Research: 2 700 Cost: 6 600 185 Crew Replenishment Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 260 Smoke grenade Research: 7 400 Cost: 12 000 340	Horizontal Drive Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 165 105mm_usa_HESH_ammo_pack Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 165 105mm_us_M416_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 800 165 Adjustment of Fire Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 185 Rangefinder Research: 4 100 Cost: 6 600 185 Elevation Mechanism Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 260 105mm_usa_M735_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 260 Artillery Support Research: 7 400 Cost: 12 000 340

Armaments

Main armament

105 mm Sharir cannon

Ammunition57 rounds

First-order22 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

8.7 → 6.7 s

Vertical guidance-9° / 19°

105 mm Sharir					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
M152	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400
M156	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
M111	APFSDS	337	335	330	322	314	306

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%
M152	HEATFS	1,174	10.5	0.05	0.1	1.27	65°	72°	77°
M156	HESH	731	11.4	0.1	4	3.17	73°	77°	80°
M111	APFSDS	1,455	4.2	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

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	20	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Magach 5

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

7.62 mm M73 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition5 500 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine gun

Ammunition2 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 001 shots/min

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	5,500 (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

The Magach 5 is a fairly manoeuvrable MBT but its larger profile makes it easy to spot. The 105 mm Sharir cannon does well at long range shooting, as many tanks in the same BR can be destroyed with a single hit. The Magach 5 fares well in an urban setting with a fairly quick turret traverse and powerful ammo, however it is not the fastest and should have teammates nearby to cover the flanks. The front ammo stowage is the biggest detriment to the tanks survival in a frontal hit, so the ammo count should kept as low as possible. Overall, this tank is just right for most environments with it being most vulnerable to comparable ammo from other Western nations.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good firepower
• Decent mobility
• Surprisingly survivable, two crew members often survive a shot
• ERA able to defeat low-end chemical shells

Cons:

• Ineffective armour in an uptier
• No stabilizer
• Ammunition explosions are common as most of the shells are in the front next to the driver
• ERA only effective against chemical shells - only provides 5 mm kinetic protection

History

The Magach 5 was introduced after the Yom Kippur War of 1973. During this war, the IDF suffered heavy losses to Egyptian and Syrian anti tank weapons like the RPG-2, RPG-7 and Malyutka ATGMs. The Magach 5 was a way to address this lack of tanks in the IDF with more modern units, specifically the M48A5. This variant was at its core an upgraded M48A3 and incorporated several lessons from the Israeli experience with Magach tanks in 1967 and 1973.

The Magach 5 incorporated a 105 mm rifled gun, since during the Vietnam War it was evident that the 90 mm gun was not enough to destroy modern Soviet armour or even support infantry. 105 mm projectiles had more power to penetrate the armour in modern tanks and their HE warhead was more suited for direct support tasks. The Magach 5 also incorporated a low profile cupola based in the Israeli Urdan design.

However, the Magach 5 had several differences compared to the American M48A5, for instance, it included the RISE upgrade installed in the M60A1, the most evident upgrade was the installation of the BLAZER ERA kit that was meant to protect against portable anti-tank weapons like the RPG, that caused heavy casualties to IDF tank units in the Yom Kippur War. The biggest improvement could be considered the installation of a gun stabilizer in some units, since originally the M48A5 didn't include any sort of stabilizer.

Israel purchased 150 of these vehicles in 1978 and fitted with Blazer ERA alongside the Centurion-based Sho't Kal tanks. The Magach 5 participated in Operation Peace for Galilee and the new upgrades proved sufficient to deal with older Soviet ATGMs and RPGs. The Magach 5 served with Israel for several years, starting from the mid 1980s the tank was given to reserve units and was gradually retired from active service.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Magach 5 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.