Merkava Mk.1B

This page is about the Israeli medium tank Merkava Mk.1B. For other versions, see Merkava (Family).

Merkava Mk.1B

Tiran 6

Merkava Mk.2B

Merkava Mk.1B

Tiran 6

Merkava Mk.2B

Israel

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.3	9.3	9.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:190 000

Purchase:520 000

Description

The Merkava Mk.1 was the first variant of the 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 decision not to sell the Chieftain to the Israelis (because they were already supplying them to Arab countries) led Israel to begin its own tank development program. Development was overseen by General Israel Tal, who was not a professional engineer but an experienced soldier who had participated in World War II and the subsequent Arab-Israeli wars. He laid down the philosophy of the design, which prioritised crew protection, resulting in the tank's unique configuration: the engine was located at the front and, for rapid evacuation and transport of soldiers, a rear hatch was installed, effectively transforming it into an "armoured IFV". By 1974, the first prototypes of the Merkava tank were sent for initial trials, and in December 1979, almost ten years after development began, the Merkava entered service with the IDF. It was first deployed during the 1982 Lebanon War. The Merkava Mk.1B and Merkava Mk.1 are distinguished by the addition of a new fire control system and additional side armour for the suspension. In 1983, manufacturing was stopped in favour of the upgraded 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 is one of the Merkava's most distinctive features, and improves the tank's survivability by absorbing shots from the front, protecting the crew. However, it also increases the risk of engine failure and fire. The Merkava boasts a powerful gun, a thermal sight, and excellent survivability, aided by its LWS and numerous smoke grenades, but low mobility compared to many Western tanks.

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

Turret65 / 65 / 65

Crew4 people

Visibility103 %

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

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	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 100 mm (0-75°) Gun mantlet	65 mm Upper turret armour 65 mm (0-60°) Lower turret armour	65 mm (11° - 66°)	30 mm
Cupola	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB60 / 13 km/h

RB and SB54 / 12 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

2 back

Weight61.0 t

Engine power

AB1 717 hp

RB and SB900 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB28.1 hp/t

RB and SB14.8 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	60	13	61	1,492	1,717	24.46	28.15
Realistic	54	12		852	900	13.97	14.75

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 869 → 6 109

RB3 952 → 6 240

SB5 050 → 7 973

Total cost of modifications159 200

264 400

Talisman cost2 600

Crew training150 000

Experts520 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces950 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 200 / 230 %

220 / 220 / 220 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 310 Suspension Research: 6 300 Cost: 9 900 290 Brake System Research: 6 300 Cost: 9 900 290 Filters Research: 8 400 Cost: 13 000 390 Transmission Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 510 Engine Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 510	Improved Parts Research: 2 000 Cost: 11 000 310 Improved FPE Research: 1 900 Cost: 9 900 290 Crew Replenishment Research: 8 400 Cost: 13 000 390 ESS Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 510	Horizontal Drive Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 310 105mm_usa_HESH_ammo_pack Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 310 105mm_usa_M735_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 6 700 Cost: 11 000 310 Adjustment of Fire Research: 6 300 Cost: 9 900 290 LWS/LR Research: 6 300 Cost: 9 900 290 NVD Research: 6 300 Cost: 9 900 290 Elevation Mechanism Research: 8 400 Cost: 13 000 390 105mm_us_M416_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 8 400 Cost: 13 000 390 Smoke grenade Research: 8 400 Cost: 13 000 390 Artillery Support Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 510 105mm_DM33_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 11 000 Cost: 17 000 510

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

105 mm Sharir cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition54 rounds

First-order6 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

8.7 → 6.7 s

Vertical guidance-8° / 20°

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	54	-8°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	52.7	64.0	70.8	75.3	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					23.8	28.0	34.0	37.6	40.0

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
M413	APFSDS	408	405	398	389	379	370

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°
M413	APFSDS	1,455	3.79	-	-	-	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 Merkava Mk.1B

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
54	31 (+23)	7 (+47)	1 (+53)	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
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

Pros:

• Has access to M413 that can penetrate almost anything at its BR
• The engine in the front provides extra crew protection
• Gets access to thermals
• Access to laser warning system

Cons:

• Reverse gear is slower than later models
• Underpowered engine for its weight

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.1B from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related development

• Merkava (Family)
  • ▃Merkava Mk.1

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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