Merkava Mk.2B

This page is about the Israeli medium tank Merkava Mk.2B. For other versions, see Merkava (Family).

Merkava Mk.2B

Merkava Mk.2B

Description

The Merkava Siman 2 Bet is a rank Israeli medium tank with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update "Wind of Change".

General info

Survivability and 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:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	60 mm (upper) 90 mm (lower)	50 mm (behind composite screen)	70-100 mm (spaced)	30 mm
Turret	65 mm Turret front 100 mm Gun mantlet	110 mm (65+45mm spaced armour)	110 mm (65+45mm spaced armour)	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

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.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade				1,492			__.__
Realistic				852			__.__

Modifications and 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

Main armament

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	7.71	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

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°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Merkava Mk.2B

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
54	31 (+23)	7 (+47)	1 (+53)	No

Machine guns

Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
	___ (___)	___	__°	__°
	___ (___)	___	__°	__°
	___ (___)	___	__°	__°

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: 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.2B 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.