Magach 6B Gal
| This page is about the squadron Israeli medium tank Magach 6B Gal. For other versions, see Magach (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Magach 6B Gal was an important upgrade developed by Israel before the 1990s. Since it was obvious that the Merkava would not entirely replace the Magach in service it was deemed necessary an upgrade to older models like the Magach 6B and A that lacked any sort of modern military electronics and optics. As such, the "Gal" Fire Control System was created and then fitted into the Magach 6B and 6A models. It was not given to the C model since this used a more modern American fire control system. The Magach 6B Gal would later be upgraded to the Magach 6B Gal Batash with improvements to the protection and powerplant.
It was introduced in Update "La Royale". The Magach 6B Gal has a decent performance for it's BR, compared to very common tanks like the T-72M1 and Leopard 1A1, it lacks the mobility of the former and the protection of the latter, but it compensates this with a decent protection against HEAT projectiles and missiles, as well as autocannon ammunition. This is very important at it's BR and is thanks to the Blazer ERA, it would be enough to stop small rockets and missiles, which are very common at that BR with early ATGMs launched from rockets and different IFVs. The mobility, while poor, is not enough to make the vehicle slow, and the Magach 6B Gal has decent acceleration and top speed, it mostly lacks reverse speed like Soviet Tanks around it's BR.
General info
Survivability and armour
The Magach 6B has the same amount of protection as the M60A1, that is, a weak hull with a turret capable of deflecting some shots coming from steep angles. However it has the added benefit of the Blazer ERA, it would be enough to stop older early ATGMs fired from IFVs and Helicopters, as well as HE and small HEAT rounds. It can also help against rockets and autocannon shots. But it would not be enough to stop any sort of APDS or APFSDS projectiles.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | ___ mm | ___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom |
___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Turret | ___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet |
___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Cupola | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm |
Notes:
Mobility
Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.
| 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 | 13 | 53.2 | 1,162 | 1,431 | 21.84 | 26.9 |
| Realistic | 48 | 12 | 663 | 750 | 12.46 | 14.1 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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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 | 63 | -10°/+20° | ±180° | Two-plane | 21.4 | 29.6 | 36.0 | 39.8 | 42.4 | 8.71 | 7.70 | 7.10 | 6.70 |
| Realistic | 13.4 | 15.8 | 19.1 | 21.2 | 22.5 | ||||||||
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 |
| M426 | APFSDS | 430 | 427 | 420 | 409 | 400 | 390 |
| 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° | |||
| M426 | APFSDS | 1,455 | 4.4 | - | - | - | 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
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Machine guns
| 12.7 mm M2HB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 1,000 (200) | 575 | - | - |
| 7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Commander's cupola | 1,800 (200) | 600 | -5°/+50° | -120°/+60° |
| Loader's cupola | 1,800 (200) | 600 | -5°/+50° | -60°/+120° |
| Coaxial | 6,000 (200) | 600 | - | - |
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
Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".
Pros:
Cons:
History
The Magach 6B Gal was part of the Magach 6 family, that is, modified American M60 tanks suited to Israeli needs. This modernization was made to the Magach 6B model and incorporated several changes to the electronics and systems inside the tank, as well as the armour.
Since the Merkava tanks were still not available in enough numbers to completely replace the Magach, it was decided to introduce upgrades to the Magach 6B in order to improve survivability and lethality. The most important weaknesses of the Magach 6 were the firepower and optics of the tank and the protection of the tank.
The first upgrade was the installation of the "Gal" Fire Control System that was installed in all Magach 6B tanks, this was a huge improvement over the old M13 and M17 optical rangefinders, since the upgrade introduced laser rangefinders and thermal imaging system for the gunner. This thermal imaging system was the same used in the first models of the Merkava. By the 1990s the Magach 6B Gal was the best Magach in service with Israeli forces, in fact, it's fire control system was offered in the international markets under the name "Matador".
The Gal later received even more upgrades, since it was clear that Blazer ERA was not enough to deal with modern threats in the battlefield, of course, it was not going to be enough to stop modern anti tank projectiles fired from enemy tanks. But it was intended to be enough to stop older missiles and RPGs that were commonly used by Hezbollah militias and other paramilitary groups. This upgrade of the ERA was incorporated in some models of the Magach 6B Gal, however it was mostly used in the Gal Batash model.
Media
- Skins
See also
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- 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.
| Israel medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| M-51 | M-51 · M-51 (W) |
| Magach | Magach 1 · Magach 2 · Magach 3 · Magach 3 (ERA) · Magach 5 · Magach 6 |
| Magach 6A · Magach 6B · Magach 6B Gal · Gal Batash · Magach 6C · Magach 6M · Magach 6R · Magach Hydra · Magach 7C | |
| Tiran | Tiran 4 · Tiran 4S · Tiran 6 |
| Sho't | Sho't · Sho't Kal Alef · Sho't Kal Gimel · Sho't Kal Dalet |
| Merkava | Merkava Mk.1B · Merkava Mk.2B · Merkava Mk.2D · Merkava Mk.3B · Merkava Mk.3C · Ra'am Sagol |
| Merkava Mk.4B · Merkava Mk.4M · Merkava Mk.4 LIC | |
| Squadron ground vehicles | |
|---|---|
| USA | M901 · M1A1 AIM |
| Germany | Leopard 2 PL |
| USSR | BMP-2M · T-80UK |
| Britain | Bhishma TWMP |
| Japan | RCV (P) |
| China | Object 122MT "MC" |
| France | CV 9035NL |
| Sweden | T 80 U |
| Israel | Magach 6B Gal |
