The Merkava is the main battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces. Since the early 1980s, four main versions have been deployed. The 'Merkava' name was derived from the IDF's development program name.
Currently, it is manned by a crew of four consisting of the tank commander, driver, loader, and gunner.
This platform is optimized for crew survival and rapid battle damage repair. With the use of spaced-armor techniques and quick-replacement modular designs, the design team was able to incorporate a derivative of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA), and Chobham. Additionally, the space between the inner and outer hulls is filled with diesel fuel — an economical storage method and effective means of defeating HEAT rounds.
Following the model of contemporary self-propelled howitzers, the turret assembly is located nearer the rear than in most main battle tanks. This gives the crew additional protection against a frontal attack by putting the engine between them and the front of the tank. Additionally, the arrangement created an empty, unused space in the rear of the tank that allowed for increased storage capacity, as well as a rear entrance to the main crew cabinet allowing for easy access even under enemy fire.
This new storage capacity allows the space to be used in a variety of ways. It can serve as a platform for medical disembarkation, a forward command and control station, and an armoured personnel carrier. The unique design of the rear entrance's clamshell-style doors allows for overhead protection when off- and on-loading cargo and personnel.
It was reportedly decided shortly before the beginning of the 2006 Lebanon War, that the Merkava line would be discontinued within 4 years.[1] However, on November 7, 2006, Haaretz reported that an Israeli General Staff assessment had ruled of the Merkava Mark IV that 'if properly deployed, the tank can provide its crew with better protection than in the past,' and deferred the decision on discontinuing the line.
