Modern Battle Tanks and Support Vehicles

Page 42

Merkava Mk 3/Mk 4 Externally the Merkava Mk 3 appears very similar to the two earlier Merkava marks apart from the main gun, which is a 120 mm Israeli designed and built smoothbore cannon with a distinctive Vishay Israel thermal sleeve. However, practically every major component is in fact new. The armour package is of an advanced special passive type that is integrated into the basic tank design and contains approximately 50% of its make-up as replaceable modules. The latter allows for both easier deport level repairs and replacement by more modem armour developments as they become available. The basic cast steel turret has attachments for special armour modules at the front and sides, as have the hull

glacis, sponsons and nose positions. Full length special armour side skirts are also provided. All-electric turret/ weapon drive and stabilisation systems are fitted to reduce the internal fire risk. An advanced El-Op Knight Mk III director/hunter-killer type computerised fire control system with retractable meteorological sensor has been fitted This significantly increases the first-round kill probability against moving targets. An Amcoram 360° capability warning system is used to provide warning of enemy lasing and electro-magnetic emissions, The main gun fires both Israeli and standard NATO type 120 mm smoothbore ammunition families. Like the Mk 1/2 the two 7.62 mm FN MAG antiaircraft machine guns carried are a

Israel specially modified version developed for the Merkava family with variable height capability mounts. The 12.7 mmMG is mounted over the main gun and again is electrically fired from within the turret. Sixround launchers for the CL-3030 IS-6 smoke screen system grenades are fitted either side of the turret front. A new central Filter and over pressurisation system is carried for NBC defence. Similar command and combat engineer models to the Merkava Mk 1/2 are also used, Further improvements are being made to the vehicle including the fitting of an upgraded final drive assembly to cope with the additional weight, Vehicles modified in this manner are being referred to as the Merkava Mk 4, A further version with a 140 mm main gun is likely.


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M-84 Series, Former Yugoslavia

2min
pages 158-159

M47/M47M Patton, USA

2min
pages 155-157

M48A1/M48A2/M48A3 Series Patton, USA

2min
pages 152-154

M48A5 Patton, USA

3min
pages 148-151

M60A3/M60A3 TTS Patton, USA

2min
pages 140-143

M60/M60A1 Patton, USA

3min
pages 144-147

Abrams M1A1/M1A1(HA)/M1A2, USA

9min
pages 130-139

T-84, Ukraine

1min
pages 128-129

Centurion, UK

4min
pages 124-127

Vickers Defence Systems Mk 1/Mk 3, UK

1min
pages 122-123

FV4030/1.UK

3min
pages 118-121

Switzerland

10min
pages 105-117

Switzerland

2min
pages 103-104

T-64 Series, CIS

13min
pages 89-98

Bofors Stridsvagn (Strv) 103A/B/C, Sweden Swiss Ordnance Enterprise Pz 68 Series,

2min
pages 101-102

T-72, A, B (export) and M series, CIS

3min
pages 87-88

T-34-85, CIS

2min
pages 99-100

T-72 A, G and Ml Series, CIS

2min
pages 85-86

T-72B Series, CIS

2min
pages 83-84

T-72S Series, CIS

2min
pages 81-82

T-80U Series, CIS

2min
pages 75-77

T-90 Series, CIS

2min
pages 73-74

TR-580, TR-85, TR-800, Romania

2min
pages 66-67

OlifantMk lA/Mk IB, South Africa

1min
pages 68-69

PT-91, Poland

2min
pages 64-65

Kl (Type 88 or ROOT), South Korea

2min
pages 70-72

Vickers Defence Systems Khalid, Jordan

2min
pages 62-63

Mitsubishi Type 74, japan

1min
page 60

Swiss Ordnance Enterprise Pz

0
page 61

Sho't (Upgraded Centurion), Israel

3min
pages 51-54

Mitsubishi Type 90, Japan

2min
pages 58-59

OTOBREDA OF-40 Mk 1/Mk 2, Italy

2min
pages 55-57

Mag'ach (Upgraded M48/M60 series Patton), Israel

2min
pages 49-50

Merkava Mk 1/Mk 2, Israel

2min
pages 46-48

Merkava Mk 3/Mk 4, Israel

3min
pages 44-45

ArjunMk 1, India

3min
pages 38-39

Vijayanta, India

2min
pages 40-41

Germany

2min
pages 34-35

T-55 variants, Iraq

2min
pages 42-43

Krauss - Maffei Leopard 2 to 2A5 Series, Germany Krauss - Maffei Leopard 1 to 1 A3 Series,

4min
pages 30-33

Germany

2min
pages 36-37

GIAT AMX-30/AMX-30 B2, France

2min
pages 28-29

GIAT Industries Leclerc, France

4min
pages 22-27

NORINCO Type 69/Type 79, PRC

2min
pages 14-15

Argentina

2min
pages 10-11

The Future

2min
pages 8-9

NORINCO Type 80/Type 85/Type 90, PRC

1min
pages 16-17

Vickers Defence Systems Challenger

4min
pages 2-4

Introduction

3min
pages 5-7

T-55AM, Former Czechoslovakia

4min
pages 18-21

NORINCO Type 59, People's Republic of China (PRC

2min
pages 12-13
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