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About the Israeli Merkava MBT
In 1948, one of the many
problems facing the new Jewish state of Israel was a total absence of armoured
fighting vehicles, and the restrictions applied to nations who had tanks, but
were refused the ability to sell them outside of their own countries, made the
situation for Israel almost hopeless in obtaining any. They managed to get some
derelict Sherman tanks that were going to be scrapped and a few armoured cars,
but the number obtained was insufficient for the creation of a viable force. It
was these conditions that eventually led to the to the development of today's
impressive Merkava line.
Following the cease fire
of the 1948 war, several dozen Sherman tanks, of all types were purchased from
all over the world and standardized on a production line set up in Israel, and
designated the M-50 Sherman. Later, they were able to purchase the British
Centurion tank which went on the same production line for rebuild to their own
specifications. The country was still dependent upon other countries products
for their armour needs, and often, due to situations beyond the control of
Israel, they were denied shipments of requested items. The production line was
receiving requests for modifications of M48 Patton tanks as well as Soviet T54
and T55's. Following the six day war General Israel Tal, felt an urgent need for
a self-sufficiency in major weapons needs such as aircraft and tanks, due to the
serious cutbacks in re-supply from leading nations. He became obsessed by the
idea of building tanks in Israel, and although backed by some military experts,
he was regarded with some suspicion and doubt by many others. Here, with
feverish ardour and imagination General Tal started the venture which in nine
years produced the remarkable Merkava.
The Merkava is manned by a
crew of four and its main armament is the 105mm M64 L71A tank gun, with
secondary armament of a 7.62mm co-axial machine gun located in a vertical
armoured slit in the turret and two additional LMG's on the commanders hath and
the loaders hatch, these are used for close in combat and against low-flying
aircraft. The driver is located to left of the power pack and can enter the rear
compartment by lowering his seat back. The fighting compartment extends the
whole width of the hull and is air-conditioned for crew comfort in the desert
environments it was designed to operated in. Engine is a Teledyne Continental
AVDS-1790 V-12 Diesel which produces 900hp.
Operating in the Southern
deserts, the Merkava crews enjoy hitherto undreamed of comforts. Cooled water
from a container installed at the rear provides water for drinking through a
special pope into the turret. In hot weather this is an absolutely vital
necessity, making all the difference in the fighting capability of the crew.
With the troop carrying capability, via the large rear door, the Merkava is
truly one of the most modern and versatile armoured systems in the world and was
extensively proven in the field of combat against the highly touted T-72 Soviet
armour used in the recent Lebanon conflict.
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X-1 - Black |
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X-10 - Gun Metal |
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X-11 - Chrome Silver |
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X-18 - Semi Gloss Black |
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X-2 - White |
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X-23 - Clear Blue |
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X-7 - Red |
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XF-1 - Flat Black |
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XF-15 - Flat Flesh |
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XF-49 - Khaki |
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XF-5 - Flat Green |
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XF-56 - Metallic Grey |
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XF-57 - Buff |
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XF-61 - Dark Green |
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XF-62 - Olive Drab |
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XF-64 - Red Brown |
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