IMI MG251 (120 mm)

The 120 mm IMI MG251 on the Merkava Mk.3C gun mantlet.

Description

The 120 mm IMI MG251 is an Israeli tank cannon used on their domestic tank designs like the Merkava. Similar to the NATO 120 mm tank cannons, the IMI MG251 can deliver similar lethal firepower with its APFSDS and HEAT-FS round options.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• Merkava Mk.3B
• Merkava Mk.3C
• ▃Merkava Mk.3D
• Raam Segol
• Merkava Mk.4B
• Merkava Mk.4M
• Merkava Mk.4 LIC

General info

The MG251 is an armament intended for the Merkava tanks. Although sharing the same calibre and able to fire the same ammunition, the weapon is not a license-production variant of the 120 mm Rheinmetall L/44 cannon and is independently designed and produced in Israel.

Available 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
M325	HEATFS	480	480	480	480	480	480
M339	HE-TF	65	65	60	58	53	50
M322	APFSDS	589	586	577	565	553	541
M338	APFSDS	611	608	597	585	573	560

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%
M325	HEATFS	1,078	15.81	0.05	0.1	2.36	65°	72°	77°
M339	HE-TF	900	17	1.5	3	3.66	79°	80°	81°
M322	APFSDS	1,705	5.6	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°
M338	APFSDS	1,680	5.06	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Comparison with analogues

The MG251 is similar in almost every aspect to the following cannons, except for the ammunition:

• M256 (120 mm) - Equipped with the M829A2 APFSDS shell, it can pierce up to 629 mm RHA
• Rh120 L/44 (120 mm) - Equipped with the DM53 APFSDS shell, it can pierce up to 623 mm RHA

Usage in battles

Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High-penetration APFSDS round

Cons:

• M325 HEAT shell strength is mediocre at the fighting rank and is only useful against light-skinned ground and airborne targets
• Reload time is akin to that of L/55 cannon, being much slower than 120 mm L/44 and 125 mm cannons

History

An Israeli Merkava Mk.3D from the 188th Armored Brigade fires off a shot from its 120 mm.

The 120 mm tank armament was developed by Israel Military Industries' (IMI) Slavin Land Systems Division. It made its public reveal in 1989 as the main armament of the Merkava Mk.3.

There are three known variants of the IMI's 120 mm cannon:

• MG251 - The first version mounted in Merkava Mk.3s
• MG251-LR - An improved version that is mounted on Merkava Mk.4s
• MG253 - A version with reduced recoil length, 40% less than the normal. Used in the M60T "Sabra" in Turkish service.

The 120 mm guns are compliant with STANAG 4385, which means the cannons are compatible with other 120 mm NATO tank shells.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

• Rh120 (Family)

External links

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Elbit Systems. "Elbit Systems Land Tank Ammunition Portfolio." Elbit Systems, PDF document. (Archive)
• IMI Systems. "L44 (MG251/3) - 120mm Smoothbore Tank Guns." IMI Systems, Web Archive (Retrieved from 31 Dec 2016).
• Janes. "Israel Military Industries 120 mm smoothbore tank gun MG251 (Israel), Weapons of 20 mm and upward." Jane's Armour and Artillery Upgrades, 17 May 2010, Web Archive (Retrieved from 01 Nov 2010)

Israel tank cannons
75 mm	SA50 L/57 (France)
84 mm	20pdr OQF Mk.I (UK)
90 mm	DEFA F1 (France) · M41 (USA)
100 mm	D-10T (USSR)
105 mm	M-51 (France) · M68 (USA) · Sharir
120 mm	IMI MG251
155 mm	M126 (USA) · M185 (USA)