Magach 7C
| This page is about the Israeli medium tank Magach 7C. For other versions, see Magach (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Magach 7C was the third development of the Magach 7 series. The Magach 7 came out in the 1980s with the C variant being developed in the 1990s. Unlike the Magach 7A, the Magach 7C employed passive arrays of armour instead of ERA kits like the ones present in the Magach 7A. With this extra armour, the Magach 7C took a hit to its mobility and received a new powerplant and transmission, the 900HP AVDS-1790-5A used in early Merkavas, and the transmission was upgraded to the same automatic transmission present in the Merkava Mk.2. The Magach 7C was eventually faced out in favour of the Merkava Mk.4 but it was still retained by reserve units of the IAF.
It was introduced in Update "Apex Predators". The very last variant of Israel Magach series with redesigned applique armour, although not being the most protected tank of its era, Magach 7C still gives players the chance to fight back with its improved FCS, powerplant, new APFSDS and slightly better protection than its predecessors. Compared to previous versions of the Magach, the Magach 7C has slightly better mobility and armour, and packs quite a punch with its new APFSDS round. However it relies heavily on its Fire Control System with 2nd generation thermals to be a threat in battles. Its armour is also much more capable against APFSDS and HEAT shells, since the ERA present in other Magach variants was not enough to stop APDS or APFSDS shells even from autocannons.
General info
Survivability and armour
From Magach 6 (M60A1/3) to the 7 series, aside from still based on M60s, the redesigns on the 7 series adopted a more Merkava-like approach with applique armours on different spots of the tank; in 7C's case, the hull is now protected by an extra layer of composite applique armour on the front and the first 2 side skirts, while the turret received an complete redesign from being covered by ERA blocks and NERA applique blocks to an arrow-shaped turret with extra layer of composite applique armour. While this is nowhere sufficient for APFSDS of its era, tanks with HEAT; APDS or even APCBC will have a hard time penetrating its armour, giving it extra survivability to its predecessors. The interior layout though is mostly identical to its predecessors, but the tank is more cramped with shells even with 6 shells less than predecessors- any penetrated shots will very likely detonate the ammunition located on the center mass of the tank.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 40+93 mm (65°) UFP 40+117-40+137 mm (56°) LFP |
36-70 mm Top 19-36 mm Bottom |
25-40 mm | 20-38 mm |
| Turret | 40+130 mm Turret front (Volumetric) 152 mm Gun mantlet |
40+76 mm (Volumetric) | 28 mm | 24 mm (Volumetric) |
| Cupola | 25.4 mm | |||
Notes:
Mobility
| 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 | 55 | 1,407 | 1,732 | 25.58 | 31.49 |
| Realistic | 48 | 12 | 803 | 908 | 14.6 | 16.51 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
After the introduction of the M68 gun by the US Army, Israel got the license for producing the gun locally as the "Sharir" tank cannon and later tanks were upgraded with this gun. The Magach 7C is no exception. While the gun traverse speed is slightly better, the overall performance is identical to 105 mm cannons for M60 series, although not being the best tank gun of its tier, the variety of shells can make sure Magach 7C would still have the chance to take on more modern tanks.
| 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 | 57 | -9°/+19° | ±180° | Two-plane | 22.8 | 31.6 | 38.4 | 42.5 | 45.2 | 8.71 | 7.70 | 7.10 | 6.70 |
| Realistic | 14.3 | 16.8 | 20.4 | 22.6 | 24.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
The Magach 7C shares the same ammunition as its tech-tree predecessor Magach 6B Gal Batash, although the 105 mm gun is deemed insufficient to more advanced MBTs like T-64 and T-72. However, utilizing the latest ammunition for the 105 mm gun would still give Magach 7C the chance to defeat them.
M152; HEAT-FS - The stock shell; while the shell is more than enough to defeat earlier tanks or those without ERA, any advanced MBTs it might face can stop the shell with ease with its composite armour. To make sure the best utilization of the shell, pick the targets wisely: go for light targets or NATO tanks with relatively less protection. Flanking is only viable if the tank could reach vantage points at the first place.
M156; HESH - One of the first researchable rounds for the tank; while the explosive content is more than enough to take out light vehicles or MBTs showing their sides right away, the ballistic performance hinders its long-range capability. Having the laser rangefinder equipped does help the M156 to reach targets which are in hull-down position at longer ranges. A precise hit on a weak spot can easily overpressurize enemies or cause extensive shrapnel damage to internal compartments.
M111; APFSDS - The other tier 1 ammunition researchable, it might not have the best penetration of its tier, but being a long-rod APFSDS means the it will have better odds to penetrate well-protected MBTs frontally. While Warsaw-Pact and Chinese tanks could be harder to take out, a precise hit on their LFP is very likely to detonate either their fuel tanks or ammunition racks.
M426; APFSDS - The final round and the go-to round for the tank; the Israeli equivalent to 105 mm DM63, it is among the best 105 mm APFSDS available and having vastly improved penetration to M111. This also means it can now penetrates earlier Warsaw-Pact MBTs safely even at longer ranges, but MBTs such as T-64BV and ZTZ96A can still cause major problem for Magach 7C.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Machine guns
| 12.7 mm M2HB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 900 (200) | 575 | - | - |
| 7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle (loader) | 1,800 (200) | 600 | -10°/+50° | ±120° |
| Pintle (commander) | 1,800 (200) | 600 | -10°/+60° | ±180° |
| Coaxial | 2,400 (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
Pros:
- High acceleration thanks to the new engine pack
- Access to variety of ammunition (M426 APFSDS and M156 HESH)
- Good depression angle for hull-down position
- Vastly improved protection against non-APFSDS shells
- Sufficient amount of smoke grenades
Cons:
- Slow for its BR
- Rather cramped interior filled with ammunition
- Rather slow gun traverse speed to competitors
- Huge in size, can be easily identified by enemies
- Fixed 8x gunsight that hinders its gun flexibility
- Loud tracks and engine will telegraph your position to nearby enemies
- Composite screens offer little to no protection from APFSDS rounds
History
The Magach 7C, or "Battering-Ram 7 Gimel" as translated from Hebrew, is the third development of the Magach 7 series. The Magach 7 first entered service with the Israeli Defense Forces in the mid 1980s. It was a radical new design from previous Magachs, featuring an uparmored hull and turret. Rather than the addition of ERA which Israel had used on previous Magachs, the Magach 7 series was given composite screens on the turret, side-skirts, and hull. These upgrades resulted in the Magach 7 sharing few visual characteristics with the M60 Patton tank upon which it is based.
The Magach 7A was the first rendition of the Magach 7 to serve in the IDF Armored Corps. One might compare it visually to the M48 Super, as the layout of composite screens added to the turret, if loosely, visually resembles that of the German counterpart. Upgrades from the base M60 included the addition of composite screens, an upgraded fire control system, including a laser rangefinder and thermal sight, and the addition of the same tracks as the Merkava Mk.1. Many of the components used to upgrade the Magach 7 were shared with the Merkava designs of the time.
The Magach 7B was an interim design, featuring a similar armour layout to the Magach 7C, however this design was experimental at the time of its development.
By the 1990s, the Magach 7C design had all but replaced the Magach 7A. The primary difference between the Magach 7A and 7C was the armour layout. Composite screens remained on the hull and side skirts, but the layout on the turret had been entirely redesigned. The turret armour now featured wedge-shaped composite screens with a fixed mantlet. These screens featured slots for the 105 mm cannon, as well as the 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun.
Magach 7s were eventually phased out of frontline service with the IDF upon the debut of the Merkava Mk.4, when they were given to IDF reserve units to replace older Magach variants.
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
External links
| 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 | |
