Magach 1
| This page is about the Israeli medium tank Magach 1. For other versions, see Magach (Family). |
Contents
Description
Magach 1 (Hebrew: מגח - "battering ram") was the Israeli designation for American M48A1 Patton III tanks. Israel began receiving M48 tanks from the USA in the 1960s, and at the start of the Six-Day War, it had around 120 operational vehicles of various modifications, some of which were modified directly within Israel. Moreover, during the war, the Jordanian army deployed its M48 tanks west of the Jordan River, violating an agreement made at their purchase. This resulted in several of their Pattons being captured as war trophies by the Israeli Defence Forces and later adopted for their own use. Subsequently, most tanks were upgraded to the Magach 3 version.
Introduced in Update "Wind of Change", the Magach 1 boasts good mobility, armour and a fairly decent 90 mm gun with HEATFS and APCBC rounds. It should stay close behind the more heavily armoured vehicles on the front lines, taking well-aimed shots to either destroy or cripple enemy vehicles. However, the Magach 1 lacks a gun stabiliser, which complicates firing on the move, and its large silhouette is difficult to conceal behind cover.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour (hull roof, engine vents)
- Cast homogeneous armour (hull front, sides, rear, turret, cupola)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 110 mm (52-60°) Upper glacis 100 mm (38-62°) Lower glacis |
76 mm (29°) Top - Front 51 mm (26°) Top - Rear 38 mm (63°) Bottom - Front 25 mm (60°) Bottom - Rear |
35 mm (32°) Top 25 mm (62°) Bottom |
110 mm (40°) Front glacis 57 mm Crew and engine compartments 10 mm Engine vents |
| Turret | 152 mm (23-32°) Turret front 152 (25°) Gun mantlet 70 mm Turret ring |
69-100 mm (12-36°) | 50-58 mm (35°) | 26 mm |
| Cupola | 29.7 mm (spherical) | 29.7 mm | ||
Notes:
- Suspension wheels, tracks, and torsion bars are 20 mm thick.
- Belly armour is 38 mm thick under the crew compartment, and 25 mm thick under the engine compartment.
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 | 51 | 10 | 44.9 | 1,255 | 1,545 | 27.95 | 34.41 |
| Realistic | 46 | 9 | 716 | 810 | 15.95 | 18.04 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
| 90 mm M41 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 60 | -9°/+19° | ±180° | - | 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
| 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 | ||
| M332 shot | APCR | 321 | 316 | 292 | 265 | 240 | 218 |
| T142E3 | HESH | 102 | 102 | 102 | 102 | 102 | 102 |
| M82 shot | APCBC | 185 | 182 | 169 | 155 | 142 | 130 |
| M431 shell | HEATFS | 320 | 320 | 320 | 320 | 320 | 320 |
| M71 shell | HE | 20 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| M332 shot | APCR | 1,249 | 5.7 | - | - | - | 66° | 70° | 72° | |||
| T142E3 | HESH | 792 | 10.6 | 0.1 | 4 | 3,050 | 73° | 77° | 80° | |||
| M82 shot | APCBC | 853 | 10.91 | 1.2 | 14 | 137.2 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| M431 shell | HEATFS | 1,216 | 5.8 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 712.64 | 65° | 72° | 77° | |||
| M71 shell | HE | 823 | 10.55 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1,210 | 79° | 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) |
| M313 | 821 | 10.7 | 9 | 5 | 20 | 50 |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 53 (+7) | 42 (+18) | 24 (+36) | 17 (+43) | 1 (+59) | No |
Notes:
- Shells are modeled by sets of 2 and disappear from the rack after you've fired both shells in the set.
- Racks 4 and 5 are first stage ammo racks. They total 23 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
- These rack are also emptied early: the depletion order at full capacity is: 4 - 5 - 1 - 2 - 3.
- Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-3 into rack 5 then 4. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready rack.
Machine guns
| 12.7 mm M2HB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 600 (200) | 575 | -9°/+60° | ±180° |
| 7.62 mm M73 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 6,000 (250) | 500 | - | - |
Usage in battles
The Magach 1 will feel familiar to tankers from the American and German tank trees, as it is essentially a copy-paste M48A1/M48A2 C from those trees. Being the first true MBT that the Israelis have access to (alongside the Sho't) it will bring a new playstyle to those who have been using the M-51s and French light tanks before it.
This vehicle is a first-generation MBT and an American one at that, so its mobility is still average compared to other early MBTs such as the Leopard I and T-54 (1949). The gun has access to decent ammunition in the form of the final HEATFS shell but is still limited in that it's a 90 mm cannon when many contemporaries are sporting 105 mm weapons that sport APDS along with their own HEATFS shells. Staying out of close-range engagements is a must due to the limited damage potential of the gun and balky turret/suspension handling.
The Magach 1 will feel right at home staying close behind the more heavily armoured vehicles in the front line and taking well-aimed, surgical shots with its smaller weapon and either killing the target or crippling it so that its teammates can go in and finish the job safely. If caught in close-quarters combat, take advantage of the neutral steering and somewhat trolly armour angles to try and get the gun back on target.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Decent front hull armour, both thickness and angling, when compared to some contemporary MBTs
- Nice roof armour, only aircraft with heavy AP/dedicated anti-armour rounds will get through
- Has access to a very effective M431 HEATFS shell
Cons:
- Early M48 model, still suffers from sluggish mobility.
- Gun is effective but still only 90 mm when contemporary opponents start bringing higher-velocity 100+ mm cannons.
- Large profile target, more easily targeted by dedicated tankbuster aircraft and sniping tanks
- The commander .50 cal is placed in a clumsy mini-turret, defending against aircraft/fast light tanks is difficult
- The stock round, M332 APCR, has very limited damage potential and bounces easily
History
Development
In February 1951, the US Army opted for a new design to replace their M46/M47 tanks. Designated the 90 mm Gun Tank T-48, it featured a novel (for American Cold War tanks) hemispherical turret, hull, and suspension design. The crew was reduced to four, and it began production in 1952 after being named for the famous General George S. Patton. During initial production, several protection defects were identified and a program to refit them began, resulting in the M48A1 with a slightly different driver's hatch and commander's cupola, now equipped with a .50 M2HB.
Israeli Service
Israel's first M48s were acquired from West Germany in the early 1960s in a secret arms deal, with the United States providing further vehicles after the deal was exposed. The M48A1 variants came from the United States transfers.
During the Six Day War in 1967, the M48A1s served in their stock US configuration and acquitted themselves well. However, by the Yom Kippur War their 90 mm cannons had been recognized as obsolete for Israeli purposes and the only remaining M48 tanks in the IDF were later versions equipped with 105 mm cannons or conversions of the M48A1/A2/A3s to the 105 mm cannon.
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
External links
| Israeli Ordnance Corps (חיל החימוש) | |
|---|---|
| Medium Tanks | M-51 · M-51 (W) |
| MBTs | |
| Magach | Magach 1 · Magach 2 · Magach 3 · Magach 3 (ERA) · ▃Magach 3 (ERA) · Magach 5 |
| Magach 6 · Magach 6A · Magach 6B · Magach 6C · Magach 6R · Magach 6M · Gal Batash | |
| Sho't | Sho't · Sho't Kal Alef · Sho't Kal Gimel · Sho't Kal Dalet · ▄Sho't Kal Dalet |
| Tiran | Tiran 4 · Tiran 4S |
| Merkava | ▃Merkava Mk.1 · Merkava Mk.1B · Merkava Mk.2B · ▃Merkava Mk.2B · Merkava Mk.2D |
| Merkava Mk.3B · Merkava Mk.3C · ▃Merkava Mk.3D · Merkava Mk.4B · Merkava Mk.4M | |
| Tank destroyers | Zachlam Tager |
| See Also | Chrysler Defense · Department of Tank Design · Morozov Design Bureau |
| 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 | |
