Merkava Mk.2B

This page is about the Israeli medium tank Merkava Mk.2B. For other versions, see Merkava (Family).

Merkava Mk.2B

Merkava Mk.1B

Merkava Mk.3B

Merkava Mk.2B

Merkava Mk.1B

Merkava Mk.3B

Israel

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.3	9.3	9.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:110 000

Purchase:620 000

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Description

The Merkava Mark 2B is the first subvariant of the Merkava Mark 2, which is the second variant of the Merkava main battle tank family. The Merkava Mark 2 variant has significant enhancements over the Merkava Mark 1B variant. In comparison to its predecessor, the Merkava Mark 2 variant has enhanced armour protection, a new transmission, and more fuel capacity. The Merkava Mark 2 was first manufactured in 1983, and it was last produced in 1989. There were 580 units constructed in total. The Merkava Mark 2 saw service in several local battles, where it performed well. Even though it is outdated, this tank is still in limited use. In 2016, the final Merkava Mark 2 tank was moved to reserve units. Most of the remaining tanks are currently in storage. These might potentially be modified to become armoured personnel carriers. Outside of Israel, the Merkava Mark 2 was never exported. It was one of the most protected tanks in the world at the time of its introduction. It employs spaced armour and provides better armour protection than its predecessor. The tank has an unusual layout, with the engine located in front for enhanced crew protection. The Merkava's turret is also distinctive in shape. Chains with metal balls were added to the Merkava Mark 2's turret rear to provide additional protection against rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). This basic method proved to be effective during testing. The tank comes standard with NBC protection and automatic fire extinguishing equipment. Compared to the standard Merkava Mark 2, the Merkava Mark 2B includes thermal imaging equipment for the gunner. Minor changes were also made to the fire-control system.

Introduced in Update "Wind of Change", the Merkava Mark 2B retains the unique tank design created in Israel. During battles, locating targets is much easier now with thermal imaging equipment for the gunner. To improve crew protection, some composite armour screens are installed throughout the tank, primarily in the turret. In general, the Merkava Mark 2B resembles the Merkava Mark 1B, with good frontal turret armour that can survive a wide range of ammunition. The hull, on the other hand, is not as impressive as the turret. Most tank ammunition will easily penetrate the frontal hull.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

LWS

Notifies about the vehicle's exposure to laser emissions

Armourfront / side / back

Hull90 / 50 / 30

Turret65 / 65 / 65

Crew4 people

Visibility103 %

The frontal armour on the Merkava Mk.2B is is overall decent in terms of protection. Its turret is compact and smaller than its counterparts at this BR, making it a difficult target to hit when hull down at range. Moreover, the shape of its turret features a complex design with extreme angles which boast high ricochet chances. This might confuse enemies who are unaccustomed to it, which might cause them to mess up their shots. But as a consequence to the turret being cramped as it is, penetrating shots at the turret's crew compartment might prove to be fatal.

The hull is not as impressive as the turret. On one hand, the lower and upper plates are rather thin, and despite the extreme angle of the upper plate, most APFSDS and chemical rounds will punch through with ease. On the other hand, the Merkava's engine and transmission are conveniently placed at the front to soak up most of the penetrating shot's energy and shrapnel, preventing it from going further into the tank and protecting the crew at the cost of temporary immobilization.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	60 mm (upper) 90 mm (lower)	50 mm (behind composite screen)	70-100 mm (spaced)	30 mm
Turret	65 mm Turret front 100 mm Gun mantlet	110 mm (65+45mm spaced armour)	110 mm (65+45mm spaced armour)	30mm
Cupola	30 mm	30 mm	30 mm	30mm

Notes:

• Side composite screens are 20 mm thick.
• The turret features sides and rear spaced armour.
• Ammo racks are stored in 5-10 mm thick rolled homogeneous armour.
• Armour plates separate the engine and transmission from the fuel tank and crew compartment.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB60 / 26 km/h

RB and SB54 / 24 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight63.0 t

Engine power

AB1 717 hp

RB and SB900 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB27.3 hp/t

RB and SB14.3 hp/t

The Merkava Mk.2B has decent all around mobility, although it is slower than many other medium tanks at its BR. Turning bleeds speed quickly, and the reverse speed is decent at best.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	60	26	63	1,492	1,717	23.68	27.25
Realistic	54	24		852	900	13.52	14.29

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 949 → 6 235

RB4 029 → 6 361

SB5 149 → 8 130

Total cost of modifications186 200

301 000

Talisman cost2 700

Crew training175 000

Experts620 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces1 010 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 200 / 240 %

226 / 226 / 226 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 7 800 Cost: 12 000 310 Suspension Research: 7 300 Cost: 11 000 290 Brake System Research: 7 300 Cost: 11 000 290 Filters Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 390 Transmission Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 520 Engine Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 520	Improved Parts Research: 2 300 Cost: 12 000 310 Improved FPE Research: 2 200 Cost: 11 000 290 Crew Replenishment Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 390 ESS Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 520	Horizontal Drive Research: 7 800 Cost: 12 000 310 105mm_usa_HESH_ammo_pack Research: 7 800 Cost: 12 000 310 105mm_usa_M735_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 7 800 Cost: 12 000 310 Adjustment of Fire Research: 7 300 Cost: 11 000 290 LWS/LR Research: 7 300 Cost: 11 000 290 NVD Research: 7 300 Cost: 11 000 290 Elevation Mechanism Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 390 105mm_us_M416_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 390 Smoke grenade Research: 9 800 Cost: 15 000 390 Artillery Support Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 520 105mm_DM33_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 520

Since the engine, transmission, and fuel tank are all positioned right behind the frontal hull armour and serve the role of additional protection, it is mandatory that the player prioritizes the research of parts and FPE first. Then, the player can get the NVD and LWS/LR or adjustment of fire upgrades for more accurate shots. After that, the player should focus on getting the M111, and they should use it as their main ammo type.

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

105 mm Sharir cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition54 rounds

First-order6 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

8.7 → 6.7 s

Vertical guidance-8° / 20°

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	54	-8°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	38.1	52.7	64.0	70.8	75.3	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					23.8	28.0	34.0	37.6	40.0

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
M152	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400
M156	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
M111	APFSDS	337	335	330	322	314	306

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°

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

Ammo racks of the Merkava Mk.2B

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
54	31 (+23)	7 (+47)	1 (+53)	No

Machine guns

7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition6 000 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 001 shots/min

2 x 7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine gun

Ammunition3 600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate1 001 shots/min

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°/+50°	±120°
Coaxial	6,000 (200)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The Merkava Mk.2B is built for urban warfare and sniping, and should be played as such roles. The armour and the equipment it features will make it a formidable foe in the battlefield. Use its compact turret to peak from unexpected locations and utilize its excellent 4-20x commander's view to spot enemies from afar.

Enemies that you must be most worried about are the Soviet T-72s and T-64B, as their frontal armour will be a difficult challenge to break through at range when they conceal their lower plate, and their guns are extremely dangerous from any range. The only viable tactic against them is to flank, but you must be very careful not to get flanked yourself, as your side armour can be easily penetrated by even SPAAs.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent hull-down capabilities
• Effective protection of its crew members
• Decent mobility to keep up with most other tanks
• Excellent 4-20x commander's view
• Comes stock with smoke grenades

Cons:

• Only has rifle-calibre machine guns, ineffective against lightly-armoured vehicles
• Engine compartment is prone to catch on fire
• Prone to getting ammoracked
• Mediocre 8x gunner zoom (commander view balances this disadvantage, but cannot substitute gunner view)

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Merkava Mk.2B from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related development

• Merkava (Family)
  • Merkava Mk.2B (USA)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.