Merkava Mk.4B
| This page is about the Israeli medium tank Merkava Mk.4B. For other versions, see Merkava (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Merkava Siman 4 Baz is a rank VIII Israeli medium tank with a battle rating of 12.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Wind of Change".
General info
Survivability and armour
The Merkava 's armour is VERY strongly protected against HEAT with up to 800-1200mm of protection on the turret front, and the UFP having enough protection with its NERA and engine + transmission to stop a Kornet in its tracks.
However, KE protection may be somewhat lacking with average KE protection on the turret front averaging about 450-550mm of KE protection on the turret front and about 350-450mm of protection on the UFP (engine and transmission protection included) which for top tier is not quite adequate.
The Merkava also features a unique armour layout being the only tank aside from the Strv 122B PLSS to fit NERA not only on front and side of the turret, but also the front and side of the hull too. it is also the only tank to fit NERA on its roof which historically was to defend from roof fired RPG's.
In all the Merkava's armour is somewhat lacking in some areas but can more then compensate in others.
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 50 mm (74°) Upper plate
50 mm (39-58°) Lower glacis |
50 mm Top 50 mm Bottom |
30 mm (1-45°) | 30 mm |
| Turret | 40-230 mm (9-62°) Turret front 197 mm (1°) Gun mantlet |
38 mm (17°) | 20 mm (1°) | 25-45 mm |
| Cupola | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Notes:
| Composite armour | Frontal effective protection | Sides |
|---|---|---|
| Hull | Upper
Kinetic: 300-450 mm Chemical: 1050-1300 mm (engine block included) Lower Kinetic: 180-330 mm Chemical: 250-400 mm (engine block included) Side Kinetic: 50-228 mm Chemical: 320-475 mm |
|
| Turret | Turret Cheeks
Kinetic: 380-620 mm Chemical: 920-1100 mm Turret Sides Kinetic: 240-410 mm Chemical: 600-1120 mm |
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 | 72 | 72 | 65 | 2,325 | 2,862 | 35.77 | 44.03 |
| Realistic | 65 | 65 | 1,327 | 1,500 | 20.42 | 23.08 | |
The Merkava may feel quite snappy at low speeds due to its high torque and good gear ratios, it also has neutral steering which makes urban combat much easier.
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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Armaments
Main armament
| 120 mm IMI MG251 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 46 | -7°/+20° | ±180° | Two-plane | 32.4 | 44.8 | 54.4 | 60.2 | 64.0 | 8.71 | 7.70 | 7.10 | 6.70 |
| Realistic | 20.2 | 23.8 | 28.9 | 32.0 | 34.0 | ||||||||
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 | ||
| 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° | |||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 30 (+16) | 13 (+33) | 11 (+35) | 1 (+45) | No |
Machine guns
| 12.7 mm M2HB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 1,000 (200) | 577 | N/A | N/A |
| 7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 1,800 (200) | 600 | -5°/+50° | -60°/+120° |
| Coaxial | 6,000 (200) | 600 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
The Merkava plays somewhat similarly to previous Merkava's requiring a more laid back approach in order to well. The Merkava performs amazingly at range and can still hold its own in a brawl.
The Merkava however is not a small tank by any metric, being very wide, and tall, making you an big target for enemies.
The Merkava in more urban combat can perform somewhat well thanks to its great reaction speed and decent mobility forwards and backwards, however keep in mind other tanks such as the T-72B3 and T-80BVM will easily outclass you in a brawl so pick your targets wisely.
The Merkava has arguably some of the best optics for an MBT in-game due to the commanders sight being very high up and with great zoom at 14x max, and great thermals. this will allow you to play as sniper on long range maps with ease as you can play ridges and hills to your advantage.
Also make sure to keep close attention to your Laser Warning System (LWS) and the direction it is alerting you to. As this will alert you of drones and helicopters and tanks, therefore giving you time to throw smoke and take cover from an ATGM or find the direction of a tank lasing you so you can return fire. A good way to tell if its a either a tank or a helicopter/drone locking you is that helicopter and drone locks will always continuously lock you whereas a tank may only give a short 1-2 second alert.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Has access to 2nd generation thermals for both the gunner and commander
- Excellent mobility, even in reverse
- Great and competitive ammo selection
- LWS gives great protection against tanks, helicopters, and drones alike
Cons:
- Very vulnerable to most attacks due to a noticeable lack of composite armour or ERA
- Slower reload speed than its NATO counterparts
- Quite big and can be a more appealing target then other tanks
History
The Merkava 4 main battle tank entered full production in 2001 and began operational training with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in July 2003. The first battalion of Merkava Mk 4 tanks entered service with the Israel Defence Forces in 2004.
The Ministry of Defence plans to manufacture between 50 and 70 Merkava Mk.4 tanks a year and up to 400 tanks may be manufactured in total, although budgetary constraints put these numbers in doubt. The Merkava 4 has been extensively improved including new armour protection and gun and electronics systems.
Merkava Mk.4 is slightly larger than the Merkava Mk.3, which has been in service with the IDF since 1990. The Merkava 3 is offered for export by SIBAT based in Tel Aviv.
The Merkava 4 is not offered for export but the systems and components are exported. In July 2018, the IDF unveiled the Merkava Mk. 4 Barak, the latest version of the Merkava 4 tank.
The new tank is a smart tank equipped with advanced features such as artificial intelligence, upgraded sensors, and virtual reality (VR) capabilities. A new helmet, known as Iron View, allows soldiers to see outside the combat tank, while a smart mission computer onboard the tank will manage its activities.
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 | |
- Ground vehicles
- Israel ground vehicles
- Eighth rank ground vehicles
- Medium tanks
- Ground vehicles with composite armour
- Ground vehicles with smoke grenades
- Ground vehicles with engine smoke generating system
- Ground vehicles with night vision device
- Ground vehicles with thermal sight
- Ground vehicles with gun stabilizer
