Magach 5
This page is about the Israeli medium tank Magach 5. For other versions, see Magach (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Magach 5 was, at its core, an upgraded American M48A5. The Magach 5 was introduced in Israel after the Yom Kippur War of 1973. After this war, the IDF had to replace several examples of their Magach and Sho't tanks that were lost, especially due to anti-tank weapons like the RPG-2, RPG-7, and Malyutka ATGMs. To address this issue, the IDF adopted the American M48A5 and designated it Magach 5. This version of the tank was also an upgrade of the M48A3, incorporating the 105 mm rifled gun over the 90 mm gun in earlier M48 models. This upgrade was based in part in Israeli experiences with Magach tanks in 1967 and 1973.
It was introduced in Update "Drone Age". The Magach 5 plays like most M48 tanks. However, compared to previous models, the Magach 5 incorporates a more capable 105 mm gun with increased firepower. The upgrade however does not include a stabilizer, which can be seen on later Magachs with the Sharir cannon. However, the tank is very much protected against all sorts of HEAT and HE projectiles, as well as early ATGMs like the MILAN that lack tandem warheads. This is because the Magach 5 incorporates Blazer ERA, this is a very early ERA, even weaker than Kontakt-1, so it is not enough to stop APDS and APFSDS projectiles, or even high calibre HEAT projectiles from 120 and 125 mm guns.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour (hull roof, hull rear - engine vents, turret roof, turret ring)
- Cast homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola)
Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hull | 85-200 mm (59-74°) Front glacis 63-200 mm (13-60°) Lower glacis |
76 mm (5-45°) Front 51 mm (0-44°) Rear |
35 mm Top 25 mm (32-62°) Bottom |
57 mm (0-58°) 30 mm Engine access panel 12.7 mm (76°) Engine vents |
Turret | 83.2-173 mm (0-48°) Turret front 152 + 82 mm (17-26°) Gun mantlet |
69-100 mm (12-36°) | 51-55 mm (2-71°) 25.4 mm (75-82°) Underpart of the turret |
25-69 mm |
Cupola | 70 mm |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels, tracks and torsion bars are 20 mm thick.
- The turret ring is 70 mm thick.
- "Blazer" ERA is 5 mm effectively thick.
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 | 10 | 49.9 | 1,162 | 1,431 | 23.29 | 28.68 |
Realistic | 48 | 9 | 663 | 750 | 13.29 | 15.03 |
Modifications and economy
Armaments
Main armament
105 M68 rifled cannon,105 M68 cannon | 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° | N/A | 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 | ||
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
Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
57 | 49 (+8) | 34 (+23) | 23 (+34) | 17 (+40) | 1 (+56) | No |
Machine guns
7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
Loader's hatch | 2,000 (200) | 600 | -5°/+50° | -120°/+60° |
7.62 mm M73 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
Coaxial | 5,500 (250) | 500 | N/A | N/A |
7.62 mm M1919A4 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
Commander's hatch | 2,000 (250) | 500 | -5°/+50° | -60°/+120° |
Usage in battles
The Magach 5 is a fairly manoeuvrable MBT but its larger profile makes it easy to spot. The 105 mm Sharir cannon does well at long range shooting, as many tanks in the same BR can be destroyed with a single hit. The Magach 5 fares well in an urban setting with a fairly quick turret traverse and powerful ammo, however it is not the fastest and should have teammates nearby to cover the flanks. The front ammo stowage is the biggest detriment to the tanks survival in a frontal hit, so the ammo count should kept as low as possible. Overall, this tank is just right for most environments with it being most vulnerable to comparable ammo from other Western nations.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Good firepower
- Decent mobility
- Surprisingly survivable, two crew members often survive a shot
- ERA able to defeat low-end chemical shells
Cons:
- Ineffective armour in an uptier
- No stabilizer
- Ammunition explosions are common as most of the shells are in the front next to the driver
- ERA only effective against chemical shells - only provides 5 mm kinetic protection
History
The Magach 5 was introduced after the Yom Kippur War of 1973. During this war, the IDF suffered heavy losses to Egyptian and Syrian anti tank weapons like the RPG-2, RPG-7 and Malyutka ATGMs. The Magach 5 was a way to address this lack of tanks in the IDF with more modern units, specifically the M48A5. This variant was at its core an upgraded M48A3 and incorporated several lessons from the Israeli experience with Magach tanks in 1967 and 1973.
The Magach 5 incorporated a 105 mm rifled gun, since during the Vietnam War it was evident that the 90 mm gun was not enough to destroy modern Soviet armour or even support infantry. 105 mm projectiles had more power to penetrate the armour in modern tanks and their HE warhead was more suited for direct support tasks. The Magach 5 also incorporated a low profile cupola based in the Israeli Urdan design.
However, the Magach 5 had several differences compared to the American M48A5, for instance, it included the RISE upgrade installed in the M60A1, the most evident upgrade was the installation of the BLAZER ERA kit that was meant to protect against portable anti-tank weapons like the RPG, that caused heavy casualties to IDF tank units in the Yom Kippur War. The biggest improvement could be considered the installation of a gun stabilizer in some units, since originally the M48A5 didn't include any sort of stabilizer.
Israel purchased 150 of these vehicles in 1978 and fitted with Blazer ERA alongside the Centurion-based Sho't Kal tanks. The Magach 5 participated in Operation Peace for Galilee and the new upgrades proved sufficient to deal with older Soviet ATGMs and RPGs. The Magach 5 served with Israel for several years, starting from the mid 1980s the tank was given to reserve units and was gradually retired from active service.
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
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 |