Difference between revisions of "Merkava Mk.1 (USA)"

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{{About
 
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| about = American medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
 
−
| usage = other versions
 
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| link = Merkava (Family)
 
−
}}
 
 
{{Specs-Card
 
{{Specs-Card
 
|code=us_merkava_mk_1
 
|code=us_merkava_mk_1
−
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
 
 
|market = Merkava Mk.1 (USA)
 
|market = Merkava Mk.1 (USA)
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
+
<!--In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.-->
−
The '''Merkava Mk.1''' was the first variant of the [[Merkava (Family)|Merkava main battle tank family]]. The Israeli Army and the British Army started working together on design notes for the [[Chieftain (Family)|Chieftain main battle tank]], which was initially used by the British Army, in the late 1960s with the goal of Israel acquiring and domestically manufacturing the vehicle. A four-year study included the delivery of two prototypes. Britain ultimately decided not to sell the Chieftain to Israel because it was already being given to Arab nations, who were then pursuing their own development plans. After the Suez Crisis, Israel Tal, then a brigade commander, revived plans to build an Israeli-made tank by learning from the Yom Kippur War of 1973, during which Israeli troops were outnumbered by those of Middle Eastern Arab nations. Israel Tal's choice led to the development of the Merkava Mk.1, which started its service in 1979. It was designed and constructed with mass production in mind. The Merkava Mk.1 had a diesel engine that produced 908 horsepower and had a power-to-weight ratio of 14 horsepower/tonne, weighing 63 tonnes. It was mounted with a 105 mm M64 L71A tank gun, an authorized replica of the 105 mm M68 tank gun used by the U.S. Army, while the British [[Centurion (Family)|Centurion medium tank]], which was extensively used during the Yom Kippur War and functioned admirably in the Golan's rugged terrain, provided the Merkava design's tracks and road wheels. During the 1982 Lebanon War, Israel deployed the 180 units of the Merkava Mk.1 into battle. By removing the palletized ammunition racks, some Merkava Mk.1s were transformed into improvised APCs or armoured ambulances. Up to ten troops or walking wounded could be accommodated via the entrance in the back.
+
[[File:GarageImage Merkava Mk.1 (USA).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 +
{{Break}}
 +
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} USA medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.87 "Locked On"]] as a reward for the [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6145-special-battlefield-engineer-en "Battlefield Engineer"] event.
  
−
Introduced during [[Update 1.87 "Locked On"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6145-special-battlefield-engineer-en|2019 "Battlefield Engineer" crafting event]], the Merkava Mk.1 provides a unique tank to the U.S. ground forces. The placement of the engine at the front of the tank rather than the back, as is traditional, is one of the Merkava design's most distinctive features. The goal of such a design was to increase crew survivability, because Israel is a small country with few resources and manpower, making it essential for them to survive conflicts. Due to its significantly improved survivability compared to conventional main battle tanks, players will enjoy experiencing one of the Middle East's most iconic major combat tanks.
+
At a glance, one may mistake the vehicle's profile for the [[Centauro]], which is already infamous on its own, because they share similar traits - an extremely long vehicle with a turret on its back, that sports very long cannon. However, this vehicle has an even lower profile and drives on tracks instead of wheels. Due to this, it's significantly slower. The amount of damage it can cause, though, is similar.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
−
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
+
<!--Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat?
−
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
+
 
−
This tank has an extremely low profile, sloped frontal armour that is extremely sloped everywhere.
+
If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.-->
  
−
[[File:Internal shields merkava mk1.jpg|420px|thumb|right|One of the Merkava Mk.1's secondary shields (There may be multiple of them layered over each other depending on angle of attack)]]
+
This tank has an extremely low profile, sloped frontal armour that is extremely sloped everywhere and cannot be hull-broken.
  
−
Even if anything penetrates the front of the hull, the shell will then have to go through an assortment of modules and protection beyond the initial hull. The first in the way is a fuel tank, which shields the engine. Even if that is penetrated, there is still a list of rolled homogeneous armour behind it. Even if that is penetrated, the engine will take the entirety of shrapnel with seemingly no failure. This will often result in the tank catching fire with a destroyed transmission and/or engine but with no other damage the tank. If one tries to fire straight at the driver, the shell will most likely just ricochet, bounce off the turret and away unless it was APDS or APFSDS. Even then, any shell that hit directly from the front will likely only take down the driver.
+
[[File:Internal shields merkava mk1.jpg|420px|thumb|right|Merkava Mk.1's secondary shields]]
  
−
The hull is also quite protected against ATGMs, as the module placement absorbs as much damage as [[IPM1]] and [[M1A1 Abrams]] NERA, so missiles should be fired at the turret instead unless one tries to just burn down the vehicle. In arcade mode, if an ATGM tank operator wants to destroy the tank fast, they should consider hitting the upper part of the hull next to the turret, for if only the engine is hit by projectile, then HEAT can overpenetrate it and spall into mid-section of the tank, sometimes just barely reaching the ready ammo rack and detonating it. In Realistic battle mode, simply hitting turret with ATGM might actually destroy the vehicle in one hit due to the crew loss.
+
Even if anything penetrates the front of the hull, the shell will then have to go through an assortment of modules and protection beyond the initial hull. The first in the way is a fuel tank, which shields the engine. Even if that is penetrated, there is still a list of rolled homogenous armour behind it. Even if that is penetrated, the engine will take the entirety of shrapnel with seemingly no failure. This will often result in the tank catching fire with a destroyed transmission and/or engine but with no other damage the tank. If one tries to fire straight at the driver, the shell will most likely just ricochet, bounce off the turret and away unless it was APDS or APDSFS. Even then, any shell that hit directly from the front will likely only take down the driver. The hull is also quite proof against ATGM, as module placement absorbs as much damage as [[IPM1]] and [[M1A1 Abrams]] NERA, so missiles should be fired at the turret instead unless one tries to just burn down the vehicle. In Realistic battle mode, hitting turret with ATGM might actually destroy the vehicle in one hit.
  
−
The turret is well-protected, with its well-angled armour structure and layers of homogeneous armour. As such, anything short of APDS from specifically sniper tanks like [[Chieftain Mk 3]] or APFSDS have a high chance of doing no damage. The only place with no protection is the turret ring, which is vulnerable to well-aimed APHE shots.
+
Even the turret is well-protected, with its well-angled armour structure and layers of homogenous armour. As such, anything short of APDS from specifically sniper tanks like [[Chieftain_Mk_3|Chieftain Mk 3]] or APDSFS have a high chance of doing no damage. The only place with no protection is the turret ring.
  
−
The side hull armour of the tank is considerably weaker though and can be penetrated by APDS-equipped SPAA and light tanks. Tracks still block some shots, but it's possible to destroy the entirety of turret compartment with a high enough rate-of-fire before tank turns around. AP-I belt would probably fail to penetrate it, though.
+
The ''side'' hull armour of the tank is considerably weaker though and can be penetrated even by APDS-equipped SPAA and light tanks. Tracks still block some shots, but it's possible to destroy the entirety of turret compartment with a high enough rate-of-fire before tank turns around. AP-I belt would probably fail to penetrate it, though.
  
−
The sides of the base of the turret seem to be a viable target for HESH, unlike the rest of the tank. Though, even there vehicle has a little fuel tank, which has a tendency to derail spalling away from last turret crew member.
+
The sides of the base of the turret seem to be a viable target for HESH, unlike the rest of the tank. Though, ''even there'' vehicle has a little fuel tank, which has a tendency to derail spalling away from last turret crew member.
  
 
As such, Merkava should avoid exposing its sides, to protect its turret crew and ammunition.
 
As such, Merkava should avoid exposing its sides, to protect its turret crew and ammunition.
Line 38: Line 34:
 
In addition to the assortment of armour, the vehicle has smoke launchers and smoke shells to cover itself.
 
In addition to the assortment of armour, the vehicle has smoke launchers and smoke shells to cover itself.
  
−
Ammunition is stored in the very back of the vehicle, at the very bottom and is covered with even more armour lists. Most of the attacks from front of the vehicle or from above will inevitably hit side skirts, turret, or other modules in way of the shell and achieve nothing. In case enemy tank attacks from behind, even tank's back is protected with layers of spaced armour, rolled homogeneous armour and fuel tanks, completely neutralizing weak chemical shells (such as HESH), or derailing HEATFS spall away from critical components. Only firing HEATFS diagonally through the shield in the middle of Merkava's rear seems to consistently achieve hitting ammunition or crew. Using AP based ammunition instead is highly advised.
+
Ammunition is stored in the very back of the vehicle, at the very bottom and is covered with even more armour lists. Most of the attacks from front of the vehicle or from above will inevitably hit side skirts, turret, or other modules in way of the shell and achieve nothing. In case enemy tank attacks from behind, even tank's back is protected with layers of spaced armour, rolled homogenous armour and fuel tanks, completely neutralizing weak chemical shells (such as HESH), or derailing HEAT-FS spall away from critical components. Only firing HEAT-FS diagonally through the shield in the middle of Merkava's rear seems to achieve hitting ammunition or crew. Using AP based ammunition instead is highly adviced.
−
 
 
−
'''Armour type:''' <!-- The types of armour present on the vehicle and their general locations -->
 
−
<!-- Example: * Rolled homogeneous armour (Front, Side, Rear, Hull roof)
 
−
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Transmission area) -->
 
−
 
 
−
{| class="wikitable"
 
−
|-
 
−
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
−
|-
 
−
| Hull || 60 mm (67-76°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 60 - 90 mm (30-57°) ''Lower glacis''
 
−
| 50 + 10 mm ''Top'' <br> 50 + 10 mm ''Bottom'' || 30 mm (12-44°) mm || 20 - 30 mm
 
−
|-
 
−
| Turret || 30 - 65 mm (1-71°) ''Turret front'' <br> Variable thickness armour (0-75°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 65 mm ''Upper turret armour''
 
−
Variable Thickness Armour mm (0-60°) ''Lower turret armour''
 
−
| 65 mm (11° - 66°) || 30 mm
 
−
|-
 
−
| Cupola || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
−
 
 
−
'''Notes:''' <!-- Any additional notes which the user needs to be aware of -->
 
−
<!-- Example: * Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick, and torsion bars are 60 mm thick. -->
 
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
−
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
+
<!--Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.-->
−
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
+
In Arcade battles, the Merkava Mk.1 has a top speed of about 51 km/h forward. However, either due to extreme recklessness of its drivers, or better than average acceleration, it often gets to position faster than expected. Its reverse speed is quite low though, being about 10 km/h at best.
  
−
{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1395|rbMinHp= 796}}
+
In Realistic mode, its top speed is supposed to be about 46 km/h forward and about 8 km/h in reverse.
−
 
 
−
In Arcade battles, the {{PAGENAME}} has a top speed of about 51 km/h forward. However, either due to extreme recklessness of its drivers, or better than average acceleration, it often gets to position faster than expected. Its reverse speed is quite low though, being about -10 km/h at best. In Realistic mode, its top speed is supposed to be about 46 km/h forward and about -8 km/h in reverse.
 
−
 
 
−
=== Modifications and economy ===
 
−
{{Specs-Economy}}
 
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
−
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
 
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
−
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
+
<!--Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.-->
−
<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
 
 
{{main|Sharir (105 mm)}}
 
{{main|Sharir (105 mm)}}
  
−
The Merkava Mk.1 uses a 105 mm Sharir cannon with a two-plane stabilizer. The default reload rate is 8.7 seconds and with crew training it will go down to 6.7 seconds. First-stage ammo stowage on the turret floor has 14 shells and the 48 remaining shells are in the back.
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
−
 
+
|-
−
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
+
! colspan="6" | [[Sharir (105 mm)|105 mm Sharir]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="3" | 62 || -8°/+20° || ±180° || Two-plane
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
 +
|-
 +
! style="width:4em" |Mode
 +
! style="width:4em" |Stock
 +
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 +
|-
 +
| ''Arcade'' || 52.7 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
 
|-
 
|-
−
! colspan="5" | [[Sharir (105 mm)|105 mm Sharir]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
+
| ''Realistic'' || 28.0 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
 
|-
 
|-
−
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
+
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
−
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 
−
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
! ''Arcade''
+
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
−
| rowspan="2" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 52.7 || 64.0 || 70.8 || 75.3 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
+
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
|-
 
|-
−
! ''Realistic''
+
| 8.70 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
−
| 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
==== Ammunition ====
+
===== Ammunition =====
−
The gun can be loaded with:
+
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
−
 
+
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
−
* '''M152''': HEATFS; a shaped charge that can penetrate any vehicle's armour frontally. Like the APFSDS shot, increased armour thickness results in reduced amount of spalling (shrapnel) after penetration. You are able to take out enemies on any distance, since the HEAT round does not lose penetration with distance travelled - very handy on large maps like Kursk. Unlike APFSDS it has one downside: given that it is a chemical round, its fuse is highly sensitive in regards to its practical application in battle. As a result, virtually anything, such as trees or even a fence, will set it off prematurely, so you cannot fire through obstructions with this kind of round. Knowledge of potential opponents vehicle layouts will be very handy to use. It is the stock shell.
+
|-
−
* '''M156''': HESH; high-explosive squash head projectiles work very differently from other shell types. It ignores any angle, except for ricochet, and deals damage by metal-flakes which are blown off inside the armour by the exterior explosion. To create this deadly shrapnel inside the tank, make sure to only hit armour plates which are a direct part of the interior crew compartment of the tank. Hitting exterior parts of a tank like spaced armour, the suspension, tracks etc. will not harm crew members/modules at all. Currently, only true armour thickness (as opposed to the line of sight thickness) will provide sufficient means of protection, benefiting the USSR turret designs and in general German tanks. Like all high-explosive shells, the fuse is very sensitive and can be set-off by most objects e.g. fences, trees, pillars. The slow muzzle velocity of this shell can make it quite hard to hit targets at longer distances, but at the same time it can be handy because its arc trajectory, allows it to land hits on enemies hiding behind shallow hills.
+
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
−
* '''M111''': APFSDS; a kinetic rod with high penetration power but without explosive. It is capable of easily penetrating the majority of the foes it meets, but these rounds do require finesse as to their placing. Because the projectile lacks an explosive filler, the best bet is to try and either knock out the majority of the enemy tank's crew or to destroy the enemy by ammo or fuel detonation through hitting their respective storage capacities. This, of course, requires knowledge about the vehicles the {{PAGENAME}} may face - so be sure to use the game's X-Ray view in the hangar and analyse the potential foes for their weak spots! Also, keep in mind that with increased armour thickness the amount of shrapnel shrinks.
+
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
−
* '''M416''': Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives.
+
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
−
 
+
|-
−
{{:Sharir (105 mm)/Ammunition|M152, M156, M111, M416}}
+
! 10m
−
 
+
! 100m
−
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
+
! 500m
−
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
+
! 1000m
−
<!-- '''Last updated: 2.15.1.22''' -->
+
! 1500m
−
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
+
! 2000m
 +
|-
 +
| M152 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
 
|-
 
|-
−
! Full<br>ammo
+
| M156 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
−
! 1st<br>rack empty
 
−
! 2nd<br>rack empty
 
−
! 3rd<br>rack empty
 
−
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''54''' || 31&nbsp;''(+23)'' || 7&nbsp;''(+47)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+53)'' || No
+
| M111 || APFSDS || 337 || 335 || 330 || 322 || 314 || 306
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
−
 
+
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
−
'''Notes''':
+
! colspan="11" | Shell details
−
 
+
|-
−
* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
+
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
−
* Rack 3 is a ready rack, taking up 6 rounds before rear hull racks 1 and 2 are filled with ammunition. Due to the unique layout of the Merkava and the ammo racks being away from the front, it would not harm the tank's survivability by a large margin to carry more ammunition.
+
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
−
 
+
! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s
−
=== Machine guns ===
+
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg
−
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
+
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
−
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
+
''in m:''
−
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|4}}
+
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
−
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|5}}
+
''in mm:''
−
<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
+
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''
−
{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)}}
+
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:''
−
 
+
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
−
As for machine gun armament, the Merkava Mk.1 has one 12.7 mm M2HB and three 7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine guns.
 
−
 
 
−
Their penetration statistics are standard for their calibre.
 
−
 
 
−
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
+
! 0%
 +
! 50%
 +
! 100%
 
|-
 
|-
−
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
+
| M152 || HEATFS || 1173 || 10.5 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 1,270 || +0° || 65° || 72° || 75°
 +
|-
 +
| M156 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4,310 || +0° || 73° || 77° || 80°
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Coaxial || 1,000 (200) || 577 || N/A || N/A
+
| M735 || APFSDS || 1455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 78° || 80° || 81°
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
−
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
+
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
 
|-
 
|-
−
! colspan="5" | [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40]]
+
! Ammunition
 +
! Velocity <br /> in m/s
 +
! Projectile<br />Mass in kg
 +
! ''Screen radius <br /> in m''
 +
! ''Screen time <br /> in s''
 +
! ''Screen hold time <br /> in s:''
 +
! ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''
 
|-
 
|-
−
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
+
| M416 || 730 || 11.4 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Coaxial || 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
+
|}
 +
 
 +
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Pintle (Commander) || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
+
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full<br /> ammo
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual<br /> discrepancy
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Pintle (Loader) || 1,800 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
+
|| '''62''' || XX&nbsp;''(+XX)'' || XX&nbsp;''(+XX)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
== Usage in battles ==
+
Merkava uses a [[Sharir_(105_mm)|105 mm Sharir cannon]]. It has a two-plane stabilizer. The default reload rate is 8.71 seconds and with crew training it will go down to 6.7 seconds. First-stage ammo stowage on the turret floor has 14 shells and the 48 remaining shells are in the back.
−
<!-- ''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).'' -->
+
 
 +
Default ammo for this cannon is HEAT-FS M152, with 400 mm of penetration at 0° angle of attack (AOA).
 +
 
 +
Additionally, the gun can be loaded with:
 +
 
 +
* '''HESH M152''', which can penetrate armour about 127-142 mm thick for 260 Silver Lions per shot.  
 +
 
 +
* '''APDSFS M111''', which can penetrate 337 mm at 0° AOA and 194 at 60° AOA at point blank for 390 Silver Lions per shot.
  
−
At its BR, the Merkava will face some strong enemies. Although the Merkava is designed to maximize crew survivability, don't entirely rely on it. Between the armour plates sits your engine, transmission and fuel tank. These modules can absorb some damage, but in return you will lose mobility completely or even catch on fire.
+
* '''Smoke M416''', with 20 m coverage range for 50 SL.
  
−
The gun carried by the Merkava is familiar to all top rank tank commanders: 105 mm Sharir cannon which is a modified version of the British L7 gun. The shells it fires are quite promising. When stock, it can fire M152 HEATFS shell instead of the normal APDS shell. After research tankers can fire the powerful M111 APFSDS shell. This shell can penetrate most enemies the Merkava might face. When uptiered, play more as a support role since you can only shoot weak spots of your enemies' front.
+
=== Machine guns ===
 +
<!--Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.-->
 +
{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)}}
 +
As machine guns, Merkava Mk.1 has 12.7 mm [[M2HB_(12.7_mm)|M2HB]] and three 7.62 mm [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|FN MAG 60-40]] machine guns.  
  
−
The mobility of the Merkava Mk.1 is subpar by MBT standards. Teammates and enemies will both move faster than you, so keep that in mind. Be careful when you approaching the front line, as enemies may already be waiting to ambush you. Due to the poor mobility, it is recommend again to play as a support tank. You can also play as a flank guard, as you can easily defeat light tanks.
+
Their penetration statistics seem to be standard for their calibre.
  
−
In terms of threats:
+
==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).''
  
−
* Be careful for most MBTs that fire kinetic rounds.
+
===Modules===
−
* Leopards /Type 74 /OF-40: They carry the same gun as the Merkava, have similar ammunition, but are much faster. Their mobility makes them a threat when flanking. They are easy to kill due to weak armour.
+
{| class="wikitable"
−
* AMX-30B2 BRENUS: It has better mobility than the Merkava and ERA, which can cause trouble for players which have not yet research the M111 round. Stay back, tell your teammates, and let them finish it. It will be much easier to deal if you have the M111 round.
+
! Tier
 +
! colspan="2" |Mobility
 +
! Protection
 +
! colspan="3" |Firepower
 +
|-
 +
| I
 +
| Tracks||
 +
| Parts
 +
| Horizontal Drive||M156||
 +
|-
 +
| II
 +
| Suspension||Brake System
 +
| FPE
 +
| Adjustment of Fire||NVD
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| III
 +
| Filters||
 +
| Crew Replenishment
 +
| Elevation Mechanism||M416||Smoke grenade
 +
|-
 +
| IV
 +
| Transmission||Engine
 +
|
 +
| Artillery Support||M111||Laser rangefinder
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
−
=== Pros and cons ===
+
===Pros and cons===
−
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
+
<!--Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".-->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
 
* Armour is surprisingly effective, due to it being multi-layered
 
* Armour is surprisingly effective, due to it being multi-layered
 +
* Sometimes capable of just driving into the capture point, as if it doesn't care
 +
* Has weapons and ammunition similar to SPG [[Centauro]], which is enough for most encounters
 
* Different ammunition types are cheap to use
 
* Different ammunition types are cheap to use
−
* ATGMs, rockets, and HESH rounds may have problems destroying this vehicle
+
* ATGMs may have problems destroying this vehicle, as well as small rockets and HESH
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
−
* APFSDS does not care about module-based protection and will go straight through the entire vehicle
+
* APDSFS does not care about module-based protection and will go straight through the entire vehicle
−
* Second layer of defence has a lot of openings, which can be exploited with side shots so the vehicle cannot be angled effectively
+
* Second layer of defence has a lot of openings, which can be exploited with side shots so the vehicle cannot be angled a lot
−
* Turret ring and middle rear weak spots compromise vehicle's defences, making it vulnerable to APHE at close ranges
+
* Turret ring and middle rear weak spots compromise vehicle's defences and make it vulnerable to APHE at close ranges
−
* Side hull armour is weak, can be destroyed by light tanks with +30 mm cannons
+
* Side hull armour is weak, can be destroyed by light tanks with +30 mm cannons, obversely, default ammo usually fails to penetrate
−
* Slow for its tier, made worse in uptiers
+
* In up-tier, it's going to be slower than most of the adversaries
−
* Thermal signature is in the front of the tank, that make you very visible on thermals
+
* Can be simply burned, if it cannot be destroyed normally
  
 
== History ==
 
== 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: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
+
<!--Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground 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: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== Encyclopedia Info ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).-->
 
During the mid-1960s, Israel began researching the possibility of developing and manufacturing a domestically designed tank. The need for such a vehicle became even more emphasized after failed negotiations with Great Britain around the same time led to Israel not being permitted to licence produce the Chieftain MBT. Thus, during the late 1960s official development on a domestic Israeli tank began.
 
During the mid-1960s, Israel began researching the possibility of developing and manufacturing a domestically designed tank. The need for such a vehicle became even more emphasized after failed negotiations with Great Britain around the same time led to Israel not being permitted to licence produce the Chieftain MBT. Thus, during the late 1960s official development on a domestic Israeli tank began.
  
−
The Israeli tank was primarily designed around combat experiences gained during the Yom Kippur War, resulting in heavy emphasis being put on crew survivability. By 1974, first prototypes of the new "Merkava" tank were constructed and put through initial testing. After nearly a decade of development, the Merkava Mk.1 was adopted for service by the IDF in December 1979 and modernized versions continue to serve with Israeli forces today.
+
The Israeli tank was primarily designed around combat experiences gained during the Yom Kippur War, resulting in heavy emphasis being put on crew survivability. By 1974, first prototypes of the new “Merkava” tank were constructed and put through initial testing. After nearly a decade of development, the Merkava Mk.1 was adopted for service by the IDF in December 1979 and modernized versions continue to serve with Israeli forces today.
  
−
''- From [[wt:en/news/6140-development-merkava-mk-1-chariot-of-fire-en|Devblog]]''
+
''- From [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6140-development-merkava-mk-1-chariot-of-fire-en Devblog]''
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
−
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
+
<!--Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.-->
−
 
+
[[File:Merkava.JPG|420px|none|thumb|The Merkava Mk.1 on the battlefield]]
−
;Skins
 
−
 
 
−
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_merkava_mk_1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 
−
 
 
−
;Images
 
−
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="150">
 
−
File:Merkava_Mk.1_WTWallpaper001.jpg
 
−
File:Merkava_Mk.1_WTWallpaper002.jpg
 
−
File:Merkava_Mk.1_WTWallpaper003.jpg
 
−
File:Merkava_Mk.1_WTWallpaper004.jpg
 
−
File:Merkava_Mk.1_WTWallpaper005.jpg
 
−
File:Merkava_Mk.1_WTWallpaper006.jpg
 
−
File:Merkava_Mk.1_WTWallpaper007.jpg
 
−
File:Merkava_Mk.1_WTWallpaper008.jpg
 
−
</gallery>
 
−
 
 
−
;Videos
 
−
{{Youtube-gallery|yWWFv8qY5rQ|'''Battlefield Engineer: all new vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:52 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|iNZUNMGt1TI|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Tank Review''' - ''Napalmratte''}}
 
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
Line 233: Line 248:
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
−
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
<!--Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
−
* ''other literature.'' -->
+
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
 +
* ''other literature.''-->
  
−
* [[wt:en/news/6140-development-merkava-mk-1-chariot-of-fire-en|[Development] Merkava Mk.1: Chariot of Fire]]
+
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/6140-development-merkava-mk-1-chariot-of-fire-en [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Merkava Mk.1: Chariot of Fire]
  
−
{{TankManufacturer Israeli Ordnance Corps}}
 
 
{{USA medium tanks}}
 
{{USA medium tanks}}

Revision as of 18:47, 17 October 2019

▃Merkava Mk.1
us_merkava_mk_1.png
▃Merkava Mk.1
USA flag.png USA
VI Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
9.0 9.0 9.0
Class:
Purchase:Bundle or Gift
Show in game
MARKET

Description

GarageImage Merkava Mk.1 (USA).jpg


The ▃Merkava Siman 1 is a rank VI USA medium tank with a battle rating of 9.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.87 "Locked On" as a reward for the "Battlefield Engineer" event.

At a glance, one may mistake the vehicle's profile for the Centauro, which is already infamous on its own, because they share similar traits - an extremely long vehicle with a turret on its back, that sports very long cannon. However, this vehicle has an even lower profile and drives on tracks instead of wheels. Due to this, it's significantly slower. The amount of damage it can cause, though, is similar.

General info

Survivability and armour

This tank has an extremely low profile, sloped frontal armour that is extremely sloped everywhere and cannot be hull-broken.

Merkava Mk.1's secondary shields

Even if anything penetrates the front of the hull, the shell will then have to go through an assortment of modules and protection beyond the initial hull. The first in the way is a fuel tank, which shields the engine. Even if that is penetrated, there is still a list of rolled homogenous armour behind it. Even if that is penetrated, the engine will take the entirety of shrapnel with seemingly no failure. This will often result in the tank catching fire with a destroyed transmission and/or engine but with no other damage the tank. If one tries to fire straight at the driver, the shell will most likely just ricochet, bounce off the turret and away unless it was APDS or APDSFS. Even then, any shell that hit directly from the front will likely only take down the driver. The hull is also quite proof against ATGM, as module placement absorbs as much damage as IPM1 and M1A1 Abrams NERA, so missiles should be fired at the turret instead unless one tries to just burn down the vehicle. In Realistic battle mode, hitting turret with ATGM might actually destroy the vehicle in one hit.

Even the turret is well-protected, with its well-angled armour structure and layers of homogenous armour. As such, anything short of APDS from specifically sniper tanks like Chieftain Mk 3 or APDSFS have a high chance of doing no damage. The only place with no protection is the turret ring.

The side hull armour of the tank is considerably weaker though and can be penetrated even by APDS-equipped SPAA and light tanks. Tracks still block some shots, but it's possible to destroy the entirety of turret compartment with a high enough rate-of-fire before tank turns around. AP-I belt would probably fail to penetrate it, though.

The sides of the base of the turret seem to be a viable target for HESH, unlike the rest of the tank. Though, even there vehicle has a little fuel tank, which has a tendency to derail spalling away from last turret crew member.

As such, Merkava should avoid exposing its sides, to protect its turret crew and ammunition.

In addition to the assortment of armour, the vehicle has smoke launchers and smoke shells to cover itself.

Ammunition is stored in the very back of the vehicle, at the very bottom and is covered with even more armour lists. Most of the attacks from front of the vehicle or from above will inevitably hit side skirts, turret, or other modules in way of the shell and achieve nothing. In case enemy tank attacks from behind, even tank's back is protected with layers of spaced armour, rolled homogenous armour and fuel tanks, completely neutralizing weak chemical shells (such as HESH), or derailing HEAT-FS spall away from critical components. Only firing HEAT-FS diagonally through the shield in the middle of Merkava's rear seems to achieve hitting ammunition or crew. Using AP based ammunition instead is highly adviced.

Mobility

In Arcade battles, the Merkava Mk.1 has a top speed of about 51 km/h forward. However, either due to extreme recklessness of its drivers, or better than average acceleration, it often gets to position faster than expected. Its reverse speed is quite low though, being about 10 km/h at best.

In Realistic mode, its top speed is supposed to be about 46 km/h forward and about 8 km/h in reverse.

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: Sharir (105 mm)
105 mm Sharir
Capacity Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance 		Stabilizer
62 -8°/+20° ±180° Two-plane
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 52.7 __.__ __.__ __.__ __.__
Realistic 28.0 __.__ __.__ __.__ __.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
8.70 __.__ __.__ __.__
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
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
in m/s 		Projectile
Mass in kg 		Fuse delay

in m:

Fuse sensitivity

in mm:

Explosive Mass in g
(TNT equivalent): 		Normalization At 30°
from horizontal: 		Ricochet:
0% 50% 100%
M152 HEATFS 1173 10.5 0.0 0.1 1,270 +0° 65° 72° 75°
M156 HESH 732 14.85 0.4 0.1 4,310 +0° 73° 77° 80°
M735 APFSDS 1455 3.79 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 78° 80° 81°
Smoke characteristic
Ammunition Velocity
in m/s 		Projectile
Mass in kg 		Screen radius
in m 		Screen time
in s 		Screen hold time
in s: 		Explosive Mass in g
(TNT equivalent):
M416 730 11.4 20 5 25 50
Ammo racks
Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
62 XX (+XX) XX (+XX) No

Merkava uses a 105 mm Sharir cannon. It has a two-plane stabilizer. The default reload rate is 8.71 seconds and with crew training it will go down to 6.7 seconds. First-stage ammo stowage on the turret floor has 14 shells and the 48 remaining shells are in the back.

Default ammo for this cannon is HEAT-FS M152, with 400 mm of penetration at 0° angle of attack (AOA).

Additionally, the gun can be loaded with:

  • HESH M152, which can penetrate armour about 127-142 mm thick for 260 Silver Lions per shot.
  • APDSFS M111, which can penetrate 337 mm at 0° AOA and 194 at 60° AOA at point blank for 390 Silver Lions per shot.
  • Smoke M416, with 20 m coverage range for 50 SL.

Machine guns

Main articles: M2HB (12.7 mm), FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)

As machine guns, Merkava Mk.1 has 12.7 mm M2HB and three 7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine guns.

Their penetration statistics seem to be standard for their calibre.

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).

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive M156
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire NVD
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism M416 Smoke grenade
IV Transmission Engine Artillery Support M111 Laser rangefinder

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Armour is surprisingly effective, due to it being multi-layered
  • Sometimes capable of just driving into the capture point, as if it doesn't care
  • Has weapons and ammunition similar to SPG Centauro, which is enough for most encounters
  • Different ammunition types are cheap to use
  • ATGMs may have problems destroying this vehicle, as well as small rockets and HESH

Cons:

  • APDSFS does not care about module-based protection and will go straight through the entire vehicle
  • Second layer of defence has a lot of openings, which can be exploited with side shots so the vehicle cannot be angled a lot
  • Turret ring and middle rear weak spots compromise vehicle's defences and make it vulnerable to APHE at close ranges
  • Side hull armour is weak, can be destroyed by light tanks with +30 mm cannons, obversely, default ammo usually fails to penetrate
  • In up-tier, it's going to be slower than most of the adversaries
  • Can be simply burned, if it cannot be destroyed normally

History

During the mid-1960s, Israel began researching the possibility of developing and manufacturing a domestically designed tank. The need for such a vehicle became even more emphasized after failed negotiations with Great Britain around the same time led to Israel not being permitted to licence produce the Chieftain MBT. Thus, during the late 1960s official development on a domestic Israeli tank began.

The Israeli tank was primarily designed around combat experiences gained during the Yom Kippur War, resulting in heavy emphasis being put on crew survivability. By 1974, first prototypes of the new “Merkava” tank were constructed and put through initial testing. After nearly a decade of development, the Merkava Mk.1 was adopted for service by the IDF in December 1979 and modernized versions continue to serve with Israeli forces today.

- From Devblog

Media

File:Merkava.JPG
The Merkava Mk.1 on the battlefield

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links


USA medium tanks
M2  M2
M3  M3 Lee · ▃Grant I
M4  M4 · Calliope · M4A1 · M4A1 (76) W · M4A2 · M4A2 (76) W · M4A3 (105) · M4A3 (76) W · M4/T26
M26 Pershing  T20 · T25 · M26 · M26 T99 · M26E1
M46/47/48 Patton  M46 · M46 "Tiger" · M47 · M48A1 · T54E1 · T54E2
M60  M60 · M60A1 (AOS) · M60A1 RISE (P) · M60A2 · M60A3 TTS · M728 CEV · 120S
MBT-70  MBT-70 · XM803
M1 Abrams  XM1 (Chrysler) · XM1 (GM)
  M1 Abrams · M1 KVT · IPM1
  M1A1 · M1A1 HC · M1A1 Click-Bait
  M1A2 Abrams · M1A2 SEP · M1A2 SEP V2
Other  T95E1
Australia  M1A1 AIM
Canada  M4A5
Israel  ▃Magach 3 (ERA) · ▃Merkava Mk.1 · ▃Merkava Mk.2B · ▃Merkava Mk.3D
Turkey  M60 AMBT

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