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

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{{Specs-Card|code=us_merkava_mk1}}
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{{Specs-Card
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|code=us_merkava_mk_1
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|market = Merkava Mk.1 (USA)
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}}
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{{About
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| about = American medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
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| usage = other uses
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| link = Merkava (Family)
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}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
<!--''In the description, the first part needs to 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 the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''-->
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<!-- ''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.'' -->
[[File:Merkava.JPG|420px|thumb|left| Merkava mk1 on the battlefield]]
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[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
{{Break}}
 
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} USA medium tank {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.87 "Locked On"]] as a prize from event.  
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American 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.
  
At a glance, one may mistake it for [[Centauro]] , which is already infamous on it's own, because they share similiar traits - an extremely long vehicle with turret on it's back, that sports very long cannon. However, this vehicle has 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 similiar.
+
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 a 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 ===
<!--''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?''
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<!-- ''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 and cannot be hull-broken.
  
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''-->
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[[File:Internal shields merkava mk1.jpg|420px|thumb|right|One of Merkava Mk.1's secondary shields (There may be multiple of them layered over each other depending on angle of attack)]]
  
This tank has extremely low profile, and on top of that, it's frontal armour is extremely sloped everywhere. It may seem like yet another light tank hybrid. Thing is, it's looks are extremely deceptive. Do not even think about it as of [[Centauro]] .
+
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 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 mk1's secondary shields]]
+
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 arcade mode, if 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, shell then hits fuel tank, which shields the engine, and even if that is penetrated, engine will take entirety of shrapnel with seemingly no failure. If one tries to fire straight at driver, shell will most likely just ricochet, bounce off the turret and fly away, unless it was APDS or APDSFS. Even then, any shell that hit directly from the front will likely only take down driver and fly out.
 
  
And then, when you try to fire onto turret, you realize, that this extremely angled turret is just the first layer of defence, a decoy, that is simply made this way to dissolve as much of shell's energy, as possible, before it enters. Upon entering, Shell meets layers upon layers upon layers of Cast homogenous armour lists. As such, anything short of APDS from specifically sniper tanks like [[Chieftain_Mk_3|Chieftain Mk3]] or APDSFS have high chance of doing no damage. The only place with no protection is the turret ring.
+
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 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.
  
Not only that, but it seems that firing ATGM at front of the hull is pointless, 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 the vehicle. In Realistic battle mode, hitting turret with ATGM might actually destroy vehicle in one hit.
+
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.
  
On top of all that, Merkava MK1 cannot be hull broken.
+
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.
  
Ammunition is stored in the very back of vehicle, at the very bottom and is covered with even more armour lists. Most of attacks from front of 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 middle of Merkava's rear seems to achieve hitting ammunition or crew. Using AP based ammunition instead is highly adviced.
+
As such, Merkava should avoid exposing its sides, to protect its turret crew and ammunition.
  
'''Side''' 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 entirety of turret compartment with high enough rate of fire, before tanks turns around.
+
In addition to the assortment of armour, the vehicle has smoke launchers and smoke shells to cover itself.
  
The sides of the base of the turret seems to be a viable target for HESH, unlike the rest of the tank. Though, '''even there''' vehicle has a little fuel tank, which has tendency to derail spalling away from last turret crew member.
+
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 consistently achieve hitting ammunition or crew. Using AP based ammunition instead is highly advised.
  
As such, Merkava should avoid exposing it's sides, to protect it's turret crew and ammunition.
+
=== Mobility ===
 +
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
  
To top off it's armour, vehicle has smoke launchers and smoke shells to cover itself.
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{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1395|rbMinHp= 796|<!--AoAweight=(optional) -->}}
  
=== Mobility ===
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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.
<!--''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''-->
 
In arcade mode, Merkava MK1 should have top speed of about 51 km/h forward. However, either due to extreme recklessness of it's drivers, or better than average acceleration, it often gets to position faster than expected. It's reverse speed is quite low, though, being about 10 km/h at best.
 
  
In Realistic mode it's top speed is supposed to be about 46 km/h forward and about 8 km/h in reverse.
+
In Realistic mode, its top speed is supposed to be about 46 km/h forward and about -8 km/h in reverse.
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
<!--''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.''-->
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<!-- ''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)}}
  
Merkava uses 105 mm Sharir cannon. It has two-axis stabilizer and autoloader. Reload rate with autoloader is about 8.7 sec, first-stage ammo stowage has 14 shells.
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Merkava 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.
  
Default ammo for this cannon is HEAT-FS M152, with 400 mm of penetration at 0 degrees.
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="5" | [[Sharir (105 mm)|105 mm Sharir]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 +
|-
 +
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
 +
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 +
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 +
|-
 +
! ''Arcade''
 +
| rowspan="2" | 62 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 45.0 ||64.0||70.8||75.3|| rowspan="2" | 8.7 || rowspan="2" | 7.7 || rowspan="2" | 7.1 || rowspan="2" | 6.7
 +
|-
 +
! ''Realistic''
 +
| 23.8 || 28.1 ||34.0|| 37.6 || 40.0
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
Additionally gun can be loaded with:
+
==== Ammunition ====
 +
The gun can be loaded with:
  
HESH M152, which can penetrate armour about 127-142 mm thick for 260 SL per shot.  
+
* '''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 traveled - 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.
 +
* '''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.
 +
* '''M416''': Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives.
  
APDSFS M111, which can penetrate 337 mm at 0 degrees and 194 at 60 degrees point blank for 390 SL per show.
+
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
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|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 +
! colspan="6" | '''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
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="10" | Shell details
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 +
! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 +
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
 +
|-
 +
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 +
|-
 +
| M152 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.5 || 0.05 || 1 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
 +
|-
 +
| M156 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4,310 || 73° || 77° || 80°
 +
|-
 +
| M111 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
 +
|-
 +
! Ammunition
 +
! Velocity<br>(m/s)
 +
! Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
 +
! Screen radius<br>(m)
 +
! Screen deploy time<br>(s)
 +
! Screen hold time<br>(s)
 +
! Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 +
|-
 +
| M416 || 730 || 11.4 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
Smoke M416, with 20m coverage range for 50 SL.
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==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 +
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! Full<br>ammo
 +
! 1st<br>rack empty
 +
! 2nd<br>rack empty
 +
! 3rd<br>rack empty
 +
! 4th<br>rack empty
 +
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
| '''62''' || 39&nbsp;''(+23)'' || 15&nbsp;''(+47)'' || 7&nbsp;''(+55)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+61)'' || No
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
Racks 3 and 4 are ready racks on the Merkava, taking up 16 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.
 +
 
 +
<!--==== [[Optics]] ====
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} Optics
 +
|-
 +
!
 +
! Default magnification
 +
! Maximum magnification
 +
|-
 +
! Main Gun optics
 +
| X7.2 || X8.0
 +
|-
 +
! Comparable optics
 +
| colspan="2" | ___
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
-->
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== 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.''-->
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<!-- ''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 for machine gun armament, Merkava Mk.1 has one 12.7 mm M2HB and three 7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40 machine guns.
  
As machine guns Merkava MK1 has 12,7 mm M2HB and three 7.62 FN MAG 60-40 machine guns.  
+
Their penetration statistics seem to be standard for their calibre.
  
Their penetration statistics seem to be standart for their calibre.
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
 +
|-
 +
! Mount
 +
! Capacity<br>(Belt capacity)
 +
! Rate of fire<br>(shots/minute)
 +
! Vertical<br>guidance
 +
! Horizontal<br>guidance
 +
|-
 +
| Coaxial || 900 (200) || 576 || N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="5" | [[FN MAG 60-40 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40]]
 +
|-
 +
! Mount
 +
! Capacity<br>(Belt capacity)
 +
! Rate of fire<br>(shots/minute)
 +
! Vertical<br>guidance
 +
! Horizontal<br>guidance
 +
|-
 +
| Coaxial || 5,950 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
| Pintle (Commander) || 1,750 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
 +
|-
 +
| Pintle (Loader) || 1,750 (200) || 600 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== 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 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).''
+
<!--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).-->
 +
 
 +
Merkava Mk.1 have BR 9.0 in AB and 8.7 in BR and SB. In this BR range, Merkava will face some strong enemies. Although Merkava is designed for maximum crew survivability, but don't trust completely on that. Between the armor plates sits your engine, transmission and fuel tank, these modules can absorb some damage, but in return you will lose mobility completely or catch on fire sometimes.
 +
 
 +
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 fire is also 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 same tier enemies Merkava might face. When facing up-tier enemies, it is recommend to play more as a support role since you can only shoot weak spots of your enemies' front.
 +
 
 +
The mobility of the Merkava Mk.1 is not so good by MBT standard. Teammates and enemies will arrive places you normally go faster than you. Be careful when you approaching the front line, there might be enemies nearby! Due to the mobility, it is recommend again to play as a support role. It will be easier to protect the side of your team from enemies' flank.
 +
 
 +
In terms of threats:
 +
 
 +
* Be careful for most MBTs firing kinetic rounds.
 +
* Leopards /Type 74 /OF-40: They carry the same gun as Merkava, have almost the same rounds, but much faster. Their mobility makes them a big threat to the whole team when flanking. They are easy to kill due to weak armor.
 +
* AMX-30B2 Brenus: It has better mobility than Merkava, it also have 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.
 +
 
 +
=== Modules ===
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! 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 ===
''Summarize 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 - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "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
 +
* 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:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
*
+
 
 +
* APFSDS 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
 +
* Repair cost is higher, so need to be caution when you use it.
 +
* Thermal signature is in the front of the tank, that make you easy to be seen by thermal sight.
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
''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 big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an 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.''
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<!-- ''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).'' -->
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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.
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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.
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''- From [[wt:en/news/6140-development-merkava-mk-1-chariot-of-fire-en|Devblog]]''
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
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<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
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;Skins
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=usa&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=us_merkava_mk_1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
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;Videos
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{{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 ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
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<!-- ''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;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
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* [[Merkava Mk.2B (USA)|Merkava Mk.2B]]
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* [[Merkava Mk.3D (USA)|Merkava Mk.3D]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
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<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''
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* ''other literature.'' -->
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* [[wt:en/news/6140-development-merkava-mk-1-chariot-of-fire-en|[Development] Merkava Mk.1: Chariot of Fire]]
  
 
{{USA medium tanks}}
 
{{USA medium tanks}}

Revision as of 12:25, 18 October 2020

▃Merkava Mk.1
us_merkava_mk_1.png
▃Merkava Mk.1
AB RB SB
9.0 9.0 9.0
Class:
Show in game
MARKET
This page is about the American medium tank Merkava Mk.1 (USA). For other uses, see Merkava (Family).

Description

GarageImage Merkava Mk.1 (USA).jpg


The ▃Merkava Siman 1 is a gift rank VI American 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 a 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.

One of Merkava Mk.1's secondary shields (There may be multiple of them layered over each other depending on angle of attack)

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 APFSDS. 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 arcade mode, if 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.

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 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.

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 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 consistently achieve hitting ammunition or crew. Using AP based ammunition instead is highly advised.

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 61 12 61 1395 1,717 22.87 28.15
Realistic 55 11 796 900 13.05 14.75

In Arcade battles, the Merkava Mk.1 (USA) 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)

Merkava 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.

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 62 -8°/+20° ±180° Two-plane 38.1 45.0 64.0 70.8 75.3 8.7 7.7 7.1 6.7
Realistic 23.8 28.1 34.0 37.6 40.0

Ammunition

The gun can be loaded with:

  • 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 traveled - 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.
  • 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 Merkava Mk.1 (USA) 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.
  • M416: Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives.
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) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
M152 HEATFS 1,173 10.5 0.05 1 1,270 65° 72° 77°
M156 HESH 732 14.85 0.4 0.1 4,310 73° 77° 80°
M111 APFSDS 1,455 3.79 N/A N/A N/A 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 730 11.4 20 5 25 50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Merkava Mk.1 (USA)
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
62 39 (+23) 15 (+47) (+55) (+61) No

Racks 3 and 4 are ready racks on the Merkava, taking up 16 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.


Machine guns

As for machine gun armament, Merkava Mk.1 has one 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.

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount Capacity
(Belt capacity)
Rate of fire
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
Coaxial 900 (200) 576 N/A N/A
7.62 mm FN MAG 60-40
Mount Capacity
(Belt capacity)
Rate of fire
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
Coaxial 5,950 (200) 600 N/A N/A
Pintle (Commander) 1,750 (200) 600 -10°/+50° ±120°
Pintle (Loader) 1,750 (200) 600 -10°/+50° ±120°

Usage in battles

Merkava Mk.1 have BR 9.0 in AB and 8.7 in BR and SB. In this BR range, Merkava will face some strong enemies. Although Merkava is designed for maximum crew survivability, but don't trust completely on that. Between the armor plates sits your engine, transmission and fuel tank, these modules can absorb some damage, but in return you will lose mobility completely or catch on fire sometimes.

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 fire is also 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 same tier enemies Merkava might face. When facing up-tier enemies, it is recommend to play more as a support role since you can only shoot weak spots of your enemies' front.

The mobility of the Merkava Mk.1 is not so good by MBT standard. Teammates and enemies will arrive places you normally go faster than you. Be careful when you approaching the front line, there might be enemies nearby! Due to the mobility, it is recommend again to play as a support role. It will be easier to protect the side of your team from enemies' flank.

In terms of threats:

  • Be careful for most MBTs firing kinetic rounds.
  • Leopards /Type 74 /OF-40: They carry the same gun as Merkava, have almost the same rounds, but much faster. Their mobility makes them a big threat to the whole team when flanking. They are easy to kill due to weak armor.
  • AMX-30B2 Brenus: It has better mobility than Merkava, it also have 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.

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:

  • APFSDS 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
  • Repair cost is higher, so need to be caution when you use it.
  • Thermal signature is in the front of the tank, that make you easy to be seen by thermal sight.

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

Skins
Videos

See also

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