Busting Tank Myths: Merkava

I've made videos talking about and busting tank myths in the past, but there wasn't an overall theme. I've recently decided to do more topical myth videos. For this one, we're going to be focusing on the Israel Defense Force's Merkava main battle tank. The Merkava is a pretty interesting and unconventional design, which has led to a number of myths and misconceptions forming around it. We're going to be taking a look at a few of them today.

Check the channel "About" section for the link to the creator of my profile picture.

Sources:
Various crew testimonies (all wished to remain anonymous)
Military Review - The Professional Journal of the US Army (January 1985)
The Uncertain Role of the Tank in Modern War: Lessons from the Israeli Experience in Hybrid Warfare by Michael B. Kim
Merkava Main Battle Tank - Samuel Katz
Jane's Armour and Artillery 1983-84
The Atlantic, Volume 255

Songs used (in order from first to last):
Subnautica - Into the Unknown
Halo 3: ODST - Rain (Deference for Darkness)

Sound mods:
Epic Thunder (Pre-release)

Reddit: /u/spookston
Discord: See my Patreon page.

#warthunder​​​​​​​​​​​​ #tanks​​​​​​​​​​​​ #tankhistory

[nothingnewunderthesun]

I served on a Stryker ICV as a driver, gunner, and dismount. I can only think of once or twice when the exhaust blacked out the TIM and it was just momentarily. Honestly I remember heat distortion off the desert being a bigger issue.

[thepoglin]

Tank furry blesses us with more of his knowledge once more

[VladiSSius]

Engineer : "How many antennas do you need?"
Tank Designer : "Yes."

[bushboi]

You should seriously consider covering the Ratel chassis because I'm certain that its made a lot worse in WT (most notably its mobility that's been made bad because its wheeled)

[guss]

Former Merkava gunner here, I worked on 2Bs (2Cs, 2Es, etc - the mk2 naming deserves its own article) and 4Bs. some notes:
- IFV: I did combined arms training with both full infantry load (6-8 people) and half load (you get to keep half of you hull ammo, but can cram only 4 guys), so it is definitely practiced and executed in RL. there are fittings for stretchers that we had to maintain, but I've never seen these used, not even in training.
- Engine thermals: because the engine deck plate is so thick, you can't actually see the engine heat in thermals, so there's no issue looking forward. when you point at ~1 o'clock, there's a slight shimmer from the exhaust, but it is barely noticeable. the main feature of the Merkava exhaust in thermals is for IFF 😅.
- Urban warfare - while the Merkava was not originally designed for LI and urban, one of the main takeaways of the Lebanon wars is that tanks need urban capabilities - the loader MG was added as a hack during the first Lebanese war and was later integrated in mk2 (though it was removed in mk4) and the shorter barrel on the 120mm is definitely related to LI requirements. it also helps that the new DS ammo is so much more accurate that you don't need such a long barrel, but that is besides the point 😊.
- I also forgot to mention that one of the interesting features of the side exhaust is the engine smoke feature: AFAIK this used to be a feature deployed on post WW2 tanks but is considered of limited use because when dispersing the smoke from the rear, it does not hide the tank very well and is mainly used while retreating. with the Merkava exhaust being almost on front, venting smoke from the exhaust (by spraying unburnt fuel just inside the engine exhaust port) is very effective and practiced by the IDF. I once got to see a full tank platoon in firing positions do synchronized smoke dispersion and it is super effective.

[dogebot]

Although the Merkava is rarely used as a troop transport, one tank in a tank company (most of the time it's the company's commander tank) will have a medic sitting in the rear corridor in case someone needs treatment.

And although the Merkava was not designed specifically for cqc, future versions should include the iron vision helmet that will increase it's performance in urban environments.



Cheers from the 188 brigade, love your content spookston

[MrJoe]

If you want to look at a tank with a lot of myths, you could look at the tank which designers help design the merkava: the Strv-103. There a lot of myths about people saying it's a tank destroyer instead of a tank or that it was a defensive tank (even though the doctrine for the S-tanks was the same as for the centurions it was in service with) and some other myths surrounding the vehicle. I think there will be more than enough about it for a video.

[CrniWuk]

The part with the back door and ammunition was actually a pretty important design feature based on previous experience Israelian tankers had in conflicts with the Centurion where the tanks would often run out of ammunition. The loading process though took quite some time because the ammunition had to be loaded by the crew trough the turret. Obviously not something that's easily or quickly done during combat operations and which has proven to be quite an issue for the Israelis. So with the engine in the front they had an opportunity to make this process much faster and less tiring for the crews so the vehicles could be easier kept fully operational if needed.

[PrometheanGOld]

This just might be my morning grogginess, but why does the Merkava turret look like a doorstop?

Regardless, very good information Spookston!

[meatball.]

the exhaust blocking the thermal sight would be the biggest oversight ever if it were true.

[bigman-adv]

I was a Merkava Mk2B commander.
The exhaust myth is non sense. The hot gasses exit from the right side and have no affect on the optics which are way back and higher.

As for the rear door, we also used it as a sleeping bunk.

Merkavas have a line phone in the back next to the door, for infantry, medics and mechanics. They can enter safely from back if needed, take out wounded.
Infantry could also use it to get ammo, water, food etc. during battle.

[tomg]

Former IDF infantry guy here, i'm not gonna pretend i know a whole much about this tank, but in the 16 days i've been in Gaza back in 2014, i've seen this machine at work, and let me tell you it is a force to be reckoned with. just the presence of this thing was far more then enough to do the job. to know that there is a Merkava in your area gave us this warm comforting feeling that you're protected and you've got backup if you need it. absolute beauty of engineering.

[TheDgamesD]

I do love playing the Merkava 4M in Armored warfare.
She gets the gimmick of the only MBT that can deploy a Mortar crew. its a nice bonus.

[codmw]

I don't know if its a myth or not but there is a funny story about the british refusal to give Israel the chieftain. The IDF actually was given a few for testing and they were tested somewhere next to the border. Then in 1967, the six day war has begun and the british told the IDF to move the chieftains away from the border, the Israelis replayed with: "its ok, we moved the border". pro move right there.

[TheQueer]

another reason for the centurion chassis myth is that the original merkavas used the centurions tracks and wheels, so it kinda looks like one.

[SayakMajumder]

In 2014, Israel reported that exports of the Mk. 4 had started; the purchasing country's name was not disclosed for security reasons.
There's been long discussion as to which country that may be. Can't be Colombia, coz the Merkava deal fell through in 2012.
Most rumors points to Singapore. But if that was indeed real, it would've been known by now, given Singapore's size.

[swisstraeng]

If not covered already, the M4 sherman and it's "bad armor that can get destroyed by anything" and "death trap" and "4 shermans to kill a tiger"

[kfeltenberger]

The main gun on the Merkava IV is beefed up to handle much higher pressures than normal due to some of the rounds that are used.

[SaperPl]

You forgot about the fact that Merkava in the game is catching fire like hell with the fuel tank in front of the engine while according to statistics, there's like a 5% of chance for the fuel to catch fire when tanks get perforated. Also the front plate over this fuel tank is modelled as a shaped stamped sheet of uniform thickness armour plate while it's really weird to make a weak spot like this by changing the angle, right in front of the vehicle, without increasing the armour thickness there, and I think this front portion may be actually a mold/cast that is thicker in this area.

It seems as gaijin just didn't want the Merkava to be virtually unbeatable from the front so they faked how easy it is to set the front fuel tank on fire, because you need to push it out first, and that blind spot with exhaust, otherwise it might not scale well as they would need to push it very high up without those faked nerfs.

[davidegazzaniga]

I've just finished a 1/72 scale replica of the Merkava IV, impressive machine for sure!