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 The
development of an indigenous Israeli tank began in 1970, after plans
to locally produce the British Chieftain tank were cancelled by the
UK, which preferred selling the tanks to Arab countries (Chieftains
and Challengers were eventually sold to Jordan, Iran and several Gulf
states). At the time, Israel was using British Centurions and US made
M-48 and M-60 tanks, most of them modified with 105mm tank guns while
the Syrian and Egyptian armies received the first T-62s from the
Soviet Union, equipped with more powerful 115mm guns. Israel required
two different types of platforms to better cope with the different
terrains – the Centurions were slower, but their automotive system,
primarily the track and suspension, was more suitable for the rough,
volcanic, rocky terrain of the Golan heights while the wider padded
tracks of the American M- series tanks was suitable for the soft,
sandy plains of the Sinai desert. At that
time, Israel was preparing for the next phase of the conflict. The
requirement for an up-gunned, better protected platform was clear, in
face of the T-62s and evolving anti-tank missiles, which was yet to be
experienced, three years later.
Faced with the demise of the British tank option, experienced with
similar fate of other arms procurements, from France (the French
embargo on the delivery of Mirage V fighters and Missile boats already
paid for by Israel) Israel decided to base its armored force on a
totally new platform, designed to perfectly match and reflect its
unique priorities and requirements.
The basic requirement, clearly defined by General Israel Tal, the
"father" of the Merkava tank, was protection. While most tanks
designed for the 1980s were already equipped with 120mm gun, the first
two generations of the Merkava retained the 105mm. This was the result
of the priorities and tradeoffs considered by the designers. All
tanks, from the prototype to the Mk 4 share a similar chassis,
automotive system and turret design. The differences are reflected in
the details, and balances between mobility and firepower. Following
General Tal's guidelines, protection remained the highest priority for
the Merkava and was never compromised. The initial design, reflected
in the Merkava Mk 1 already determines the basic design envelope, with
a triangular, flat turret, fitted with typical armor protection cells
installed on both sides of the gun. The forward mounted engine,
clearing the rear area for an access hatch, stores, and flexible
reconfiguration options which are currently taking shape.
Merkava has been the longest production program in the history of
Israel's defense industry. The tank has been in production for more
than 30 years. In fact, this year the first Merkava Mk 1 tanks which
entered service 25 years ago, are scheduled to be withdrawn from
service, as they are replaced by latest Merkava Mk 4. For nine years,
(1970 to 1979) the program went through development, prototyping and
field testing, culminating in the delivery of the first Merkava tank
to the IDF in 1979. A parallel process was the establishment of the
local tank manufacturing industry, which required the expansion of
steel casting facilities at Urdan, and expansion of IMI's tank gun
manufacturing facility, where the new 120mm gun was developed.
Hundreds of additional facilities, most of them privately owned small
businesses; many located at disadvantaged and remote peripheral cities
joined the program, to establish the industrial base for the new
program.
Only three years later, immediately after the Lebanon War in 1982, the
next generation, Merkava Mk 2 was delivered. In fact, this tank was
the more mature version of the basic Maerkava 1, a result of the
"telescopic development" process, which envisaged continued
development based on lessons and feedback from users, rather than a
slow and linear operational testing process.
The Mk 2 introduced new, clearly distinctive 'special armor' modules
installed on the turret's sides and skirts. The tank retained the
105mm gun with the benefit of ammunition availability and commonality,
yet, the tank was equipped with improved fire control and optronic
equipment, bringing it to the same level of the IDF fully upgraded
M-60s (with the Merkava offering superior protection).
Seven years later, by 1989 Merkava Mk-3 introduced a more dramatic
leap, fielding a new, modular armor concept, enabling a rapid and
frequent process of adaptation of armor to operational requirements
and evolving threats. The tank was equipped with a new 120mm gun,
produced by IMI and a new 900 hp diesel engine developed by the German
firm MTU. Through an evolutionary process, the Merkava Mk 3 was
upgraded with at least four versions, equipped with different armor
configurations, and various types of fire control and optronic system,
which, for the first time, was superior to the systems used in the
M0-60s. Many of the changes were based on feedback and lessons learned
through operational and combat experience in Lebanon and Gaza. As a
result, the IDF decided to gradually phase out the Centurion and
M-60s, and moved toward an armored force based entirely on Merkava
platforms. This process culminated in 2005, when the last regular
unit, equipped with M-60s replaced the aging American tanks with the
latest Merkava Mk 4 tanks. At the same time, the developer's team was
already working on the Merkava 4, primarily the new engine, which was
under development in Germany.
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