RE: Merkava IV unveiled today

Well, untill very recently the MoD was very reluctant to sell the Merkava to other countries. Selling this system could compromise security. However, a few years ago the MoD marketed the tank in Turkey. Unfortunately, IMI did not win the tender. I don’t know if the MoD tries to sell the Merkava III to other countries though, but since one of the Merks flies all over the world (it as at Eurosatory now), this could certainly be the case.

About the Merkava being optimized for Israel’s conditions: I believe that this is true. The entire system is developed so that it performs best in the desert and on the Golan. It could very well be that the system fares worse in different conditions. But I don’t know if this has ever been tested.

Shalom,

Jonathan

RE: Merkava IV unveiled today

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 25-06-02 AT 09:01 AM (GMT)]This report comes from [link:http://www.jpost.com|The Jerusalem Post]:

IDF unveils next generation Merkava tank
By ARIEH O’SULLIVAN

The IDF yesterday unveiled what it called the safest tank in the world: its next generation, Israeli-built Merkava IV, which has been nine years in development.

IDF generals said the improved, larger tank will digitalize the modern battlefield, and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said it will boost deterrence.

The first of the 65-ton tanks is expected to be deployed next year, with the first full battalion planned for 2004. It will replace the aging, US-made M-60 “Patton” tanks.

It was a special day for the IDF yesterday, as three of the new tanks were rolled out in a ceremony at the army’s logistics and technology base at Tel Hashomer.

“This is a strategic event,” said OC Armored Corps Brig.-Gen. Avigdor Klein. “This tank has significant improvements [over the Merkava III] in its armored protection and its battle management systems.”

According to specifications released by the IDF, the new Merkava has a smooth-bore 120mm cannon capable of firing a variety of shells and rockets. The tank is slightly larger than its predecessor. A significant change is that there is only one hatch on the turret, used by the commander. The rest of the crew uses a rear door. Designers said it was built specifically with the rocky Golan Heights in mind.

The Merkava IV, like its predecessor the Merkava III, has the ability to shoot down helicopters. Its 1,500-horsepower diesel engine is an improvement over the previous version’s 1,300 HP. It also has a newly designed transmission, and a number of electronic improvements, such as a camera mounted in the back to help the crew drive backward.

It has improved laser range finders and thermal night-vision capabilities, and is capable of detecting a target, locking on to it, and destroying it while in motion, day or night.

Klein said the tank was not only designed to fight in conventional battles, but is also built to take part in low-intensity conflicts such as the one being fought now with the Palestinians. After hesitating to do so for the first year of the current conflict with the Palestinians, the IDF has since more liberally deployed tanks in the territories.

Palestinians have managed to destroy two Merkava III tanks, using huge mines, in recent months. Regarding the new model’s protective measures, Maj.-Gen. Yiftach Ron-Tal said the tank’s vulnerable underbelly has been given increased protection, and it was also given improved protection from overhead attacks. The tank’s modular protection is purportedly the best in the world.

Defense Ministry Director-General Amos Yaron declined to divulge the cost per tank, saying the figures have not yet been worked out. But the Merkava III costs about $3 million each, and Yaron said the new tank is “economically competitive.” He said several tanks will be produced each year.

Yaron dismissed problems caused by embargoes such as the recent engine parts delay from Germany saying such problems will be worked out and alternative suppliers found.

Some 200 companies participate in producing the Merkava IV.

The rollout of the Merkava IV attracted intense interest from local and foreign defense officials. Attending the ceremony yesterday were most military attaches posted to Israel, and a who’s-who of Israel’s past and present Armored Corps officers. Among the dignitaries present was US Secretary of the Navy Gordon England.

The ceremony was to have taken place two months ago, but was postponed due to Operation Defensive Shield.

“This tank strengthens our will and our deterrence; it will make our enemies think twice before moving against us,” Ben-Eliezer said.

The army went all-out in the gala rollout ceremony, including flag and standard bearers, singers, and a military band.

“Just as the there is no land a Jew can call home other than Israel, there is no tank that the nation of Israel can appreciate other than the Merkava,” said Brig.-Gen. David Engel, head of the Merkava project.

Special praise and a standing ovation were given to Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yisrael Tal, the father of the Merkava tank project. Israel embarked on its own tank production in 1970, after the entire world refused to sell Israel new tanks. The first Merkava became operational in time to participate in the 1982 Lebanon War, and improved designs followed.

“We have faced embargoes time and again,” said Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Ben-Hanan, head of the Defense Ministry’s Export and Foreign Assistance Branch.

“Our requirements were that we would not pay more for a tank than for one we could buy abroad, and secondly that it should have superior capabilities, and we met these two criteria,” Ben-Hanan said.

“This will only be the last Merkava if the Messiah comes soon. But it will never be the last one, because victory on the battlefield requires a ground operation based on mobile platforms. Maybe they will look different, but there will always be platforms that will give people the ability to move on the battlefield,” he said.

RE: Arthur’s fine

Ahh yes you got me… in black and white… plain as day… …no wait a minute, how do you interpret the quote above as being a denial that any reactor let alone the one that was at Osirak was being used for weapons construction and not power supply?

Garry, what is your point. Do you, to do you not believe that the reactor at Osirak was used to produce nuclear weapons?

True but what do you think stopped that disaster? Perhaps the fact that the other guy could hurt you as bad as you could hurt him?

True, but the Soviets and the US wanted to live more than they were prepared to die. When I look at the Palestinians, or the Iranians (at least their leadership), and when I look at Hizballah, I’m afraid I can’t say the same. Iranian religious leader Khamenei recently said he is prepared to use nuclear weapons to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, and that he knows there is a heavy price to pay, but that it is worth it.

Which suicidal neighbour would that be? …I don’t see SH sticking his neck out…

Maybe you should look better.

and at the close of each of the wars in the region there have always been negotiations of one sort or another to save units or land or face or all three.

Sure, because Israel cannot destroy Arab states with it’s conventional army. It can hold off and defend from Arab attacks with the goal to destroy Israel.

Regarding the report… I see why you are scared. Radioactive dust is far more dnagerous than a nuclear weapon… hang on no it isn’t.

Mr. Hamza says that Iraq and Iran are dangerous, particularly when they have nuclear weapons. That is what he wrote.

Shalom,

Jonathan

RE: Merkava IV unveiled today

From what I understand the Merkava IV is indeed better protected from top attack missiles. If you look at the photos I provided, you can see some heavy armor on top of the turret. I believe it is also beter protected against mines.

RE: Anybody served in the military before ???????

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 24-06-02 AT 07:30 PM (GMT)]You’re absolutely right Kev. I wasn’t offended though, I can see how one could misunderstand what I had written down.

RE: Anybody served in the military before ???????

Well, I (or my family actually) can’t beat that. Anyways, my Dutch grandfather fought the Germans at the Grebbeberg, and later also at Dunquerque. Later he joined the resistance. After WWII he stayed in the military, and went to Indonesia, or Dutch Indie as it was known then. My Israeli grandfather (Israeli side), well, I don’t know what he did actually, I believe he was with the infantry during the War of Independance.

My dad had just been drafted before the Yom Kippur War begun. He was on leave, and thus at home, in the Kibbutz. His unit had been sent to the Golan Heights days before the war broke out, and was decimated by the Syrians. My dad, upon reaching his base, joined another unit with Centurions. He was under Bren’s command, crossing the Suez Canal, and encircling the 3rd Army. He participated in fierce battles in or near Suez city. Later, during his reserve years (untill somewhere in the late ’70s or early ’80s) he was stationed on the Lebanon front. About my uncle (my dad’s brother) I don’t know much, except that he was with the Sharion during the Lebanon War. And then there is of course the husband of one of my cousins, but that doesn’t count, does it? Not that it matters, as I can’t talk too much about his unit.

RE: Anybody served in the military before ???????

Kev, I do have respect for service members, particularly those that defend(ed) both Israel and The Netherlands. Many of my family members have served in the military, be it Dutch or Israeli, and some also in the resistance. I was not being disrepectfull, not at all.