Israel: Merkava IVM tank is the best in the world
According to Army Recognition, not the Russian T-90 but the Merkava IVM deserves to be the best tank in the world thanks to its state-of-the-art equipment.
This source said that since Russia launched a military campaign against terrorists in Syria, whenever mentioning the most powerful tank in the world, many people immediately think of the Russian T-90 tank. A tank with a multi-layered armor system, strong firepower, and extremely high mobility.
But according to Army Recognition, the Israeli Army's Merkava Mark IVM tank deserves to be at the top. According to public information, the Merkava Mark IVM is a new version of the Merkava Mk4, the 4th generation of Israel's most modern main battle tank, the Merkava, developed and put into use since the late 1970s.
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| Merkava Mk4 tank. |
The special feature of Merkava Mark IVM is that they are designed with modular armor that allows for the fastest replacement of damaged modules. These modules are steel-core composite armor that can resist armor-piercing bullets from tank cannons, anti-tank missiles, and anti-tank guns. The armor modules cover the entire body of the vehicle, and the turret at every corner provides excellent protection.
In addition, the engine arrangement at the front helps to protect the crew in case the front armor of the vehicle is penetrated. The Merkava itself also has escape hatches in the underbody and rear of the vehicle allowing the crew to escape without exposing themselves to enemy fire in case the vehicle is hit.
The Merkava first saw combat in the 2006 Lebanon War along with the 2nd Mk 2 and 3rd Mk 3 generations. During this war, a total of about 50 Merkavas were damaged by shells, 21 were hit by armor-piercing shots (15 by missiles and 6 by anti-tank mines). Of these, 5-6 Mk 4s were recorded destroyed by Russian Kornet anti-tank missiles.
Despite suffering a painful defeat, the Israelis quickly researched and developed the best armor protection for the Merkava Mark IVM with the Trophy active defense system specializing in fighting anti-tank missiles.
Since the introduction of the new defense system until the conflict on March 1, 2011, the Merkava tanks have proven themselves to be "impregnable fortresses" - the Trophy system intercepted Hamas' Kornet anti-tank missiles.
Then, in the 2014 military campaign against Hamas forces, Merkava Mk 4 tanks with Trophy intercepted many attacks using Kornet and Metis-M anti-tank missiles and RPG-29 anti-tank guns - all of which are the most powerful anti-tank weapons in the world today.
In addition to armor protection, the Merkava Mark IVM's firepower is also on par with the T-90 with a 120mm smoothbore gun that can fire bullets at extremely high speeds and can also fire anti-tank missiles through the barrel. The mysterious fire control system helps the Merkava Mark IVM shoot down helicopters with conventional artillery shells with extremely high accuracy.
The Merkava Mark IVM's rate of fire is also very fast with a 10-round magazine (autoloader). Although the reload time is a bit long, with 10 rounds fired at a very high rate, no enemy can survive.
Despite its huge weight, the Merkava Mk 4 tank is not less mobile. It is equipped with a 1,500 horsepower diesel engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission for a maximum speed of 64km/h. Meanwhile, the T-90's capacity is considered much more modest.