Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1333129
Photo source Firepower The firepower was still revolving around the very same gun, with the very same stabilizer system, shooting identical ammunition. However, in 1984 the M413 APFSDS-T round was introduced, allowing the Merkava crews to effectively act against 380-400 mm of steel-plate armor inclined at 60°. The main change came in the form of a new fire control system (Matador 2) that used a new ballistic computer, temperature, and wind sensors. A new neodymium glass-based and reliable laser range-finder was used. Starting from the 2B variant, a thermal imaging system coupled with the gunner's sight was fitted onto the Merkavas. The thermal imaging system had a linear scanning system and it was based on universal modules. This has been the most important qualitative change in the fire control system. However, Mat- ador 2 initially suffered from problems associated with its infancy. Merkava Mk 2A crews had worse results when they used the gun than the crews of the Centurions! However, after several enhancements were introduced, the fire control system was receiving good ratings. The lack of the "hunter-killer" capability has been a major disadvantage, along with the lack of a stabilized panoramic sight for the commander. The simple periscopic sight that the commander had at his disposal was a primitive, robust instrument offering 4x or 20x zoom, with poor optical properties, also lacking a stabilizer mecha- nism. The cooperation between the gunner and the commander was far less efficient than in the Leopard 2 for instance, especially when the MBT was on the move, or when the commander was unable to observe the surrounding area using an open hatch. Transfer of the mortar to the interior of the turret was another change that happened in the firepower domain. The mortar was operated by the loader (the mortar has been a breech-loaded one and it is operated, entirely, from the inside of the vehicle). The mortar offers a range between 100 and 4,000 meters, with a theoretical rate of fire of up to 15 rounds per minute. The range of ammunition types was broadened as well. Anti-infantry rounds with metal arrows and a simple adjustable fuse with several modes/time of the explosion, M494 105 mm APERS-T round with 5,000 minute arrows inside, and a manual fuse were both used by the Merka- va crews. The round was effective within an area of 300x94 m. Ammunition as such was very effective when used against infantry. Nonetheless, it turned out to be problematic to properly select the fuse setting. This was challeng- ing for the gunner in particular. It needs to be said that from the 1980s the Israeli MBTs were primarily facing light infantry equipped, to varying extent, with anti-tank weapons. The Arabic tanks were not the main enemy here. The decrease in Western tolerance towards the "collateral damage" created a necessity for the strikes to be surgically precise. Attacks as such replaced bombing raids, or artillery shelling. This shifted the center of gravity towards guided missiles or the MBTs - precise by default. It needs to be stressed, rapid and effective neutralization of the enemy anti-tank infantry elements was still a major priority. Furthermore, the necessity to equip the MBTs with a set of crowd-control non-lethal weapons emerged. Despite the mass use of the 105 mm APERS-T rounds, it was necessary to develop a superior www.fragoutmag.com