Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1365706
Author: Oren 1973 modes are available - flat trajectory, with the target being designated by the launcher vehicle, and BLOS mode - with the target being designated by an external designation system. The warhead is a counterpart of the Spike ATGM warhead. The first missiles as such were able to penetrate up to 700 mm of armor. Later, the upgraded variants could go through 800 mm of RHA steel protected by ERA (that was neutralized by a precursor). The new guidance system variants also make it possible to couple the ATGM with a laser target designator. This, theoretically, reduces the time required to designate the target by around 5 to 8 seconds. HEAT-MP-T M325 round was also revisited. A new 120 mm APFSDS-T M322 round was introduced, with a tungsten alloy penetrator with 25:1 length and 550 mm RHA penetration capability for a steel plate inclined at 60 degrees, at a distance of 2 kilome- ters. The ammunition could take on any of the MBTs operated by the Israeli neighbors from the front side, including the Egyptian Abrams MBTs and Jordanian Challenger 1 platforms, if engagements took place at distances closer than 1.5 km. The ammunition quantity went down to 50 rounds - these were kept in fire-resistant containers, one for each round. Merkava Mk 3 had firepower that could have been viewed as one that was catching up with the west. Still, a capability gap was present in the fire control system. Mk 3 BAZ tank rolled out in 1995 has been a major break- through. The new fire control system was comparable to the ones used in the case of Leopard and Abrams MBTs. To a certain degree, it was even better - thanks to the automatic data link and BFT. Implementation of a stabilized observation instrument for the commander, offering a panoramic FOV, with its own thermal imaging camera, has also been a relevant im- provement. The range of available ammunition types was also broad. That was not the case for Abrams and Leopard 2 MBTs. Mk 3 BAZ variant was also superior when compared to the Soviet solutions and the MBTs that the Russian industry was able to manufacture during Yeltsin's term of office. Trying to comprehensively assess the third generation of the Merkava MBTs, one could not help but notice that in the fire control system, and in the firepower domains, the Israeli engineers were able to develop solutions superior to the western ones, in many areas - known from the Leopard 2A5, M1A2, Leclerc and Challenger 2 MBTs. This happened in the late 1990s when the Mk 3 BAZ variant was fielded. One should also remember about the most important anti-tank assets that Merkavas had at their disposal: M322 APFSDS-T round was inferior when compared to the M829A2 (USA), DM53 (Germany), or OLF F1 and F2 rounds (France). When it comes to the remaining components of the firepower, one should come to a conclu- sion that the Israeli fire control system was world-class. When it comes to vectronics, only the Leclerc was able to compete with Mk 3 BAZ. As- VEHICLES