Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1407425
FIREPOWER Merkava Mk 4 is playing in the big leagues, in the firepower depart- ment. The armament revolves around the IMI 120 mm MG253 main gun. It is a cousin of the famous Rheinmetall Rh120 L44, but it fea- tures a coaxial, hydropneumatic recoil mechanism. This made it pos- sible to use a narrow gun cradle, thereby allowing for the gun mask to be narrower, and the weak part of the turret - smaller. The aforesaid solution has also been adopted by the Americans. In its latest variant, the MG253 has been modified to withstand higher pressures. Its recoil has also been made longer, from 430 up to 530 mm. This makes it possible to employ more powerful sabot rounds. The MBT carries fifty 120 mm rounds. 2x18 rounds are carried in the rear, while four have been placed in front of the bulkhead separating the engine from the crew compartment. The above inventory is placed in individual, fire- and fragmentation-resistant containers. The gunner has 10 rounds immediately available, in a revolver-style magazine. The effectiveness of the main gun is determined, primarily, by the modern character and effectiveness of the ammunition. In the case of IDF, we can surely say that the Israeli forces use the best ammunition there is. Most probably developed jointly with the Swiss and the Germans. The latest M338 sabot round shall be treated as a counterpart of the German DM63A1 round. It may be assumed that it is capable of penetrating roughly 650 mm of steel at an angle of 60 degrees, and a distance of 2 kilo- meters. The penetrator should also be able to easily act against ERA and NERA armor. Thus, an assumption may be made that it allows the Israeli MBTs to freely neutralize the Egyptian and Saudi Abrams, from the front. Merkava Mk 4 can also use the tank-borne LAHAT ATGM, and the HEAT-MP-T M325 rounds. The latter has been replaced by the "cluster" APAM-MP-T M329 Kalanit and by the brand new M339 "Hatzaw" from 2011. Instead of six clusters, it features a conventional 3kg explosive preceded with almost a thousand tungsten balls. Officially, the change was made due to the lack of Kalanit's export success, as the sales were prevented by the Dublin Convention on Cluster Munitions. Realistically though, the new solution has been modeled after the German DM-11. Hatzaw offers much more precision when it comes to detonation which makes it far more effec- tive than its predecessor. 7.62 mm FN MAG machine gun with 3000 rounds of ammunition acts as the auxiliary weapon. Another FN MAG is placed on a rotating base, at the commander's station. Interestingly, the gun mask features a mount for .50-cal. M2HB machine gun, or 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, fired electrically, and aiming is taking place with the use of the gunner's daytime sight. 60 mm Soltam CO2 mortar is also an interesting enhancement. It can be operated from the inside of the vehicle, and it has a range of up to 4 kilometers. 30 mortar rounds are carried. However, it is the fire control system that remains the most important com- ponent of the MBT's armament. It has been derived from the Baz system, and it has been developed by Elbit as well. The Merkava's FCS is a hunt- er-killer-plus class solution - the gunner, and the commander can switch their roles entirely. The FCS is a multi-sensor one. The main sight, as well as the panoramic sight available to the commander, are both stabilized. The stabilization works in all axes, they also feature daytime cameras, thermal imagers, and a laser rangefinder. Both systems also feature an auto tracker. Even though the sights are unmatched, being far superior in comparison to VEHICLES