Israel Israeli Ground Forces,זרוע היבשה

[500]

Merkava Mk1 footage:

 

[Ryder]

@500

Redeffect seems to be critical of the Merkava tank. Any chance of reviewing this. Which parts are right and which are wrong. Which parts is he exagerrating.

 

[500]

@500

Redeffect seems to be critical of the Merkava tank. Any chance of reviewing this. Which parts are right and which are wrong. Which parts is he exagerrating.

Basically everything he says is correct. I would only add that basic RPG-7V he showed in video is pretty much useless vs. Merkava from any side:

U need something more powerful at least like RPG-VL.

 

[Ryder]

Basically everything he says is correct. I would only add that basic RPG-7V he showed in video is pretty much useless vs. Merkava from any side:

View attachment 19350

U need something more powerful at least like RPG-VL.


View attachment 19351

Merkava tank has its engine on the front.

What made the Israelis go with this new and different design. Most tanks have their engines on the back.

Its interesting how Israel went with a different approach.

 

[Ecderha]

Merkava tank has its engine on the front.

What made the Israelis go with this new and different design. Most tanks have their engines on the back.

Its interesting how Israel went with a different approach.

Nothing special.
isreal want to have more ppl in there tank. So engineers offer to move engine on front in order to free space on back, where they have to put a DOOR for entrance/exit of extra soldiers.
At end you have tank+carrier

 

[Ryder]

Nothing special.
isreal want to have more ppl in there tank. So engineers offer to move engine on front in order to free space on back, where they have to put a DOOR for entrance/exit of extra soldiers.
At end you have tank+carrier

More like a hybrid am I right?

 

[Ecderha]

More like a hybrid am I right?

You can called what ever you want.
For israel it was impotent that they can carrier soldiers with in tanks on battle field.
For good or bad who knows, but for sure it is nothing special

 

[CAN_TR]

Does not have any benefits more like the opposite. I've read some comments that the engine is acting as another layer of armor but let's be real a AP/Sabot round would penetrate through the engine block like butter. Also a big no no is the fact that heat signature on the front is greater therefore easier to locate with thermal optics.

Overall it's more bad than good.

 

[Turko]

Nothing special.
isreal want to have more ppl in there tank. So engineers offer to move engine on front in order to free space on back, where they have to put a DOOR for entrance/exit of extra soldiers.
At end you have tank+carrier

They are cuny as fox. Merkava is MBT and APC 2in1.
However during long lasting missions , creating more space in the tank is comprehensible. We are not in the ww2 era when low silhouette was vital.

 

[Turko]

Basically everything he says is correct. I would only add that basic RPG-7V he showed in video is pretty much useless vs. Merkava from any side:

View attachment 19350

U need something more powerful at least like RPG-VL.


View attachment 19351

İn order to outsmart Active Protection Systems , Russians created RPG-30.
Russians also have APSs so they must know the gap of the systems.
However they haven't been proved.

 

[500]

Merkava tank has its engine on the front.

What made the Israelis go with this new and different design. Most tanks have their engines on the back.

Its interesting how Israel went with a different approach.

Here the reasons why Israel chose this design:

1) Additional frontal protection vs. HEAT rounds.
2) Safe crew evacuation from rear.
3) You can transport injured, save crews from other tanks.
4) More ammo, ammo stored in fireproof containers, fast and easy ammo loading.
5) Small gun overhang.

 

[500]

 

[Test7]

a successful example of the low turret silhouette

 

[500]

Common claim against Merkava that its front engine is greatly increasing thermal signature and hinders firing directly.

Here a comparison of Merkava and Russian Armata through thermal imaginer with turned on engines (hot is black):

and inverse colors (hot is white):

As we see only the exhaust point is hot, but many other tanks also have side exhaust point too.

 

[500]

Turret side and hull side armor modules exposed.

 

[500]

 

[500]

That's because the Israeli Air Force is Israel's strongest military asset.

Their ground forces? Mid-tier at best. Their navy? Slightly better but suffers from having been neglected for many years until they started making up for it.

Their air force though? Ace-tier. Which is why Israel is always focused on air superiority. They lose air superiority, they aren't exactly screwed but their odds don't look that good anymore.

Really how many countries have better in terms of quality and experience?

A few - US, UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, etc. Canada used to be pretty good too until politics completely cucked their military.

Mind you, I am not saying that Israel's ground forces are bad. But their regular infantry units seem about on par with the average middle-tier-nation army, which makes sense because the IDF is a heavily conscript-oriented army due to their specific demographics. Now granted, the situation has likely substantially improved since, say, 6-7 years ago but it seems like Israel's land forces are the weakest aspect of their land/navy/air force trifecta.

So first you say that IDF ground forces are mid-tier at best and then you admit that very few countries in the world have better trained and experienced ground forces.

IDF ground forces have very successful experience in different kinds of warfare: Blitzkrieg operations (1956 and 1967), largest tank battles since WW2, crossing canal, enemy army encirclement (1973), swift advance in mountain area against enemy armor and large number of ATGM teams (1982), urban warfare (2003)...

IDF often is criticized for 2006 war with Hezbollah, but 15 years later we see that goal was achieved: the border is calm Hezbollah does not attack Israel anymore.

Of course in each of this conflicts were done many mistakes, but IDF learns from these mistakes.

Today all active IDF tank brigades have Merklava Mk4 tanks equipped with Trophy APS, Israeli infantry has large numbers of 3rd gen Spike ATGMS, lots of heavy APC (with tank level protection), artillery is equipped with pinpoint accuracy rockets Acular, EXTRA, Spike NLOS... Both infantry and artillery units have modern UAVs (battalion and brigade level).

 

[500]

Merkava 4M and Centurion.

 

[Afif]

View attachment 49749

Merkava 4M and Centurion.

Damm! Is this thing still in service?

Or is it just for a photo shoot ?

 

[500]

Damm! Is this thing still in service?

Or is it just for a photo shoot ?

This Centurion is standing there as monument. Centurions where phased out in 1990-es.

Currently on Merkava Mk3 and Mk4 remained in service.