The war chariots are ready. Grey, dark, the 120 mm guns pointed menacingly into space, each of the heavy Merkava tanks, Israel, just wait. Of the 1,970 examples produced by the Montak company since 1982, no fewer than 400 are currently clogging access roads, side passages and road junctions in the part of the world where it is most dangerous Gaza Strip.
In this enclave with an average width of 41 km x 12 km the same distance that separates the cities from each other Sao Paulo It is Jundiaí According to Professor Ariel Umlin of the Center for Palestinian Studies in Haifa, the Israeli army’s fight against Hamas terrorists is “not a doubt of the times, it is a factual reality.”
Tanks must be the protagonists of major real battle scenes. Created by General Israel Tär shortly after the SixDay War in 1967, the Merkava proved to be a solution that met the specific needs of the armed forces. Tel Aviv. Large fighting machines preserve the headroom of the four crew members. It has a very powerful weapon, the original British 120mm L7 cannon. This concern for efficiency and functionality continues in the development of the four generations of technology available in the catalog.
Because of its size, the Merkava is also called “the monster” (whash). It is a 65ton giant, just over three meters and almost four meters wide. The bimetallic composite alloy armor with a secret formula allows the 1,500 horsepower engine to accelerate the tank to 70 km/h on highways and 55 km/h on any terrain.
Israeli army Merkava battle tanks are stationed on the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. Photo: ARIS MESSINIS / AFP
Air conditioning, steering similar to that of an average car and four computers shooting, navigation, autopilot, stabilization are available on interchangeable consoles.
The 120mm main gun covers electronically tracked targets (30 of them at a time, prioritized by threat level) and receives fire support from three 7.62mm machine guns and a larger .50mm machine gun. Each Merkava leaves the factory for less than $3.8 million.
The dimensions, which would pose a problem in the streets and alleys of Gaza, narrower than the armored vehicle, do not pose a major difficulty. The promotional material for the MkIV model emphasizes that the Merkava “paves its own path”.