The Merkava successfully engaged Syria's Soviet-made T-72 tanks in the 1982 Lebanon War. The tanks also have a 60 mm remotely operated mortar to engage infantry or fire smoke rounds. The Merkava 3, 4, and 5 are armed with a powerful 120 mm cannon, though the Merkava 1 and 2 have smaller 105 mm guns. There is also an armored compartment in the rear to carry six infantrymen or evacuate casualties. The 65-ton vehicle has the engine in the front of the hull to maximize protection and is equipped with the Trophy active protection system to shoot down incoming anti-tank projectiles. After Israeli tanks suffered heavy losses in the 1973 October War, the casualty-sensitive Israel Defense Forces designed the Merkava ("chariot" in Hebrew) to protect the crew. Instead, buyers would get surplus Merkava 2s manufactured in the 1980s and Merkava 3s from the 1990s.Īn Israeli Merkava tank in the Negev desert in November 1997.įirst deployed in 1979, the Merkava is an unusual tank configured to meet Israel's specific needs. Israel isn't selling the newest version of the 45-year-old Merkava tank family, the Merkava 5, or even the Merkava 4, which is used in front-line Israeli armored units.
The Arab nation is Morocco, Spanish outlet El Espanol reported this month. The European nation in question is actually Cyprus, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which in June cited an unnamed Cypriot official who said negotiations are underway. "I am not allowed to give the names, but one of them is on the European continent." "There are two potential countries with which we are holding advanced negotiations," Yair Koles, a retired brigadier general who heads the defense export division of Israel's Ministry of Defense, told business publication Calcalist. Another could be a European nation at odds with Turkey.įor now, the details are cryptic.
Israel may be about to export its Merkava tank for the first time. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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