What You Need to Know: The Merkava main battle tank is the cornerstone of Israel's armored forces, designed for maximum crew protection and advanced combat capabilities. Originating in the early 1960s after the UK's withdrawal from a joint tank project, Israel prioritized developing a domestic tank.

-The Merkava features thick-spaced armor, a reversed engine transmission for added protection, and the Trophy Active Protection System, which defends against anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.

-In recent conflicts with Hezbollah and Hamas, the Merkava tank has demonstrated its effectiveness, successfully intercepting advanced threats like drones and missiles, solidifying its role in Israel's defense strategy.

Merkava Tank Update

Surrounded by hostile neighbors, Israel relies on its arsenal of highly advanced weapons to ensure its security. From fighter jets and helicopters to main battle tanks and air defense systems, the Jewish state has thwarted all attempts by its adversaries to wipe out the nation since its founding nearly eight decades ago. 

Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) is currently fighting a multi-pronged war against the Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Gaza-based Hamas terror groups. In its full-scale invasions in the north and south, Israel’s armored corps deployed its most sophisticated weaponry to achieve the country’s war objectives. The Merkava main battle tank, widely considered to be on par with the American-made M1 Abrams armored vehicle in terms of lethality, has played a critical role in Israel’s offensive strategy since the war against Hamas erupted on October 7, 2023.

Introducing the Merkava Family of Tanks

The homegrown Merkava tank series is the backbone of the Israeli armored corps. Soon after Israel’s founding in 1948, the newly formed government recognized the need to secure protection against nearby hostile enemies. The Jewish state initially depended heavily on weapons deliveries and joint projects with other nations, but this shifted in the early 1960s. The United Kingdom collaborated with Israel to develop a Chieftain main battle tank (MBT) variant around this time until Britain pulled out from the project. The drive to design a domestic tank from the ground up within Israel’s borders became a top priority for the country.

Developed primarily to protect its operators, the Merkava MBT has featured unique capabilities and specs from its first variant. Specifically, the IDF installed thick-space armor and reversed the typical engine transmission position to provide additional protection for its crew. Over the years, successive Merkava variants were designed with even greater capabilities to retain an edge over their counterparts. 

Perhaps the most significant component of more recent Merkava variants is the incorporation of the Trophy Active Protection System. This cutting-edge defense program defends the Israeli tanks against anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.

Merkava MBT Performance against Hamas and Hezbollah

Over the summer, Hezbollah claimed that one of its Almas missiles struck a Merkava and destroyed it. However, video analysis of the incident shows that the MBT was able to employ its Trophy active protection system to detect and intercept the incoming projectile. 

In addition to the Trophy system, newer Merkava variants are better protected from top-down drone attacks. As outlined by Forbes, “The Mark IV is the best-protected Merkava variant. Four hundred Mark IVs equip active Israeli army brigades; hundreds more are in reserve. Several design features protect it from top-down attacks. Mantak omitted the loader’s hatch and thickened the armor around the commander’s hatch.”

Hezbollah and Hamas lean heavily on their respective drone arsenals when attacking the Jewish state. These lethal aerial weapons, supplied largely by the Islamic Republic of Iran, are meant to evade Israel’s Iron Dome defense system via swarm attacks. During the October 7, 2023, massacre against the Jewish state, Hamas used drones to take out security cameras along the Gaza-Israel border and attack MBTs like the Merkava series.

About the Author: 

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. 

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