Merkava
"The borders are drawn where the treads stop."
- – IDF Armored Corps Motto
The Merkava was a third generation MBT designed to replace the ageing Magach 6. It is equipped with a licensed M68 105mm main cannon: the same gun from the M60 Patton, one to two turret mounted FN MAGs, with one browning .50 cal mounted coaxially. A uniquely Israeli invention, the Merkava compromises on battlefield survivability and speed in favour of armour and crew survivability.
In Team Yankee
Do you like tanks? This thing a tanky tank.
The Merkava comes in two flavours, the Mk.1 and the Mk.2. Both come with a 105mm cannon, while the Mk.2 stacks on even more armour on this thing.
Here's the thing: this is a terrible tank against NATO forces. with a 105mm gun for AT19, you'll have a next to impossible chance when trying to punch through T-64s and literally all shots will bounce from an M1IP Abrams. The armour is less of an issue when taking a beating from high-end tanks with AT22 like the Chieftain and the T-64. Fortunately, they do come with brutal and excel in a combined arms role where they can attack the weakest points in the enemy line while your ATGMs focus on taking down the deadliest tanks your opponents have.
The Mk.1 is a very heavily armoured beast with tiny arms. With front armour 18 and bazooka skirts with side armour 6, the Mk.1 needs to be focused down with ATGMs to reliably take out. It might have decent firepower against infantry, but lacks the advanced stabilizers of modern tanks. The Mk.2 ups the armour to a front armour 19, and side armour 7 and BDD armour. It will lose a tank fight most of the time, but will absorb quite a few missiles before going down and the low costs lets you bring quite a few of them.
Adding on to the combined arms approach of the Merkava, it can fire 4 shots at infantry in the open much like the M1 Abrams.
A Mk.1 costs 6 points per tank, coming in platoons of 2-3 while the Mk.2 costs 7 per piece.
IRL
As Israel's homegrown tank, the Merkava takes many liberties with conventional tank design. For starters, instead of having the driver in the front, turret in the middle, and engine in the back, the Merkava places the engine forward to act as an extra buffer against shrapnel, leaving the back available for a rear entrance for emergency exits. This configuration made it easier to preserve the far more valuable crew: tanks were replaceable but experienced tankees were not. With the standard ammo compliment, a Merkava could house up to 4 additional troops if absolutely required.
In a pinch, they were even used as APCs and medical evac units if ammo racks were significantly reduced, giving space for up to six men and their equipment: eight to ten if ALL ammo racks were thrown out. Depending on the mission requirements, some Merkavas were even converted into impromptu mortar carriers as in the first and second Intifadas. Uniquely, this is one of the few non-Soviet tanks designed to fire ATGMs.
It served well against enemy T-62s and was largely immune to infantry AT weapons at the time, though later Merkava models were upgraded to use the advanced Trophy active defense system. In 2008, the IDF introduced a dedicated APC based on the Merkava called the Namer. The modern design is the Merkava IV which features a 120mm gun and modular armour plating for faster repairs. Today, the IDF is working on the 'Barak' upgrade package which will give tank commanders the same type of helmet as that seen in the F-35, allowing them to easily see outside the vehicle without popping their heads outside. It also improves on existing battlefield communication systems and installs a modified baseball machine to fire projectiles at incoming missiles.
| Israeli Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | Merkava - M60 Patton |
| Transports: | M113 Armored Personnel Carrier |
| Troops: | IDF Infantry Platoon |
| Artillery: | M109 Howitzer -M106 Heavy Mortar Carrier -M125 Mortar Carrier |
| Anti-Aircraft: | M163 VADS - ZSU 23-4 Shilka - M48 Chaparral - Redeye SAM Platoon |
| Tank Hunters: | Pereh - M150 TOW - Jeep TOW |
| Recon: | M113 Recce - Jeep Recce |
| Aircraft: | AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter - A4 Skyhawk |