Border Model 1/35

The Merkava (Hebrew: מֶרְכָּבָה, [mɛʁkaˈva] ^ⓘ, "chariot") is a series of main battle tanks used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) which are the backbone of the IDF's Armored Corps. Current iterations of this tank are considered broadly equivalent to the capabilities of the M1 Abrams, Leopard 2 and the Challenger 2. The current Merkava uses the same MTU EuroPowerPack powerplant as a number of other tanks.

Development began in 1970, and its first generation, the Merkava Mark 1, entered official service in 1979. Four main variants have been deployed. As of 2023, Merkava Mark 4 Barak is the latest version. The Merkava was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War. The name "Merkava" was derived from the IDF's initial development program name.

The Mark II was first introduced into general service in April 1983. It incorporated numerous small adjustments as a result of the previous year's incursion into Lebanon.

Merkava Mark II

The Mark II used the same 105 mm main gun and 7.62 mm machine guns as the Mark I, but the 60 mm mortar was redesigned during construction to be located within the hull and configured for remote firing to remove the need to expose the operator to enemy small-arms fire. An Israeli-designed automatic transmission and increased fuel storage for increased range was installed on all further Mark IIs. Anti-rocket netting was fitted for increased survivability against infantry equipped with anti-tank rockets. Many minor improvements were made to the fire-control system. Updated meteorological sensors, crosswind analyzers, and thermographic optics and image intensifiers gave greater visibility and battlefield awareness.

Newer versions of the original Mark II were designated:

• Mark IIB, with thermal optics and unspecified updates to the fire control system.
• Mark IIC, with more armor on the top of the turret to improve protection against attack from the air.
• Mark IID, with modular composite armor on the chassis and turret, allowing rapid replacement of damaged armor.

In 2015 the IDF had begun a plan to take the old models out of storage and repurpose them as heavy armored personnel carriers. Cannons, turrets, and spaces used to store tank shells inside the hull were removed to create a personnel carrier that outperforms the lighter M113 APC. Converting hundreds of Mark II chassis provides a low-cost way to upgrade support units' abilities to perform medical, logistical, and rescue missions.

By late 2016, the last conscripted brigade to operate Merkava 2 was scheduled to transition to Merkava III and Merkava IV tanks for battlefield missions, relegating the vehicles to reserve forces for border patrols during conflicts and conversion to personnel carriers.