Israel unveils 5th Gen MERKAVA main battle tanks
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Following five years of development, the Defense Ministry and Israel Defense Forces unveiled the Barak, the military's new main combat tank, on Tuesday. The first models of the ministry's "5th generation Merkava battle tanks" were delivered to the 401st Brigade's 52nd Armored Battalion.
The Armored Vehicles Directorate of the Defense Ministry and the IDF's Ground Forces and Armored Corps collaborated on the development of the Barak tank, which includes systems developed by several Israeli defense firms, including Elbit Systems, Rafael, and Israel Aerospace Industries' Elta subsidiary, among others.
The Defense Ministry and the military began research towards building a new tank for the Armored Corps in 2015, with development set to begin in 2018.
Initial testing were conducted in 2020, and the first tanks were given to the IDF in recent months.
According to the ministry, the Barak tanks are outfitted with "a wide infrastructure of reliable sensors" to identify targets, and intelligence information may be transmitted between the tank and other sectors of the military, resulting in "a real revolution on the battlefield."
"The Barak tank will strengthen the capabilities of detecting enemies and will enable fighting against an enemy with a reduced signature in all combat scenarios, on the current and future battlefield, against the entirety of threats that exist for the maneuvering force," according to the ministry.
The tank commander would be outfitted with an Elbit-developed helmet, similar to that of a fighter jet pilot, that provides a full view of their surroundings and displays pertinent information about ongoing combat.
According to Elbit, the IronVision helmet "generates an image that enables the crew to'see through' the vehicle's armor" and will help troops "overcome inherent visibility limitations, while improving mission efficiency and safety."
"The system will allow 360-degree scanning by moving the head and locating targets in real-time with the help of artificial intelligence capabilities," according to the ministry.
In comparison to previous Merkava models, Elbit developed upgraded sights and more effective night vision for the Barak tanks. The defense company also outfitted the tank with a new touchscreen-based user interface that shows relevant information to each individual crew member.
Unlike previous Merkava models, which left the tank commander susceptible to sniper fire or less able to observe his surroundings, these technologies allow soldiers to combat when the tank is entirely sealed, with no hatches open.
Barak tanks also feature Rafael's sophisticated missile defense system, the Windbreaker, which is presently deployed on older Merkava tanks and Namer armored personnel carriers.
The Windbreaker, also known as the Trophy system outside of Israel, consists of a radar detection system that detects incoming missiles and predicts their trajectory, as well as launchers that fire buckshot-like metal pellets, causing the incoming missile or rocket to detonate away from the tank.
According to the ministry, the weaponry of the Barak tanks has also been "significantly upgraded," improving the military's "lethality."According to Elbit, the firing control system enables "accurate attacks while idle and while moving" throughout the day or night, with enhanced ranges.
"The Barak tank has the capability and means to close circles of fire between all forces fighting on land and in the air, reducing time and increasing battle accuracy," the ministry stated.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described the tank's unveiling as "symbolic" as Israel commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Yom Kippur War "and the heroic battles fought by the Armored Corps soldiers in defense of our country."
"We have received further proof of the tank's relevance and power as a fundamental and decisive factor in land maneuvering," Gallant said in a statement.
He called the Barak tank "an extraordinary leap forward" in Armored Corps capabilities that "guarantee the IDF's qualitative advantage every time, in defense and attack."
Since the 1980s, the Merkava has served as the IDF's primary combat tank.The Armored Corps has recently replaced the majority of its Merkava Mark 3 variants with the more contemporary Mark 4, which was launched in 2003.
