Merkava I | Merkava IIB | Merkava IIIB | Merkava IIID Baz | Merkava IIA (IFV) |
The Merkava IIIB is a prototype Israeli Main Battle Tank that appears in Nation Pack: Israel DLC of Wargame: Red Dragon.
History[]
The Merkava Mk.3B is the first subvariant of the Merkava Mk.3, which is the third variant of the Merkava main battle tank family. The Merkava Mk.3 variant debuted in December 1989 and remained in production until 2003. The Merkava 3 variant is by far the most numerous tank in frontline Israeli Defence Forces duty as of 2016. It has improvements to the drivetrain, powerplant, weaponry, and electronic systems over the Merkava Mk.2 variant. The inclusion of the domestically designed 120 mm IMI L/44 tank gun (no relation to the 120 mm Rheinmetall L/44 tank gun) was the most noticeable upgrade. This gun is capable of firing all standard NATO 120 mm ammunition. The tank gun and a more powerful 1,200-horsepower Continental AVDS-1790-9AR diesel engine increased the tank's total weight to 65 tonnes; however, the larger engine also increased the maximum cruising speed to 60 kilometres/hour. The turret was also redesigned to move independently of the tank chassis, allowing it to track a target regardless of how the tank moved. The Merkava Mk.3B subvariant received an upgrade that included the installation of modular composite armour across the turret roof to provide protection against anti-tank guided missiles fired from elevated positions. It was implemented in 1994 and was kept in all further upgrades.
Overview[]
Compared to other 155-point tanks (M1A1(HC), Challenger 1 Mk.3, Strv 121, T-80U, PT-91), the outstanding features of Merkava IIIB are the 21 Front Armor, grenade launcher and the 10RPM main gun; While the major drawback is it only has 20 AP Power. Overall, it should be the most cost-effective tank for Israel.
Weapons[]
Weapons | ![]() |
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Type | Main Gun | MMG | Grenade Launcher |
Name | MG151 | M2 Browning | Mk.19 |
Caliber | [KE] [AoE] 120mm |
12.7mm | [AoE] 40mm Frag |
Ammo | x 32 | x 2000 | x 256 |
Range | Ground = 2275 m Helicopters = N/A m ![]() |
Ground = 1050 m Helicopters = 875 m ![]() |
Ground = 1225 m Helicopters = N/A m ![]() |
Accuracy | 65% | 15% | 15% |
Stabilizer | 60% | 5% | 10% |
AP Power | 20 | N/A | N/A |
HE Power | 3 | 0.75 | 2 |
Suppression | 138 | 90 | 80 |
Rate of fire | 10 r/min | 652 r/min | 120 r/min |
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