From uchoim00@mcl.ucsb.edu (Michael S Choi)

ceesr@engsoc.carleton.ca (Cees Roosendaal) writes:


>From ceesr@engsoc.carleton.ca (Cees Roosendaal) 
>This is a question on the Merkava Mark 3 Israeli MBT.  On this latest
>Merkava it has on the turret, bellow the open equipment storage on the
>back of the turret,  chain rings hanging down with small steel balls at
>the end of the chain with a spacing of about 10cm between each chain.  The
>question is what is the point of having this on the the turret?  

	The turret rear of the Merkava poses a nasty shot trap. The 
chains are designed to kill the fuzes of HEAT type charges. 
	The Merkava is fairly well armored even if it doesn't used 
Chobbam type sandwiched stuff relying mainly on cast surfaces and plates; 
spaced armor. Case in point the hullfront/glacis plate has four layers 
of armor with some spaces acting as fuel tanks.
	The engine on the Mark3 does give the tank a little bit more pep 
than its predecessors- a 1200hp General Dynamics/Teledyne Continental 
variable compression V12- with an Israeli Ashot hydrokinetic automatic 
transmission (compared to the 900 hp V12 on the Mk1 and Mk2) still the 
Merkava's slower than other Western ueberpanzers also due to its 
suspensions unlike going for a advanced torsion bar setup with rotary 
shock absorbers found on the Leo2s and M1s or the indpendently mounted 
hydropneumatic/hydraulic shock suspension found on the Challengers the 
Merkavas use the Horstman heavy spring/bogie pair type suspension found 
on most British tranks since World War Two.



> Also, did the Israeli's
>develop the automatic loader for the Merkava, and is it in production

	Nope. the Israelis still like the concept of four men tanks. 
Aside form the eight or so rounds stowed vertically in the turret (below 
the turret ring) nearly all 50 or so rounds carried by the Mk.3 Merkava 
is stwoed in the hull rear. That means the loader's going to have to get 
off his butt crawl down and start picking up 120 rounds.
	I'm suprised the IDF/A decided to go with the Rheinmetall 120/44 
smoothbore considering every one of their tanks are armed with the 
M68/M68E1/A1 105 guns. Israeli 120 ammo performance specs haven't been 
availiable but me guess is that they're doing a good deal of reasearch on 
long rod type sabot rounds possibly even switching to DU.
	The Mk.3 does have a thermal imager and a laser rangefinder plus 
supposedly (or planned) handoff hunter killer type sight for the TC. And 
Yes there's still a 2000 round hopper for the 7.62mm coax and a roof 
mounted Soltam 60mm mortar to launch smoke/WP and HE rounds plus TC and 
loader's machineguns.


							Mad Mike
--
"The greatest happiness is to scatter your enemy and drive him before
you, to see his cities reduced to ashes, to see those who love him
shrouded in tears, and to gather to your bosom his wives and his
daughters." Genghis Khan 1226