Some armies would want mass and speed over protection.
HAPC may not suit most armies. Even IDF does not use it as a standard APC.
but when u enter a city which has jz being bombarded by the artillery..there's not many place 4 u to go speeding around in ur APC aite.mybe when soldiers want to conduct house to house search..n at the same time need the protection from armoured vehicles..this achzarit is a better choice than a normal APC i guess.. :o
No turret. Looks like its mean more for a pure troop carrier, not a fighting vehicle cum troop carrier type like Bionix and Bradley.
photos of some minor damages on Merkava 4.....
http://img322.imageshack.us/img322/7230/20060731t043318450x301usmideastrq2.jpg
http://img319.imageshack.us/img319/3940/r1569479115jpgx380y232sigtuifikwkyaes3.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20060731/i/r1462981618.jpg
http://img450.imageshack.us/img450/6627/capt8246e89141a74221895821e23d3a31f3mideastisraellebabz5.jpg
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http://img486.imageshack.us/img486/5224/71543852oy7.jpg
http://img446.imageshack.us/img446/7494/71543844ib3.jpg
and yet they are using their armoury against an unarmed civils........what a shamed
You have been fooled mr.bravo, hezbo mujahideens have been wearing civies and using human shields.
Anyway I hope we can have T72 chasis for our APCs.
hizb is parttime fighter. not a fully army like your regular army deb.
what you expect from them? buat kuaters hiszbullah kat padang pasir ke? hahaha...
i like their armor. cool.
banyak betul pasang RPG cage...
Originally posted by lipans at 2-8-2006 03:56 PM
hizb is parttime fighter. not a fully army like your regular army deb.
what you expect from them? buat kuaters hiszbullah kat padang pasir ke? hahaha...
Abang, our SAF is not regular army, but mainly made up of conscripts.
Personally i think it is a terrible idea to invade South Lebanon by Isarel, this is because this will not destroy the Hizbollah but the effects are quite the opposite. The massive destruction caused on the civilian infrastructure and the huge human casualties will sway international opinion against Isarel even though the Hizbollah have been firing rockets and kidnapping IDF soldiers as well. At first Lebanese are split in their support for Hizbollah but now due to the invasion by IDF,more Lebanese will join Hizbollah and the neighbouring muslim countries will continue to support this organisation. The IDF may ultimately win the battle but will lose the war. :)
Originally posted by Debmey at 1-8-2006 12:00 AM
No turret. Looks like its mean more for a pure troop carrier, not a fighting vehicle cum troop carrier type like Bionix and Bradley.
:clap::clap:
No 11 AGUSTUS 2006 TAHUN XVI
Artikel Lepas
Hancurnya Legenda Merkava (by Ninok Leksono)
Perang terakhir di Lebanon telah berakhir dengan diberlakukannya gencatan senjata tanggal 14 Agustus 2006. Namun, hingga hari ini kalangan militer masih banyak yang memperbincangkan perang tersebut.
Dari sisi politik, serbuan atau agresi Israel ke Lebanon disejajarkan dengan serbuan AS ke Irak, yang ditandai dengan lemahnya dukungan sekutu AS. Dari sisi militer, agresi Israel ini juga ditandai oleh munculnya perlawanan kuat dari Hezbollah. Hal ini sempat memunculkan kesimpulan sementara bahwa militer Israel yang selama ini dianggap amat superior dibandingkan dengan militer negara-negara Arab di sekelilingnya telah menyusut keampuhannya.
Salah satu yang coba diangkat sebagai bukti adalah rapuhnya kekuatan tank Israel di hadapan misil-misil Hezbollah. Seperti dilaporkan oleh kantor-kantor berita, Hezbollah telah menggunakan rudal antitank secara efektif, menyebabkan Israel kehilangan banyak tank di Lebanon selatan. Selain tank, penggunaan rudal yang disebut dibuat oleh Rusia dan Iran juga telah menjadi penyebab tewasnya 68 tentara Israel dalam konflik ini.
Pekan silam harian laris Israel, Yediot Aharonot, melaporkan, dari 25 rudal antitank yang ditembakkan, sekitar seperempatnya telah merobek lapisan baja tank yang ditembak dan menimbulkan banyak korban.
Surat kabar itu menurunkan laporan berdasar penuturan seorang pejabat militer senior, yang antara lain mengatakan bahwa pihak Hezbollah mengetahui di mana titik lemah tank, dan dengan itu menghantamnya secara telak. Hal ini amat mengecewakan Israel, khususnya Angkatan Daratnya, yang selama ini amat membanggakan tank Merkava III dan IV yang dianggap sebagai salah satu tank berat (MBT/main battle tank) yang paling kuat di dunia, dengan lapisan baja dan sistem pelindung yang amat tangguh (AFP/Jakarta Post, 12/8/06).
Tank Merkava
Berangkat dari pengalaman mengoperasikan tank berat seperti Centurion (buatan Inggris), juga dilandasi oleh kekhawatiran bahwa di masa depan ia tidak akan selalu bisa mengandalkan kendaraan tempur lapis baja dari Inggris, AS, atau Perancis, dan juga menyadari bahwa sebagian besar tank tersebut tidak memenuhi spesifikasi yang ia tentukan, Israel lalu mengembangkan MBT-nya sendiri, yakni Merkava, atau kereta tempur (chariot). Program arahan Jenderal Tal ini dicanangkan tahun 1977, dan tank produksi pertamanya muncul tahun 1979. Hingga tahun 1982, Israel diyakini telah memproduksi tak kurang 250 Merkava, dan pertama kali digunakan di medan tempur untuk menghadapi tank-tank T-72 Suriah di Lebanon selatan musim panas tahun 1982.
Merkava memiliki sejumlah fitur desain yang unik, seperti keseluruhan bagian depan yang dihuni oleh mesin, transmisi, sistem pendingin dan tangki bahan bakar. Selain itu, turetnya ditata sedemikian rupa kemiringannya guna memberi perlindungan lapis baja sebaik mungkin, dan juga penampang melintang kecil, yang membuatnya sulit untuk dijadikan sasaran.
Persenjataan utama tank ini adalah meriam 105 mm yang sudah teruji, dengan kemampuan menembakkan berbagai macam amunisi, termasuk peluru APFSDS-T yang dikembangkan oleh Israel Military Industries. Peluru ini dalam kancah konflik Lebanon terdahulu diklaim bisa menembus lapisan baja depan tank berat buatan Soviet T-62 dan T-72.
Memang, dibandingkan dengan MBT lain yang dikembangkan di tahun 1990-an, Merkava punya kecepatan yang jauh lebih rendah, juga rasio tenaga-berat yang buruk, meskipun tolok ukur yang digunakan mungkin tidak tepat, karena merujuk pada situasi taktis Eropa Tengah yang berlainan. Orang tidak melupakan bahwa Israel merupakan negara yang punya lebih banyak pengalaman perang menggunakan kendaraan lapis baja dibandingkan dengan negara lain sejak Perang Dunia II (Directory of Modern Military Weapons, Orbis, 1999).
Dalam merancang Merkava, Israel menekankan unsur keselamatan (survival) awak sebagai yang amat penting. Dengan penduduk hanya nyaris tujuh juta jiwa, setiap personel yang terlatih diupayakan mendapat perlindungan maksimum.
Hezbollah vs Merkava
Seperti dimuat di The Military Balance 2006 (IISS, London, 2006), sekarang ini Israel memiliki 3.657 tank MBT, 1.681 di antaranya dari tipe Merkava (407 Mk I, 375 Mk II, 378 Mk III, dan 80 Mk IV). Israel juga masih memiliki MBT lain, seperti Magach-7, M-60, serta Centurion dan M-48.
Namun, jelaslah Merkava yang menjadi kebanggaannya, karena di tank inilah Israel juga menumpahkan kemampuan desain tank dan sistem persenjataan. Jadi, di dalam Merkava tidak saja terdapat keunggulan teknologi, tetapi juga akumulasi pengalaman pertempuran tank Israel, dan dengan itu juga kebanggaannya.
Akan tetapi, Hezbollah seperti menjungkirkan kebanggaan itu. Merkava yang bermesin 1.200 tenaga kuda dan dilengkapi dengan sistem elektronik maju yang diandaikan membuatnya menjadi salah satu tank paling aman dan paling lincah di dunia, tiba-tiba mudah dimangsa oleh misil Hezbollah. Padahal, tank merupakan andalan Israel tatkala menggelar operasi di negara seperti Lebanon. Selain lalu mudah dihancurkan oleh Hezbollah, kemudian juga diketahui Merkava kurang berkinerja baik di kawasan berbukit dan berhutan.
Pejabat militer Israel mengakui pejuang Hezbollah semakin terlatih, dan juga gagah-berani, termasuk ketika menembak Merkava dari jarak dekat.
Seperti disebutkan oleh Yiftah Shapir dari Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, sebagian besar senjata antitank Hezbollah merupakan buatan Rusia, meskipun beberapa di antaranya dibuat di Iran. Diyakini, rudal paling efisien untuk menaklukkan Merkava yang digunakan Hezbollah adalah tipe Metis-M dan Kornet yang diserahkan ke Suriah tahun 1990-an.
Menurut Shapir, rudal ini maut karena memang dirancang untuk bisa menembus baja aktif di tank modern yang diperkenalkan oleh Israel untuk pertama kalinya tahun 1980-an. Selain Metis-M dan Kornet, Hezbollah diyakini juga memiliki rudal Sagger, senjata buatan Rusia yang diproduksi di Iran, dan Spigot.
Senjata-senjata tersebut mampu menembus lapisan baja setebal sampai satu meter dan memiliki jangkauan 1,5 sampai 5 kilometer. Israel sudah mengetahui bahwa Hezbollah punya beraneka ragam rudal, tetapi mungkin mereka tidak mengira para pejuang itu memiliki Metis-M dan Kornet.
Menyusul runtuhnya pamor Merkava, kalangan militer Israel pasti sibuk melakukan analisis mendesak. Hal ini didorong oleh kekhawatiran bahwa hal itu bisa mengerosi kebanggaan militer lainnya. Juga, seperti ditulis harian Yediot Aharonot, ketidaksiapan Angkatan Darat untuk menghadapi ancaman senjata antitank dianggap sebagai kegagalan lebih besar dibandingkan dengan kegagalan yang mendahului Perang Yom Kippur tahun 1973.
Zaman tampaknya memang telah berubah. Aliran kemajuan teknologi yang masuk ke tangan kelompok seperti Hezbollah secara perlahan telah menggerogoti kehebatan militer Israel. Jadi, meskipun secara menyeluruh Israel masih memiliki arsenal yang amat menggentarkan, tetapi efektivitasnya di medan tempur tampak susut.
Kalau misalnya saja kelak Hezbollah juga bisa memiliki rudal antipesawat yang sama hebatnya seperti Metis-M dan Kornet untuk antitank, bukan tidak mungkin F-16I pun akan kehilangan kedahsyatannya. Apalagi bila selain unsur alutsista juga dimasukkan pula unsur kedisiplinan dan semangat berani mati Hezbollah, yang tampak tidak takut sedikit pun menghadapi Israel, bahkan terkesan malah bisa mengimbangi militer Yahudi.*
* tulisan ini dimuat di harian Kompas, 22 Agustus 2006.
Tough lessons for Israeli armour
By Jonathan MarcusBBC diplomatic correspondent
One of the major military surprises of the fighting in Lebanon has been the apparent vulnerability of Israeli armour to Hezbollah anti-tank rockets.
No detailed figures are available and it is clear that many more tanks may have been hit than actually destroyed.But a significant proportion of Israeli casualties have been among tank crews.
Hezbollah has also used its anti-armour weapons to bring down buildings around sheltering Israeli troops, again causing multiple casualties.Hezbollah has fielded some of the most modern Russian-made anti-tank weapons, which the Israelis insist have come via the Syrians.
Wire-guided
The potency of infantry anti-armour weapons is nothing new for the Israelis.In 1973, after Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal, Israel tank units learned the hard way about what Russian-made missiles could do.
The Egyptians put across the canal large numbers of soldiers armed with wire-guided Sagger missiles.As long as the operator kept the target tank in his sights, signals sent along the unreeling wire would guide the missile to its target.
As counter-attacking Israeli tanks raced towards the canal, they were met by barrages of these missiles.You can be sure Israeli Defence Forces planners... will be studying these engagements in detail
Commanders spoke of vehicles emerging from the fighting festooned with wires from the missiles, and many tanks were destroyed.Since then a complex design battle has been underway between the tank and the infantry anti-armour weapon.
For the foot-soldier the key is penetration but also weight: What can easily be carried into battle?
Tandem charge
For the tank, too, there are weight considerations as more and more armour places heavier strains on engines and running gear and also potentially limits the areas in which a tank can operate.
In Lebanon Israel has come up against some of Russia's most modern anti-tank weapons.The AT-13 Metis or Saxhorn is a modern tube-launched successor to the Sagger.
Its tandem-shaped warhead can punch through armour of up to 46cm (18 inches) thick.The tandem warhead is designed to counter reactive armour as used on many Israeli vehicles.
Reactive armour is essentially made up of explosive pads or bricks on the outside of the tank which explode outwards when hit by an incoming missile.This disrupts the effect of the missile warhead, which needs to impact upon the surface of the tank to achieve its penetrative effect.
A twin or tandem charge is designed to get around this.The first warhead triggers the reactive armour and the second penetrates the tank.
Hezbollah is also reported to have used the RPG-29; a shoulder-fired weapon, again with a tandem charge.
Infantry carriers
And a journalist from the London-based Daily Telegraph newspaper reports also seeing abandoned Kornet missiles in Lebanon.
The Kornet was first shown by the Russians in 1994 and represents state-of-the-art technology.It has either an optical or a thermal sight - effectively "riding" a laser beam to its target. It again has a tandem warhead.It has a range of up to 5km (three miles) and is said to be able to penetrate armour up to 1,200mm thick.
The Kornet has been exported by the Russians to only a few countries, including Syria.And all the evidence suggests that the Syrians have passed them on to Hezbollah.
Israel is so concerned that it has despatched a team of officials to Moscow to show the Russians the evidence of what they say can only be Syrian weapons transfers.
In the longer term, the experiences of 1973 played an important part in shaping the philosophy behind Israel's Merkava battle tank.
The Merkava or Chariot is among the most modern in the world, but its unique feature is the extent to which crew protection figured in its design.Quite apart from carrying highly sophisticated armour, it is almost unique in having the engine in the front, affording additional protection to its crew.
The need for well-armoured infantry carriers that can keep pace with the tanks has led Israel to convert a large number of older tanks to carry troops.
The Achzarit is a good example. It is based on the Russian T54/T55 tank which Israel captured in large numbers during the 1973 war.Its turret and main gun have been removed and various other changes made to allow it to accommodate a crew of three along with seven infantrymen.
New armour
But all of these enhancements have not proved sufficiently effective against the most modern anti-tank systems operated by determined fighters on the ground.
You can be sure Israeli Defence Forces planners and indeed military observers from around the world will be studying these engagements in detail.Part of the answer may be to adopt new kinds of armour.
But, as ever, part of the answer will be tactical - changes to the way tanks are employed and the way they operate in concert with other elements of ground-power, like infantry and artillery.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/midd...ast/4794829.stm
Published: 2006/08/15 14:39:29 GMT
a very interesting video, i like it....but i hate the music background, because it sounds like a pasar malam vendor selling cheap outdated techno music....
Merkava Mark 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlPKnMBRTKM
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Arab TV analisis - Merkava weak point
Source : http://newsru.co.il/mideast/09aug2006/aa_merkava.html
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y206/Oberschutze916/merkava.jpg
This Magach7c wasnt hit by anything - probably just poor driving skills
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=10626&d=1154683510
Magach 7C
http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/vehicles/tanks/merkava/properties600.jpg
Aug. 1, 2006 2:42 | Updated Aug. 1, 2006 12:11
Merkava tanks prove their mettle
By ANSHEL PFEFFER
METULLA
"It was a small hit; we thought they were only mortar shells," recalled Sec.-Lt. Yotam. His Merkava 4 tank had been directly hit by two anti-tank missiles. The four crew members evacuated to another tank, unscathed.
Their tank was dragged back to the Israeli side of the border, south of Metulla, and technical crews clambered over it, astonished at the way it had withstood the attack. Among them were members of the Defense Ministry's Merkava Project Directorate, some with a 20-year record in the development of Israel's main indigenous weapon system. The look of satisfaction on the face of Lt.-Col. Baruch Mazliah, head of the armor department in the Merkava Project, said it all. "It did the job it was supposed to do," he said, patting the tank's side.
But the success of the latest version of the Merkava did little to hide the frustration of the soldiers at the fact that despite their efforts, Hizbullah anti-tank teams were still acting, hidden in positions so near the border, within mortar range of Israel's northernmost town.
The tank crews of Brigade 401 spent 36 hours in Lebanon over the weekend, cooped up in their tanks, taking "Stopit" tablets to control their bodily functions, and hunting for Hizbullah fighters in the villages of Kilah, Adisah and A-Taibe. Despite the success of the tanks and soldiers of the Nahal infantry brigade in killing about 20 Hizbullah members in and around the villages, they were still unable to eradicate their presence, as was proved by the anti-tank missile firings at the tanks returning on Monday morning.
"We saw a missile flying over the border road behind us," said a tank commander. Two tanks that were hit and an engineering corps Puma AFV that had overturned just within the fences had to be dragged out by other tanks, while the artillery supplied covering fire on the hills opposite Metulla. Smoke bombs were also fired to hide the force from Hizbullah gun-sights. Altogether nine soldiers were lightly wounded in the fighting.
The consensus was that with less well-armored tanks, the toll would have been much higher. "Actually most of the time it was a bit boring," complained Yotam. "My tank barely did any shooting. It was very hard to see them from inside the tank."
The company commander said that he had done quite a bit of shooting. "Now we're waiting to go back in again. It wasn't easy sitting in the tank for 36 hours, but that's what we're trained to do and what the tanks are built for. We'll go back in for as long as it takes," he said.
The continuing presence of Hizbullah around the border villages caused the IDF to spread a wide security perimeter around Metulla. Squads of reserve soldiers, called up 10 days ago, were stationed next to the border. This is one of the first operational tasks to be carried out by the reserve units, who haven't yet taken part in battles across the border.
The fighting around Metulla hasn't allowed the local farmers to pick the apples, most still hanging ripe on the trees, some already rotting on the ground. Only the reservists have been enjoying them.
On Monday night, the government was expected to authorize the use of these soldiers in wider ground operations planned to take place over the next few days within Lebanese villages.
two Merkavas in a mine field
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