The IDF this week began absorbing the Merkava Mark IV, considered to be one of the most advanced main battle tanks in the world, into all battalions of the 7th Armored Brigade, the IDF's most senior armored brigade.
This week the Brigade's 75th Battalion will update into the new Israeli-made tanks, becoming the first of the Brigade's three battalions to move up to the Mark IV. The other two battalions will be upgraded as well over the course of the coming two years.
The 7th Armored Brigade began using the Merkava Mark I back in the 1980s, advancing to the Mark II afterwards which they have stayed with until now.
"We have to renew," a senior captain of the Brigade said. "What the Merkava Mark IV brings with it beyond the 'Windbreaker' (projectile interception defense system) is precise and more significant firepower, and much better and effective mobility."
The captain added "that's certainly not just a step up, but rather a meaningful upgrade for the whole Brigade."
"To stand in front of an enemy like Hamas and Hezbollah with all of their abilities with an advanced tank like the Merkava Mark IV is something necessary, and the force will have wider capabilities through the course of a war," concluded the captain.
The Merkava Mark IV entered full production in 2001, and entered IDF service in 2004, featuring radically improved armor, weaponry and electronics systems from the Mark III.
It sports a 120mm smooth-bore canon, that can fire high-penetration projectiles and guided shells, and likewise is outfitted with 7.62 mm machine guns and a 60 mm mortar system operated from within the tank.
The tank can move at great speeds on rough terrain thanks to its V-12 1,500 horsepower diesel engine, which is located in the front of the tank to defend the soldiers inside, unlike the American M1 Abrams.
In additional to the Windbreaker it includes several other top secret systems, details about which can not be published.
The Discovery Channel's Ultimate Weapons program explored the tank in depth back in 2011: