A soldier in the amazing back door of the Merkawa
M¡Merkawa MKI is the name of a dream, created and developed for de IDF (Israeli Defence Force) by several Israelian industries, under de inspiration and direction of a team leaded by Ysrael "Talik" Tal, Division General of the IDF.
The IDF decided, in the beginning of the 70's, that Israel needed a new tank for the wars in the next decade. They had several options, but which in the end prevailed, was the development of a entirely new design following the specific needs according to the IDF's aims. The result was an entirely Israeli-made tank, every little piece, in which the maximum priority was given to the protection of the crew, secondarily to its fire power, and in last term mobility and speed. One of the most interesting innovations about the Merkawa, is that its engine is at the front of the hull, breaking this rule followed since the Renault FT in 1918. There are 3 Merkawa versions. The latter is the MKIII, which the technical data belong to. Safe but sure could be the motto for this modern Goliath built by David.
