Deadly attacks on light armored vehicles have prompted Israel Defense Forces
to increase their use of main battle tanks in patrol roles or other types of
low-intensity conflict normally assigned to smaller vehicles. In recent months,
the IDF has made several modifications to their main battle tanks, so they can
be employed as troop carriers in urban combat.
In early May, 11 soldiers traveling in two M113 light armored infantry carriers
died when the vehicles exploded after being hit by rocket-propelled grenades
in the Gaza Strip. The IDF subsequently decided that tanks increasingly will
be employed to patrol disputed zones such as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
IDF officials plan to modify Merkava main battle tanks so they can be employed
en lieu of M113s, even though the tanks are much heavier and difficult to maneuver
in urban terrain.
The Merkava increasingly will be deployed in low-intensity conflict, said Col.
Yaron Livnat, the IDF technical director for the Merkava program.
“We adapt the tank to operate as an infantry carrier,” Livnat told
an industry conference sponsored by the Institute for Defense and Government
Advancement.
Removing the ammunition from the back of the tank opens up enough space to
fit five soldiers, said Livnat. The tank operators can scan and observe from
inside the vehicle, with the hatch closed. The IDF made the equipment “easy
to operate,” said Livnat, because not every crew is made up of professionally
trained tankers. Some of the tanks are run by infantry soldiers.
Patrolling hostile urban areas in a tank can be dangerous, Livnat said, because
the vehicles cannot maneuver as easily as light armored personnel carriers,
and can be threatened by a range of weapons—from rocket-propelled grenades
fired from tall buildings to trip wires and Molotov cocktails.
The Muslim casbah is “the most challenging environment” for tanks,
said Livnat.
IDF vehicles also have been attacked with shaped charges that target the underbelly
of the tank. Livnat said he predicts that U.S. tanks in Iraq will suffer more
underbelly strikes as insurgents seek new ways to defeat U.S. armored vehicles.
The Merkava now is being equipped with an underbelly charge plate, lightweight
plows and mine rollers, specifically to deal with the urban threats, Livnat
said. The IDF, additionally, is considering equipping the tank with so-called
“non-lethal weapons” for crowd control and law enforcement type
of operations.
Molotov cocktails, although crude weapons, potentially could destroy a tank
just by causing an explosion. “If it gets inside the tank, you’ve
lost it,” he added.
For low-intensity missions, the Merkava is being upgraded with polycarbonate
sight shields, a rear-door firing peephole, and intake and exhaust shields to
defend from Molotov cocktails.
The IDF also fitted tanks with marking poles, which assist the commander and
driver maneuvering in narrow streets. To protect against individuals planting
explosive charges into the air intakes, wire meshes were added to close the
openings and to shield the optic sights. A redesigned commander’s cupola
was installed to improve the commander’s visibility at higher elevation.
A firing hatch and observation window was opened in the rear access door, where
a sniper or sharpshooter can operate from a sheltered position.
The newest version of the Merkava eventually could get active protection systems,
which defeat incoming rocket-propelled grenades or missiles by shooting them
down with another rocket. That technology also is being considered for U.S.
armored vehicles, but it’s a tough sell with commanders, because it poses
a danger to friendly troops in the vicinity of the tank, who may be accidentally
killed by their own vehicle’s defensive weapons. For active protection
to work, Livnat said, “you have to get the friendly troops out of the
way.”
The IDF, meanwhile, has built a prototype Merkava that, at 60 tons, is at least
15 tons lighter than the main battle tank, and would be employed exclusively
as a personnel carrier.
The IDF M113s, meanwhile, are being retrofitted with reactive armor tiles,
similar to the ones the U.S. Army has installed on the Bradley infantry fighting
vehicle. The tiles are made in Israel by Rafael.