About a premium Israeli tank, strengths and weaknesses, history of creation and winning tactics
From the history
In August 1970, Great Britain refused to sell Chieftain tanks to Israel. By this time, the IDF had been making do with obsolete morally and physically weapons for many years. Mostly American post-war tanks and captured Soviet vehicles captured in previous wars. The Israel Defense Forces urgently needed a modern tank capable of withstanding the Soviet T-72, which other countries in the region were hastily armed with.
Having no experience in designing combat vehicles from scratch, engineers created a prototype in just four years. In subsequent years, until 1979, the tank passed tests and trials, and changes were made to its design. The development was led by General Israel Tal, who fought in the Suez Crisis and the Six Day War. On the one hand, many of the solutions looked archaic and cumbersome, on the other hand, they perfectly met the requirements of the Israeli army and suited the conditions of the region.
For example, the Merkava has a rear turret layout. They stopped doing this with the outbreak of World War II. With this arrangement of the tower, the engine compartment is moved forward. This means that additional space appears between the crew and the armor, better protecting the crew from hitting the front hemisphere of the tank. There are about a dozen of such solutions aimed at protecting the crew in the tank. That only there is a spring suspension. The last machines on which such a suspension was used were the Soviet T-34 and the British Crusader. Over the course of the service, the Merkava was modified many times, increasing its fighting qualities. Today, the Israeli tank is one of the most modern and distinctive combat vehicles in service. Merkava can also be tested in Armored Warfare: Assault
Merkava in Armored Warfare: Assault
The Merkava in Armored Warfare: Assault is a large, scary and slow-moving tank that can fight anyone. In addition, he carries a fairly powerful weapon and maneuvers well. However, the Merkava has to be played in bulk. This is a large tank that is not easy to hide from enemy fire.
The main thing is not to be afraid to press. The Merkva is well protected in the front hemisphere. In addition, the Strong Defense ability reduces all damage taken by the tank with a high probability. The only limitation in the offensive is the slow reload. Better to slow down and not expose yourself to the blow again. Don’t stray far ahead of your allies. You can lead the attack, but not play the lone wolf. Merkava is too slow to deal with light techniques. Any high-speed armored personnel carrier will easily spin you and send you to the spawn point.
Plan your routes in advance. You can’t just move from one flank to the other and continue fighting there. While you move to the collision site, the skirmish will end, and half of the battle will be left behind. If you have cleared the flank, then push the enemy to the base. Capturing control points and responding to second-time threats are not your concern. Oftentimes, Merkava doesn’t need to move anywhere. Being at one control point, you can easily hit targets next to the next one. The accuracy of the Israeli tank’s gun is more than enough.
Merkava feels great in ranged combat: good armor, accurate gun and high one-time damage are conducive to this
Another important feature of the Merkava is its size. It is a huge tank with a surprisingly small turret. Use this. Place vehicles on the terrain so that the enemy can only see your tower. Make yourself comfortable in depressions and uneven terrain, hide behind rocks and take up hills.
When it comes to firepower, the Merkava is ambiguous. On the one hand, the gun has a slow and annoying reloading time. Each shot must hit the target. On the other hand, the range of ammunition contains cumulative ammunition that penetrates any armor without losing damage. At the tenth level of development, the Lahat ATGM opens with a damage of 270 units. As a result, in less than a minute, the Merkava can do 1500 damage. Given the penetration of the gun and ammunition, the likelihood of this is extremely high. All this does not mean that you can just shoot left and right. Choose your goals wisely. The BMD, lurking in the bushes at the other end of the map, is much less dangerous than Ontos, maneuvering on the line of contact and preparing to go to the rear.
Cumulative ammo that unlocks at level 5 deals the same damage through any armor
Development and crew
It makes sense to upgrade Merkava to the tenth level. On the fifth you will receive HEAT shells, on the tenth ATGM. This will multiply the damage done by the Israeli tank.
With the crew, everything is simple:
- The best commander will be Georgios Zevras. His Target ability is useful for tanks fighting in the minority. Use the ability on one of the enemy vehicles, then opponents will see it as an enemy, not an ally. This will divert attention from you and give you time to orient yourself in the situation.
- Kate Rose should be placed in the driver’s chair. The ability “Ram Master” is useful to you. The Merkava is heavier than any other tank in the level. The ram can be as effective as the main caliber. Take risks. Most importantly, do not forget to accelerate well.
- Lorenzo Bruno is the shooter for you. After opening the Lahat ATGM, the ability “Replenishment of shells” will not be superfluous. The stock of rockets is always less than the stock of the main type of ammunition.
Do not let opponents into the wedge. It is not easy to get out of it promptly and guide it
What’s the bottom line?
The Merkava is a sedentary and large tank. Remember that sweeping maneuvers will be a waste of time. Do not hesitate to crush opponents in bulk, but do not stray far ahead of your allies. The single Merkava is an easy target for any kind of high speed vehicles. Use the terrain so as to leave only the tower under fire. Fire at a distance, but don’t be intimidated by the proximity. You have an accurate enough weapon to hit even a moving target across half the map. In close combat, first neutralize the technique that has a chance to flank or twist you. Do not spare credits and develop your car at least to the tenth level.
