See through armor and use artificial intelligence: Israeli Merkava Barak tank
The other day it became known that the Israel Defense Forces, after seven years of development and testing, finally received the first Tanks Merkava Barak for military use in the 52nd battalion of the 401st armored brigade. The creators did not provide them with either a new cannon with more powerful shells, or a rearrangement of the interior, or, most likely, new armor. But they definitely didn’t skimp on the electronics, introducing a lot of improvements, ranging from “artificial intelligence” to the Iron Vision complex, which makes it possible to “see through armor.”
Of course, the Israeli Merkava tank is an extremely controversial vehicle, the design and combat qualities of which are still hotly debated among its supporters and opponents. There is no point in getting involved in these battles, but one thing is for sure: the scale and significance of the changes regularly made by designers to this “Chariot” (translated from Hebrew) can cause envy even among tank builders in Europe and the USA. And this is clearly demonstrated by the new package of updates introduced on tanks of the fourth series, designated Merkava Barak.
This modernization option took quite a long time to develop and bring to fruition: only the stage of developing the concept, which began in 2015, and the subsequent organization of technical capabilities took about three years. Then, in 2018, full-scale development of the project and subsequent tests began, ending with the delivery of the first vehicles to the troops this year. And, presumably, those innovations prepared for the Merkava Mk.4 were not limited to one small thing.
In general, most of the items in the list of changes look standard and even routine: improved sights with expanded capabilities for searching for targets and firing day and night; improved means of information transmission (communication); all-round viewing system in the form of television and thermal imaging cameras in all projections of the tank; new ergonomic controls for turret rotation and target targeting in the form of joysticks; system for monitoring the distribution and generation of electricity in the on-board network; driver warning system about obstacles; touch screens displaying all the necessary combat information and so on.
Taken together, these points significantly increase the combat capabilities of the tank and the ease of its operation, but there are also some improvements that take the vehicle to a whole new level.
"Artificial intelligence"
The most modern combat vehicles have a huge range of equipment for searching and destroying the enemy, ranging from thermal imaging sights, with the help of which you can detect and identify a target at enormous distances in almost any weather and at any time of the day, to ballistic computers, shooting conditions sensors and machine guns target tracking.
However, even with such an abundance of various electronics, the human factor has not been canceled. Therefore, no matter how perfect it may be, a person who can get tired still comes to the fore, his eyes sometimes blur, and logic and instinct - when you expect an enemy in one place, and he appears in another - can fail. Merkava Barak was able to fix this by introducing a new fire control system with the Makhshev Mesima task computer, which uses elements of “artificial intelligence” or, more simply, neural networks.
At the moment, this innovation is called a computerized replacement of the fifth crew member in the tank, and deservedly so.
The neural network that is part of the Makhshev Mesima is actually trained on thousands of different signatures from the tank’s sensors, thanks to which, within the framework of the established algorithms, it is capable of identifying dangerous targets in the field of view without human intervention. A kind of computerized “eye” that sees more and beyond the human. However, the matter cannot be done with data from the sights and surveillance systems of the tank alone, since the electronic brains of the device also collect reconnaissance and target information from external sources - other tanks and units united in a single operational network.
Thus, the tank is capable of conducting effective fire not only at those positions that are directly visible through its sights, but also in cases where the enemy, having been detected by friendly formations, is in various types of shelters.
Analyzing the received data, the computer automatically identifies targets and distributes priority for their destruction from the most to the least dangerous in the existing situation, displaying on the commander’s display an enlarged image of an object from which a potential threat may come. At the same time, “Makhshev Mesima” independently determines the type of projectile suitable for hitting the enemy, and also measures the range to the target, makes corrections for firing and points the gun in the desired direction. So, from the moment an enemy object is detected until it is eliminated, literally a few seconds pass, and the tank commander only needs a few clicks on the touch screen and the final press on the trigger.
A similar complex called “Atlas” is currently being tested in the United States, but its trial operation will most likely last until the introduction of M1A3 tanks into production - sometime in the 2030s.
Iron vision
As you know, the burden of observing the battlefield and detecting targets in a tank falls on the shoulders of the commander. In the richest configuration of virtually any production tank, the workplace of this crew member is equipped with periscope surveillance devices installed around the perimeter of its hatch, as well as a panoramic sight-surveillance device equipped with thermal imaging and television (sometimes even optical) channels with a 360-degree view.
But there are some difficulties: periscopes are a thing in which it is generally impossible to install anything electronic, except for electron-optical converters. And the panorama, although formally providing visibility around with the convenience of thermal imagers, is extremely limited both in viewing angles - especially vertically - and in the speed of interaction with a person. Therefore, often, in order to control the situation, the commander from time to time - sometimes very often - has to lean out of the hatch and observe the battlefield with the “naked eye.”
This is especially true for battles in urban environments, although in an open field sometimes this is also indispensable. But a tanker leaning out of the hatch is an ideal target both for a sniper or any other infantryman, and for shell fragments. Therefore, to protect the commanders, Israeli engineers equipped the Merkava Barak with the Iron Vision system, which practically allows you to see through the tank’s armor.
Its main component is a panoramic viewing module, interfaced with the tank’s on-board computer and installed on the roof of the vehicle’s turret. It includes television and thermal imaging cameras, providing the ability to observe in day and night conditions. The module itself, although it resembles a regular panoramic commander’s sight, can not only rotate around its axis, providing a 360-degree view, but also move the camera block in declination and elevation angles vertically.
Panoramic movable module in the upper left part of the photo
The digital video signal from the module is transmitted via wires to an electronics unit mounted on the commander’s helmet, and after processing in the form of a projected image, it is displayed on a small screen in front of the tankman’s eyes, as if wearing augmented reality glasses. Moreover, since the helmet-mounted electronics are equipped with an electronic gyroscope, the system automatically reads the position of the commander’s head and reacts to any of its movements, responding to them with the synchronized movement of the panoramic module.
Thus, the moving block of cameras becomes the second eyes of a person, turning in the direction where he is looking, providing full observation of the area without the need to lean out of the hatch.
The electronics unit is in the back of the helmet and the display is in front of the eyes
However, it is worth noting that the video signal to the Iron Vision display can also be transmitted from cameras installed on the hull and turret of the tank, but judging by the presentation videos, the panoramic module is still a priority.
Also, additional information is displayed on the screen in the form of vehicle speed, direction of movement and rotation of the commander’s head relative to the vehicle body, as in the azimuth indicator. In addition, Iron Vision can interface with friend-or-foe identification systems and combat information and control systems, producing an image of the area with symbolic marks about the location of friendly and enemy troops. In the future, this will be added to the ability to connect to cameras of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Protection, communication and training
There is no data yet on whether the Merkava Barak armor has received at least some changes - there was no data about this even in the official statements of the manufacturer and media publications. It is possible that the level of security remained the same as that of the regular “four”. But the tank has a modified active protection complex “Trophy” (export name “Meil Ruach”).
Formally, its job is to detect cumulative missiles and grenades approaching the tank, followed by their preventive destruction by shooting fragmentation counter-munitions. However, this system, due to radar stations and, possibly, UV radiation sensors, is also capable of determining the direction and approximate location of the point from which fire is being fired at the tank, warning the crew about this.
Thus, the tank commander receives information about where fire is coming from, automatically, with the corresponding data displayed on the display. All this allows you to quickly detect and destroy enemy positions, even if they were initially out of sight of the tank crews. At the same time, in Merkava Barak, due to the introduction of new target designation systems and the exchange of combat information, the commander can transmit the coordinates of the target to the crew of another tank if for some reason he cannot hit it on his own.
In fact, a unit with modernized tanks, operating on the ground, becomes not only more protected from attacks, but also receives expanded capabilities to identify and destroy enemy firing points.
Another significant update is the appearance of equipment for connecting the tank to the TORCH-X automated combat unit control system as part of the concept of network-centric warfare.
In fact, in a minimal version, this network allows the exchange of basic information about combat missions, the position of one’s own formations, enemy formations, target designation, and also makes it possible to closely interact between different types of troops from the tactical level and above.
At the maximum, the inclusion of “artificial intelligence” is provided, the work of which is to find the most rational solution to the task at hand, up to the construction of a route and designation of the positions that the unit needs to take in order to successfully destroy the enemy or repel his attack.
We haven’t forgotten about the built-in training mechanisms for tank crews, which turn any tank into a full-fledged simulator and reduce the cost of honing the crew’s skills. This is practically a trend that advanced tank builders are gradually beginning to follow - especially in the USA, whose M1A2 SEP v.4, which never went into production, was supposed to be equipped with similar systems.
In Merkava Barak, judging by the manufacturers' long-standing statements, the built-in virtual reality system is responsible for this. In fact, it is an analogue of various toys with VR glasses, in which you are immersed in a world built with computer graphics. Only in this case there are no glasses - the image is displayed on the working displays of the tankers, and instead of a virtual game world there are virtual scenarios embedded in the memory in the form of urban development, mountainous and wooded areas, and so on.
As a result, you can practice tactical maneuvers, shoot at the enemy, and establish interaction between units. And all this without the use of specially built polygons - a simple desert is enough, which, if desired, can turn into a city with dense rows of houses, or into a forest.
Conclusions
As a conclusion, it should be noted that the modernization package implemented in the Merkava Barak truly takes the tank to a completely new level in many respects.
First of all, this is a more complete implementation of the firepower of the vehicle due to elements of “artificial intelligence”, capable of almost automatically identifying targets, thereby reducing the load on the crew and maximally eliminating the influence of the human factor. And also a significant improvement in the situational awareness of tankers with the help of IronVision, which not only allows for a full overview of the battlefield, but also directly affects the survivability of commanders and expands the ability to quickly obtain and study tactical information.
And all this is seasoned with enhanced security provided by the modernized Trophy KAZ, access to connecting a network of automated command and control and information exchange, cheaper and easier training for operators and many smaller, but no less necessary improvements.
It can be assumed that such a large pile of newfangled electronic “toys” cannot yet guarantee full and uninterrupted operation in all situations. Nevertheless, many of them have already been tested on other tanks, and prototypes of the future Merkava Barak have been tested for a long time. In this regard, the Israeli military has already planned to re-equip all existing Merkavas of the fourth series to this standard.
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