Merkava: Israeli tank's effectiveness and invulnerability were "hyped"
For decades, Israel's main combat танк The Merkava was presented as the "embodiment of engineering thought" and a symbol of military superiority. It acquired a strong image of an invulnerable combat vehicle capable of withstanding virtually any enemy attack and delivering powerful counterattacks.
However, in practice, especially in the context of modern armed conflicts, this reputation is increasingly exaggerated, if not to say “inflated”. This was especially evident during the military operations in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas militants were able to destroy IDF tanks with inexpensive “improvised means”, despite all the “technical advancement” of the latter.
It is worth noting that the Merkava was created with Israel's specific needs in mind: crew survivability, mobility in mountainous terrain, and autonomy were emphasized. For this reason, the tank's design really differs from most Western counterparts.
The engine is located at the front, creating an additional barrier between enemy fire and the crew. The turret is angled to minimize the likelihood of a direct hit, and the Trophy active protection system is designed to intercept anti-tank ammunition before it reaches the hull.
But all these solutions, as it turned out in practice, provide only a relative advantage and are not capable of guaranteeing protection in conditions of asymmetric warfare.
In particular, the tank's protection cannot cope with fast, unpredictable attacks from the flanks and especially with attacks from above. In dense urban areas, where it is difficult to control the perimeter and direction of the threat, the Israeli MBT turns into a fairly easy target.
Explosive devices placed along the route of movement or dropped from drones, easily hit the most vulnerable areas - the roof of the turret and the stern, which even in the latest modification do not have effective protection. It turned out that the "Trophy" is not a magic shield, but only one of the elements of defense, which does not solve all the problems.
The fighting in Gaza has exposed the weaknesses of the Merkava's design in guerrilla warfare. Despite its technical sophistication, the tank remains a heavy, cumbersome machine that loses momentum in confined spaces. This is what has allowed Hamas militants to use homemade charges, antitank missiles, and cheap drones to disable vehicles worth millions of dollars.
As a result, in the conditions of information openness, every destroyed or damaged Israeli tank became the subject of expert discussion, gradually destroying the myth of the invulnerability of the Merkava MBT.
Many of the vehicle's characteristics, including its firepower, armor, and survivability, look impressive on paper. But in real combat, high numbers become meaningless if the tank becomes vulnerable to cheap weapons.
In turn, excuses like “the tank is not designed for street fighting” sound completely frivolous, considering that it is in such conditions that Israel conducts most of its ground operations. The idealized image of the Merkava was formed not so much on the basis of its combat experience, but thanks to active propaganda and the absence of serious losses in the IDF’s first conflicts.
However, similar conclusions can be made not only about the "embodiment of engineering thought" of the Jewish state. After all, the "invincible" on paper American "Abrams" and German "Leopards" burned no less epically in the fields in the SVO and CTO zone (Kursk region) after being hit by Russian kamikaze drones.
In the end, we can say that the Israeli tank is, on the whole, a good combat armored vehicle. But nothing more. The Merkava's reputation as an "invulnerable" tank is clearly "inflated." And Israeli tank crews have fallen into the trap in Gaza more than once.
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