First of all have you compared the Merkavas dimensions with the other tanks??? What you wrote here was rubbish. All the main battle tanks in the world are not air mobile capable: No helo designed or in service anywhere in the world can carry them. Nor can they be parachuted...too heavy. All these MBT's including the Merkava, can fit aboard the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster air transports to be airlifted anywhere on the globe. The Merkava Mk 4 has a 1500hp GD833 Diesel Engine and additional armor, especially up top, for urban battlefields. Ever been to the Holy land? You get all types of terrain there, not the stereotypical desert/arabian landscape that is always seen on TV. There are forests and swamps in Israel, and up north the terrain is especially rough and it snows too. What consensus are you talking about? Israel has had more battlefield experience with the use of armor and armored warfare in general than any country on this planet. The weight of the Merkava Mk 4 is approximately the same as the M1A2SEP. It has more crew protection than the Leopard tank and has an active self-defense system. It also retains the 60mm Mortar which can be fired under armor. BATTLEFILED MOBILITY of the Merkava series of tanks is better than both the M1 and the Leopard. It is true that both tanks are faster than the Merkava but the Merkava was designed with emphasis on crew protection, survivability and firepower, over speed. The Merkava is more survivable in a firepower-saturated environment meaning it can go places the M1 and Leopard cannot. For this reason the Merkava has more freedom to maneuver, which gives more options to it's operators and commanders, and allows more aggressive courses of action. The enemy cannot simply deny areas to the Merkavas by firepower, meaning the Israeli tank has better battlefield mobility than the Abrams and Leo 2.