Merkava Mk.3 Barak Zoher

* Default
* Titan
* Beast

## Crew

* Commander
* Driver
* Gunner
* Loader

The  **Merkava Mk.3 Barak Zoher** is a progression Tier 8 Main Battle Tank under Sol Schreiber's dealership.

## History

Class: Main Battle Tank

Developed: 1994-1995

Service: 1995+

Vehicles Built: cca 700 (sources vary)

Operators: Israel

The Merkava ("Chariot") series is one of the most famous MBTs in the world, designed in Israel specifically with the IDF requirements in mind. All variants feature sloped armor and front-mounted engines, offering maximum protection to their crews. The design has its roots in the 1970s in a program led by one of the most influential tank visionaries of all time, General Israel Tal. Its heavily upgraded variants are still in service.

Where the Mk.2 model was basically just a partial upgrade to the Mk.1 or, if you will, “what Mk.1 should have been if the Israelis had more time and money”, the Mk.3 model was the first truly significant upgrade. Despite its roughly similar looks, the Mk.3 was, compared to the Mk.2, essentially a completely new tank. The armor became composite and modular, allowing for much faster repairs. It’s worth noting that this new armor did not include an ERA element – not because it couldn’t but allegedly because General Tal did not like it very much and preferred improved passive protection. Many additional protective systems were installed as well, such as the Ancoram LWS-2 Laser Warning System. The gun was also replaced by a new IMI 120mm L/44 smoothbore cannon, which could fire standard NATO ammunition and was controlled by a truly advanced FCS for its time. Surprisingly enough, the tank was only marginally heavier than its predecessor despite all these upgrades.

Starting from 1995, another new fire control system was introduced to the Merkava Mk.3 – the Barak Zoher (Bright Lightning), resulting in a variant called Mk.3 BAZ. This FCS also came with the ability to launch LAHAT guided missiles from the tank's gun. And, last but not least, in 2000, many Mk.3 BAZ tanks were upgraded with the fourth generation Dor Dalet armor, resulting in the final Mk.3 variant called Mk.3D BAZ. The Merkava Mk.3 remains the mainstay of the IDF tank forces as the most numerous Merkava model although it is slowly being replaced by the Merkava Mk.4. It was never really used in active tank versus tank combat but has seen a lot of service against Hezbollah insurgents.

## Vehicle Traits

* Armored: This vehicle's armor can withstand a lot of punishment, allowing it to survive even serious firefights.
* Heavy Weapon: This vehicle carries one of the largest weapons around with significantly increased damage per shot.
* High Durability: This vehicle has more hitpoints than other vehicles of this Tier.
* Fire and Forget: This vehicle features advanced ATGMs that, when a target (ground or flying) is locked, home in on it without having to be controlled manually.
* Ready Rack: This vehicle features a Ready Rack, which consists of several easily accessible rounds. It can fire several rounds in rapid succession, after which the reload time increases. Ready Rack reloads automatically when not in combat.

## Upgrades

### Armor

Merkava Mk.3 BAZ Stock Armor
 This MBT's front is protected by composite armor. Composite armor consists of combined layers of steel and other material and offers excellent protection against HEAT shells and ATGMs. Its steel sides and rear are considerably more vulnerable. However, its heavily sloped frontal armor and the front-mounted engine offer a significant advantage when it comes to crew protection.

### Weapon

**Stats:**

* **Magazine Type**: Ready Rack
* **Magazine Size**: 4
* **Reload within Magazine**: 2.50 s
* **Burst Fire Rate**: 24.00 rd/min
* **Depression/Elevation**: -7.0° / 20.0°

## Footnotes

1. ↑ 700 mm at 150m;
525 mm at 500 m
2. ↑ 227 for Partial Penetration;
57 for Non-Penetrating Hits
3. ↑ 68 for Non-Penetrating Hits
4. ↑ 72 for Non-Penetrating Hits
5. ↑ 104 for Non-Penetrating Hits
6. ↑ 18 mm at 100m
9 mm at 1000m

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