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Merkava Mk III tank
Photo: Staselnik · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
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MerkavaMkIIItank

Tanks · Israel · 1983
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MerkavaMkIIItank

Merkava Mk III tank
Merkava Mk III tank Photo: Staselnik · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
* Absolute score — assessed within category · no era adjustment
Firepower
85
Protection
82
Mobility
78
Technology
80
Reliability
75
Crew Survivability
88
Operational Range
70
Logistics
72
Historical Performance
85
Strategic Impact
80
Origin Israel
CategoryTanks
EraCold War
In service1983–1992
Operators1 countries
Quantity500
Data Quality83%
MASS(Military Archive Scoring System)
81
Tanks MASS Rating
2/89
Cold War
9/563
All-Time
Tanks · 10 axes scored
Firepower
85
Protection
82
Mobility
78
Technology
80
Reliability
75
Crew Survivability
88
Operational Range
70
Logistics
72
Historical Performance
85
Strategic Impact
80
ⓘ Regardless of era, the same scoring system applies to all units in the tanks category.
01 / Overview
Merkava Mk III tank
Category
Country
Production
1983–1992
Quantity
500
Operators
💰 PERFORMANCE / PRICE ASSESSMENT Methodology ↗
TANKS · COLD WAR
2
PERFORMANCE/PRICE
82
UNIT COST (2025 USD)
—
81
tanks category
ⓘ Performance/Price and MASS score are computed across all units in the tanks category, regardless of era.
02 / Specs & Design
◎General5MOD.5
◈Firepower11MOD.11
▣Protection9MOD.9
◇Mobility9MOD.9
  • Engine Power1,200 hp
  • Power-to-Weight Ratio18.46 hp/t
  • Fuel TypeDiesel
  • Transmission TypeFully Automatic
  • Suspension TypeTorsion Bar
  • Max Road Speed55 km/h
  • Max Off-Road Speed35 km/h
  • Operational Range (Road)500 km
  • Fording Depth1.38 m
◆Dimensions5MOD.5
  • Length (Hull)7.1 m
  • Length (Overall, Gun Forward)9.04 m
  • Width3.72 m
  • Height2.66 m
  • Ground Clearance0.47 m
⬢Amphibious & Special4MOD.4
▲Production & Service4MOD.4
  • Total Production Units500
  • Years in Production9 year
  • Current Service StatusActive Service
  • Notable Variants Count1
03 / History
SERVICE LIFESPANStill in Service
  1. 1983Production started
  2. 1989Sale: Israel
  3. 1990Entered service
  4. 1992Production ended
  5. 2011Sale: Ecuador (30 units)
43
years in service
9
years in production
500
units produced
1
countries operating
ⓘ The producing country still actively operates it.
04 / Operators
Operator Countries1country
Merkava Mk III tankSALES2records
YearBuyerQuantityAmountPresent Value (2025)
2011Ecuador30——
1989Israel———
ⓘ "Present Value" is an estimated amount adjusted for inflation.
📖 TERMS ON THIS PAGE17terms
Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot: a type of kinetic energy penetrator ammunition.
A Battle Management System (BMS) is a command‑and‑control software suite that gathers, processes, and shares battlefield data to provide situational awareness and coordinate the actions of military units.
Armour made from multiple materials, such as metals and ceramics, to increase effectiveness.
Computerised Advanced: a tank fire‑control system generation that uses digital computers to calculate ballistic solutions and integrate sensor data for enhanced targeting accuracy.
Type of internal combustion engine fuel, refined from crude oil.
A fully automatic tank transmission shifts gears without driver intervention, using hydraulic or electronic controls to select appropriate gear ratios based on engine speed and vehicle load.
High-Explosive Fragmentation: ammunition that explodes on impact, releasing fragments.
High-Explosive Anti-Tank: a type of projectile that uses a shaped charge to penetrate armor.
Optical device that uses laser pulses to measure the distance to a target with high precision.
A main battle tank is a heavily armored vehicle with a large caliber gun, used for front-line combat.
Nuclear, Biological, Chemical protection for tank crews.
Enhanced low-light visibility through specialized optics or sensors.
Handheld or vehicle-mounted devices that release dense smoke to obscure vision, conceal movements, or screen friendly forces from enemy observation.
A smoothbore gun is a firearm with an unrifled barrel, allowing projectiles to travel without spin; it is commonly used in modern tank main guns for firing fin‑stabilized ammunition.
Thermal sights are infrared imaging devices mounted on a tank's gunner station that detect heat emitted by objects, enabling target identification and aiming in low‑visibility conditions.
A torsion bar is a steel rod that resists twisting and serves as a spring in tank suspensions, with one end fixed to the hull and the other connected to a lever arm moving the road wheel.
These terms are listed automatically because they appear on this page.full encyclopedia →
📚 Sources
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