The T-72 vs. the Merkava
The Russian’s most successful model going against Israel’s own tank
Ok, so we are moving out of World War II for this one, and going into the Modern Era. Well, 1990 to be more specific. This time we are comparing the tank version of the AK-47, the Soviet T-72 Main Battle Tank. It’s one of the good things the Soviets could do, was build a lot of something, and I mean A LOT. 25,000 plus to be exact, and in tank terms, that’s a pretty high number. And here we have the new kid on the block, Israel, and their Merkava Main Battle Tank. The Merkava is Israel’s first tank that htye manufactured themselves. Needless to say, these tanks still exist and they still fight each other to this day in real life. Let’ get down to business!
Here we have the T-72. Once again, the Soviets are the best at naming tanks, as “T” stands for tank and “72” stands for the tank model, meaning 71 previous models. Like I said, real original. What made this tank the “AK-47 of tanks” is that it was heavily exported, mainly to Middle Eastern countries like Syria and Iraq. The tank has seen combat in 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Iran-Iraq War, the Chechen Wars, and the Gulf Wars, both 1991 and 2003. The T-72 has combat experience, but does it have what it takes to take on the Merkava?
The T-72 comes in weighing at 41 tons, giving it some speed to manuver. The armor on the T-72 is also very thick, coming in at 280mm thick to be precise. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “That’s thicker than the tanks from before!” I know. The reason why the T-73 has more armor is because we have reached 1990, not 1943–1945 World War II. This is the modern age, plus the Soviets like to build things bigger than they need to be. And since we are on the subject of big things, the T-72 also had a big gun, which, yes, is bigger than those form World War II. It carried the 2A46M 125mm smoothbore cannon. To clarify; the cannon shot a 125mm long round, and smoothbore means that there are no ridges in the barrel, which would cause the round to fire straight without spinning. So far, the Soviets are thinking bigger is badder (I mean, it’s Soviet Russia, they were big and bad), but does Israel think smaller is better?
Here we have an action shot of the Israel’s main battle tank, the Merkava IV. This is not a tank in actual combat, more than likely, it’s a tank being used in training for the crew to get familiar with the vehicle. Still, it’s a pretty cool picture. Anyway, the Israelis’ are bit more roiginal in tank names than the Soviets, as “Merkava” means “chariot” in Hebrew. This tank was designed to be used in the desert, though it can be used on plains, the Merkava first saw action in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. In the battles of Sultan Ya’aqub and Ein Zehalta, the Syrians sent everything they had against the Merkava; armor, infantry, even anti-tank helicopters, only to see the Merkava emerge from the smoke. The tank later saw action in the 2006 Lebanon War and in the 2008 Gaza conflict. Here’s the specs of the tank that can withstand a helicopter.
The Merkava comes in weighing at 69 tons, making it a pretty heavy tank. Mobility would be suitable, but it would not be as fast as the T-72. Armor for this tank is a little tricky, as Cowper and Pannell of Tank Spotter’s Guide, state that the Merkava’s armor scematics are classified (well, if it can survive a helicopter attack, it’s got to be good). So, we’re in the dark in terms of armor. As for the gun, the Merkava sports a MG253 120mm smoothbore cannon. The gun is a little smaller than the T-72, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pack a punch. I mean, look at the picture! Do you want that firing at you? Didn’t think so.
And now for the results! I’m going to go with the Merkava on this one, I mean if it survive anti-tank helicopters and still keep on going, I’d say that’s a pretty good tank. But like before, if you don’t think the Merkava won, or you want to make your own decision, hit me up in the comments! Until next time!
