Seventh Armoured Brigade of Israeli army will be equipped with Merkava IV Trophy tanks 2910141
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IDF Israel Defense Forces |
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| Wednesday, October 29, 2014 01:16 PM | |||
| Seventh Armoured Brigade of Israeli army will be equipped with Merkava IV Trophy tanks. | |||
The
IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Seventh Armoured brigade is in the midst of
a modernization process that will see all tank battalions equipped with
the Merkava
Mark IV tank by 2016, a senior army source said Tuesday,
October 28, 2014. The seventh brigade’s Fourth Battalion is an engineering
corps unit, and the brigade is also supplemented by a specialized infantry
company that travels in armored vehicles. |
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 Soldiers from the reconnaissance company of the 7th Armored Brigade during their baret march. |
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The brigade’s 75th Battalion will complete the switch from the Merkava Mark II tank to the Mark IV on Thursday, and an additional two tank battalions will complete the process within two years, he added. The
tanks will come equipped with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ Trophy
active protection against anti-tank missile attacks, making them suitable
for combat in areas infested with guerrilla cells armed with anti-tank
missiles, such as in Lebanon against Hezbollah, according to the source. Lebanon is the prime arena being simulated in drills, the officer confirmed, adding that the brigade is training for the event of a sudden eruption of conflict with Hezbollah. The new tank will also provide a better defense of military units gathering in staging areas prior to an assault. Next year, the seventh brigade’s 77th Battalion will receive the Merkava Mark IV, and after it, the 88th Battalion is next. The new platform is already influencing training, particularly in drills involving the simulation of maneuvers deep in enemy territory, the source said. |
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The
Merkava IV represents the third evolution of the
Merkava main battle tank family. The
tank is capable of carrying eight infantry soldiers, a command group or
three litter patients (stretcher casualties) in addition to the tank crew
of commander, loader, gunner and driver. The tank is capable of firing
on the move at moving targets and has demonstrated high hit probability
in firing against attack helicopters using conventional anti-tank munitions. |
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