Israeli AFVs

[Sturgeon]

Israeli "Carmel" tank promises to funnel gullible investors' money into company pockets, never move beyond mockup stage.

 

[Mighty_Zuk]

11 hours ago, Sturgeon said:

Israeli "Carmel" tank promises to funnel gullible investors' money into company pockets, never move beyond mockup stage.

 

How did you come up to that conclusion from merely that one article? Which I must say, is misleading as it's basing itself on false information. The Carmel was never intended to replace the Merkava, and Jpost, who first reported this, mistaken it for such an attempt. 

[Sturgeon]

4 hours ago, Mighty_Zuk said:

How did you come up to that conclusion from merely that one article? Which I must say, is misleading as it's basing itself on false information. The Carmel was never intended to replace the Merkava, and Jpost, who first reported this, mistaken it for such an attempt. 

 

I'm psychic.

[LoooSeR]

Note a net over gunner and commander sights.

[Serge]

The LIC kit. 

And most important : the under-belly mine protection plate. 

[LoooSeR]

[roguetechie]

That sucker looks mean!

 

Sort of that I may not be a tank but I'll still bash your face in vibe

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Damn thing's bigger than most tanks! 

[Collimatrix]

3 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Damn thing's bigger than most tanks! 

IFVs and APCs are almost universally taller than tanks:

[LoooSeR]

[Ramlaen]

[Mighty_Zuk]

A new article from "Ynet News" adds new info on the Barak and other programs.

Just a reminder, Barak is an upgraded Merkava 4M. 

 

https://www.yediot.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5043863,00.html

 

It's in Hebrew, but I have taken upon myself to translate the important bits here (some new, some old, I will mark it):

 

1)The Barak weighs 70 tons. (new)

 

Ex: In Israel, exact figures are almost never given. It's not because it's OPSEC, but because that's the sort of mentality here. Only the engineers will handle that, and the plebs get rounded numbers. So it could mean about 69, or it could be 73. 

However up until now it's always been 60-65 tons, so we could see some solid amount of equipment added to the tank, which will be interesting. On the downside, it means weight reduction measures probably weren't taken and I shouldn't explain why excessive weight is bad.

 

2)Utilizes an AI-managed "mission computer". (new/old)

 

Ex: Okay so we've heard plenty of times that many actions will be automated, and that means AI. It was said however mostly in the context of the firing loop. Now they say the mission computer, otherwise known as BMS, will automatically manage certain comms with other assets that will also include the Namers and Eitans among others. Info that was previously manually input by the TC (commander). 

The AI will be able to make various decisions based on the targets it identifies, whether based on the optics or the APS, and advise the crew on certain actions, and make terrain-mapping related decisions such as pointing optimal firing positions or dangerous areas.

 

3)Female voice selected to alert crews via BMS. (new)

 

Ex: Easy to distinguish from a male voice, so it won't blend in with the crew's voices, and the crew will not ignore it (they tend to ignore messages from crewmen). Among the alerts it will give are "Missiles", "Short range ATGM", and "Turning over" which means it will not only alert the crew of the type of threat and thus approximate time to impact, but also of terrain related issues to minimize accidents.

 

4)It was tested as a fully autonomous vehicle. (new)

 

Ex: But there is no operational requirement, for obvious reasons, so it's merely a test. 

 

5)Hybrid powerplant. (new)

 

Ex: To cope with the higher weight and to save on fuel, hybrid is the way to go. This could also give it an amazing torque and make it a "little" speed demon. And as an environmentalist it really gives me some relief.

 

6)IronVision helmet system tested last month (October). (old)

 

Ex: I thought it was scheduled to be tested in April, but nonetheless it's good news it happened. The date for operational fielding has remained unchanged, and even rounded down to 2020, so there's no delay but a re-scheduling. 

 

7)IronVision to be tested soon on Company-sized force. (new)

 

Ex: Means less time required for full operational testing, if they segment the operational testing phases to do in parallel with the program.

 

8)Starting next year, 3 times as many Trophy-equipped vehicles will be manufactured as this year. (new)

 

Ex: While the production rate is still minimal, to keep the work stable and allow to double the output when needed urgently, the front-line units will benefit greatly and at a quick rate from this decision. It also comes in light of the recent contract for 1,000 Trophy systems, and the decision to not only equip the Namers and Eitans with it, but also the Merkava 3.

 

9)USA is purchasing 100 Trophy systems (brigade-sized). (new/old)

 

Ex: Some speculated on either possibility. Either the contract was merely for the support of the installation of systems, or for the purchase of a brigade-worth of systems. Now it's confirmed that they are indeed equipping an entire brigade.

 

 

 

Big wall of text, I know, so I give you here Brig. Gen. Baruch Matzliach holding Israel's big stick's big stick:

 

[Mighty_Zuk]

 

Below the drum we see a schematics of the hull ammo rack, along with different colors and markings to tell which shells are where. 

The controller shows the number '6', which may indicate how many shells are left in the drum.

[Mighty_Zuk]

 

 

And a few photos:

Spoiler

 

 

And from a reservist brigade; a few photos of the interior:

Spoiler

 

[Mighty_Zuk]

Someone claims to be personally familiar with the incident - says it occurred in 2006 after an ATGM hit the powerpack section. Fire was put out quickly enough, engine replaced and it returned to service very shortly after.

 

I don't know what kind of data and statistics MANTAK have, and I know they make overall very practical decisions, but I think it's about time the LFP gets some armor. The hull is too tall to neglect that area and focus all the frontal armor on the UFP.

 

 

[SH_MM]

That's quite a large hole in the upper front plate. Must have been a large calibre ATGM.

[Mighty_Zuk]

26 minutes ago, SH_MM said:

That's quite a large hole in the upper front plate. Must have been a large calibre ATGM.

That's probably not a hole. When the transmission hatch is open, there is a small gap in front of it, between it and the UFP. The fire comes out from that gap, and it's been estimated to be a fuel fire.

[Collimatrix]

ERA is extremely practical for the LFP.  There aren't any of the usual concerns about collateral damage because the flyer plate gets thrown to the ground instead of being ejected skyward.

[LoooSeR]

Is that laser sensor just under HMG on yop of the main gun?

[Mighty_Zuk]

Seems to be Elbit's ELAWS laser warning system. But the picture resolution doesnt let me see it well enough.

[LoooSeR]

This one have same sensor

 

AFAIK usually 2 of similar sensors are mounted on turret front of the Merkava 4. What arc/sector those things can cover?

[SH_MM]

Probably something like 90°, Elbit proposes four sensors for a 360° coverage (therefore the British Ajax has four ELWAS sensors)

[Serge]

16 hours ago, LoooSeR said:

Is that laser sensor just under HMG on yop of the main gun?

Yes. 

With Merk Mk3, this is a 3 pieces package. 

[Mighty_Zuk]

From 1996:

 

[Scolopax]

Thought the CITV on the Abrams looked funny, figured out its an AN/VLQ-6 countermeasure device.  I don't think I've ever noticed them before.