Merkava 1

The Merkava Mk.1 is a tier 5 main battle tank originating from Israel, and is sold by Sol Schreiber. It can be unlocked from the Sho't Kal Dalet, and leads to the Merkava 2C and M1 Abrams.

Features

 * Heavy Armor : this vehicle's armor bounces more shots and takes more hits
 * Fast EXP : this vehicle earns extra EXP
 * Increase Durability : this vehicle has more hit points than other vehicles of this tier
 * HESH : can even penetrate armor with large hit angles
 * First order ready rack: allows you to fire several round and reloads automatically

Pros

 * Very survivable hull
 * Nearly impenetrable turret

Cons

 * Mediocre mobility
 * Large turret weakpoint

History
Class: Main Battle Tank Developed: 1970-1980 Service: 1980+ Vehicles Built: 250-350 (sources vary) Operators: Israel The Merkava (&#34;Chariot&#34;) 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. Contrary to its current reputation and popular belief, the Merkava program started only as an attempt to actually produce something at least roughly equal to western MBTs of the time without having to rely heavily on foreign components due to the fact that the favor of superpowers was fickle at best. This didn&#39;t happen either, the initial Merkava model was essentially comparable to the two decades older M60A1 in performance (that is, without taking the teething issues it faced into account) and most internal modules of this “all-Israeli” tank were American. Several designs and wooden mockups were completed in 1970 and the first four finalized prototypes were ready by 1974 with the Merkava Mk.1 entering official production in April 1979. The first fully equipped battalion of 30 tanks was operational starting from 1980. The first Merkava was essentially a prototype pushed into service and suffered from a number of teething issues. It was large, heavy, unreliable and slow. Its armor was made of steel only with a nasty shot trap at the back of the turret and its mobility was hampered by its weak engine. However, compared to the Magach tanks, the Merkava crews had higher chances to survive. By the time the 1982 Operation Peace for Galilee (the Lebanon War) took place, roughly 200 Merkava Mk.1 tanks were in service with some participating in the fighting.