The IDF introduced a new, highly advanced version of the Merkava tank that will improve operational capabilities on the modern battlefield.
By: World Israel News Staff
The IDF this week introduced its new battlefield tank, the Merkava Mark (Mk.) 4 Barak, which was developed in order to improve the Armored Corps’ operational capabilities on the modern battlefield and make it more efficient, accurate and lethal.
The new tank, an improvement of the operational Merkava Mark IV, will “advance the Armored Corps’ operational capabilities and serve as an innovative weapon, changing the face of the battlefield,” the IDF stated proudly.
The tank’s new elements include artificial intelligence, touch screens and smart computers, updated sensors, and Virtual Reality (VR) capabilities.
One of the new features in the Merkava Mk. 4 Barak will be a smart mission computer that will manage the tanks’ tasks – the first tank ever to have this ability. This advanced artificial intelligence will reduce the team members’ workload and help them more accurately locate and strike targets.
“The advanced defense capabilities and the use of electronic means will prepare the combat soldiers to carry out missions according to the level of urgency,” a senior official from the Armored Corps stated. “Along with all this, additional logistical improvements will also be introduced that will enable the tank to carry out missions that are up to 30 percent longer than current ones.”
One primary futuristic feature and an incredible advancement in tank warfare is that soldiers can operate the tank via virtual VR simulation.
“The helmet is called Iron View, and it will allow the combat soldiers to see the outside environment from inside the combat vehicle,” said a senior official from the Armored Corps. “The sensors will allow the combat soldiers to operate the tank in a simple and advanced way, and will contribute to its defense – both physically and technologically.”
Tanks will now be able operate in a dangerous urban setting without exposing their bodies outside the tank.
The VR sessions will also allow for soldiers in training to partake in real exercises at all times. This means that when soldiers need to use the Merkava Mk. 4 Barak they will be more prepared than ever before.
On the front lines of combating terror
In 2018 alone, the Armored Corps struck approximately 30 different terror infrastructure targets in the Gaza Strip.
The Armored Corps has played a significant and decisive role in every war that Israel has fought, while some of the IDF’s armored corps battles are studied at military academies around the world.
The Merkava was developed in Israel in the 1970s and has since been updated with many changes to the tank, including the recent addition of the Barak system, which will propel Israel’s ground capabilities into the future.
“The Armored Corps concludes a significant period of operational successes in various regions, which proves the relevance of the corps in protecting the security of the State of Israel and its civilians,” said the senior official from the Armored Corps. “The new tank brings the Armored Corps a step forward in the operational arena, and constitutes an innovative weapon that will change the face of the combat on the ground.”