In 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF, or Tzahal in Hebrew) plans to adopt the newest modification of its "Merkava" main battle tank – the Merkava Mk 5 Barak. The quantities, terms and costs of deliveries of such MBTs are not disclosed. It is also unknown whether existing tanks will be upgraded to the specified modification, as noted in the article by Polish Defence24.
What we know is that the key differences of the Merkava Mk 5 Barak from the previous four versions will be in the tank protection system and internal "filling". In particular, the Merkava Mk 5 Barak should receive an improved version of the Trophy active protection system, which will be able to counter even the latest Spike anti-tank missiles from Israel's Rafael.
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In addition, the latest tank of the IDF will receive a system of all-round video cameras that will provide images in daytime and night conditions, and will be connected to the tank commander's helmet, which will resemble the helmet of an attack aircraft pilot. And perhaps the most interesting feature – the Merkava Mk 5 Barak should receive means of electronic warfare, however, its the operational range is not disclosed.
It seems that the architecture of the Merkava Mk 5 Barak is based on technical solutions dictated, among other things, by the experience of the battles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the russian army, during which the russians lost 2,049 tanks. In particular, the emphasis is on improving ergonomics and situational awareness for the crew. And also on the capability of "jamming" enemy drones.
Which is why we can conclude that the Israeli military does not believe that drones took over tanks on the battlefield. Well, at the same time, as a side note, this type of improvement will also be useful for modifications that are currently in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, too.
The Israeli Defense Forces is one of the few armies in the world where the number of tanks in storage warehouses exceeds the number of tanks in combat units. The authors of The Military Balance handbook for 2021 state that the active units of the Israeli army had at their disposal about 160 Merkava Mk3 tanks and about 330 Merkava Mk4 tanks (490 vehicles in total), but in storage warehouses there were about 660 Merkava Mk3s and about 220 Merkava Mk4s, 880 vehicles in total, i.e. twice as many.
Therefore, the question is, whether the Israeli military will upgrade the existing Merkava in military units and storage bases to the level of the Merkava Mk 5 Barak.
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