Achzarit

A heavy armored personnel carrier converted from captured Soviet-export T-54/T-55 tank hulls, with the turret removed and replaced by a troop compartment. Its heavy armor made it one of the most protected APCs of its era before being supplemented by the Namer.

In service since 1988 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km/h

500

km range

7.6

mm gun

44,000

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Israeli export-licensed

Israeli MoD (DECA/SIBAT) licensing; active export programme.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 1988. Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

7.62 NATO

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 60 km/h

Bottom 4% of IFVs
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 500 km

Stronger than 26% of IFVs

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 7.62 mm machine gun
Secondary armament Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.: 60 mm mortar (some variants)
Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.: 7.6 mm

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.: Applique composite armor over T-54/T-55 hull
Reactive armor Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets.: No
NBC protection Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.: Yes

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 6.5 m
Width Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.: 3.3 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.: 2 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 44,000 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 3
Troop capacity Number of embarked troops/passengers (IFV, APC, transport). Higher carries more.: 7

Stronger than 36% of IFVs

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: Detroit Diesel 8V-71TA
Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.: 650 hp

Stronger than 77% of IFVs
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Diesel

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Thermal imaging Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.: No

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 23% of IFVs

Specifications compiled from public MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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