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Israel MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office)
Merkava Barak
The newest generation of Israel's Merkava main battle tank, introduced in 2023 and built on the Merkava IV platform. The Barak adds an upgraded Trophy active protection system, the Elbit Iron Vision helmet-mounted 'see-through-armor' system, 360-degree sensors and AI-assisted target detection.
In service since 2023 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗
64
km/h
500
km range
21
hp/t
120
mm gun
70,000
kg
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 2023. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →
Interoperability
Competitive field
47 comparable systems from 17 other manufacturers
Counted in the WeaponSpecs database: main battle tanks built by another manufacturer that share at least one published role with this system. A count of what this catalog holds, not a survey of the whole market. See the alternatives →
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.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Merkava Barak can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
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. | 64 km/h |
|---|---|
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 500 km |
| Power-to-weight Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility. | 21 hp/t |
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | 120 mm MG251-LR smoothbore |
|---|---|
| Secondary armament Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods. | 12.7 mm remote weapon station, 2x 7.62 mm machine guns, 60 mm internal mortar |
| Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better, ammunition commonality matters. | 120 mm |
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
| Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified. | Modular composite armor with front-mounted engine block |
|---|---|
| Active protection Hard-kill APS (Trophy, Arena, Afganit) intercepts incoming projectiles before impact. | Trophy (upgraded) |
| Reactive armor Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets. | Yes |
| Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers. | Trophy APS, Iron Vision situational awareness |
| 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. | 9.04 m |
|---|---|
| Width Overall width, matters for rail/road transport of vehicles. | 3.72 m |
| Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles. | 2.66 m |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 70,000 kg |
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 4 |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Engine Powerplant model and type. | V-12 turbocharged diesel |
|---|---|
| Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster. | 1,500 hp |
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Diesel |
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights. | Elbit Iron Vision helmet-mounted see-through-armor, 360-degree cameras, AI-assisted target detection |
|---|---|
| Thermal imaging Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations. | Yes |
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
|---|
Specifications compiled from public MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-05.
Compare with rivals
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What is the top speed of the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak has a maximum speed of 64 km/h.
What is the range of the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak has a maximum range of 500 km.
How much does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak weigh? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak has a combat weight of 70,000 kg.
How many crew does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak require? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak requires a crew of 4.
What is the main armament of the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak's primary weapon is the 120 mm MG251-LR smoothbore.
What engine does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak use? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak is powered by the V-12 turbocharged diesel.
What is the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak used for? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak is a main battle tank typically used for anti armor, infantry combat.
How many countries operate the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Barak is operated by 1 countries.
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