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Israel Legacy MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office)
Merkava Mk1
The original Israeli-designed main battle tank, introduced with a distinctive front-mounted engine layout to enhance crew survivability, first proven in combat during the 1982 Lebanon War. Largely retired or relegated to reserve/museum status as later Merkava generations entered service.
In service since 1979 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
46
km/h
400
km range
15.7
hp/t
105
mm gun
61,000
kg
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed
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 1979. Status: legacy · ~250 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
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.
- 46 km/h Bottom 2% of main battle tanks
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 400 km Bottom 10% of main battle tanks
- Power-to-weight
Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.
- 15.7 hp/t Bottom 9% of main battle tanks
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 105 mm M68 rifled gun
- Secondary armament
Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.
- 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.
- 105 mm
- Ammunition
Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.
- 62 Top 4% of main battle tanks
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Armor
Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.
- Spaced composite armor with front-mounted engine block
- 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.
- 8.63 m
- Width
Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.
- 3.7 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 2.64 m
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 61,000 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.
- Teledyne Continental AVDS-1790 diesel
- Engine power
Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.
- 900 hp Stronger than 25% of main battle tanks
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Diesel
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 250 Stronger than 33% of main battle tanks
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 23% of main battle tanks
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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KNDS Leopard 2A7 Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 has a maximum speed of 46 km/h.
What is the range of the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 has a maximum range of 400 km.
How much does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 weigh? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 has a combat weight of 61,000 kg.
How many crew does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 require? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 requires a crew of 4.
What is the main armament of the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1's primary weapon is the 105 mm M68 rifled gun.
What engine does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 use? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 is powered by the Teledyne Continental AVDS-1790 diesel.
What is the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 used for? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 is a main battle tank typically used for anti armor, infantry combat.
How many countries operate the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1 cost? +
MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk1: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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