Israel Lost Latest Version Merkava Tank

15 November, 2024 The detached turret of the Merkava tank of the latest MK4 Barak version. Photo: X/plovejet Israel has irretrievably lost a Merkava tank of the latest MK4 Barak version in the Gaza Strip.

The photo was shared by a user Tank Posting on the X. The only survivor of the crew is the driver's mechanic, who suffered burns. In the dialog below the post, the author claims that this is the first loss of this type of tank.

Dialog about the first confirmed loss of the Merkava Mk4 Barak tank

However, back in October 2023, a tank of this type was documented to have been targeted by a drone and captured by the Hamas forces.

A damaged Merkava Mk.4 tank on the border with the Gaza Strip.

Photo: Palestinian media

Merkava Mk.4 tank with installed Trophy APS. Photo: Palestinian media

During the dialog, one of the speakers claims that the tank was not destroyed, and that it was not a tank of the latest Mk.4 Barak version.

Dialog about the first confirmed loss of the Merkava Mk4 Barak tank

Whatever happened to the tank in October 2023, the pictures of the tank published today show that it cannot be restored. It is not known why the Merkava Mk4 Barak tank lost its turret and almost all of its crew was killed.

Remains of the latest MK4 Barak Merkava tank.

Photo: X/plovejet

Remains of the latest MK4 Barak Merkava tank. Photo: X/plovejet

As a possible variant, we can recall last year's article of Militarnyi, when one of the videos showed Hamas militants with exotic twin grenade launchers looked like Soviet PG-7VS grenades on top and PG-7VR on the bottom.

Twin RPG-7 grenade launchers in the hands of Hamas militants, October 2023. Freeze frame from a propaganda video

At the time, it was assumed that the concept of use was based on exploiting the Trophy's vulnerability - the inability to simultaneously intercept two munitions in a row in a narrow sector.

That is, when the first PG-7VS grenade is fired, flying towards the tank, it plays a distracting role to neutralize the APS countermeasure, and the second PG-7VR munition fired immediately after it is already flying through the gap in the defense and is supposed to hit the tank.

This concept is already used in the Russian RPG-30 Kryuk anti-tank rocket grenade, which first fires a target simulator to neutralize the interceptor, followed immediately by the main 105-mm high explosive munition.