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Israel MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office)
Merkava Mk4
The current-generation Israeli main battle tank, built around a distinctive front-mounted engine that shields the crew and allows a rear troop/casualty hatch. It has been continuously upgraded with the Trophy active protection system after extensive combat use in Lebanon and Gaza.
In service since 2004 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
64
km/h
500
km range
24
hp/t
120
mm gun
65,000
kg
💲 ≈ $6,000,000, Approximate acquisition unit cost
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 2004. Status: active · ~620 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$15M – $21M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
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.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Merkava Mk4 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 Stronger than 35% 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.
- 500 km Stronger than 60% of main battle tanks
- Power-to-weight
Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.
- 24 hp/t Stronger than 69% of main battle tanks
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 120 mm MG253 smoothbore
- Secondary armament
Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.
- 12.7 mm + 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
- Ammunition
Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.
- 48 Stronger than 88% of main battle tanks
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
- 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, smoke grenade launchers
- 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.
- 65,000 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.
- GD883 turbocharged diesel
- Engine power
Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.
- 1,500 hp Stronger than 84% of main battle tanks
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 1,400 L
- 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.
- Knight Mk4 fire control, panoramic commander sight
- Thermal imaging
Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.
- Yes
Munition
Round type, penetration, velocity and projectile data.
- Caliber
Bore diameter the round is fired from.
- 120 mm
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $6,000,000 Stronger than 75% of main battle tanks
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 620 Stronger than 62% of main battle tanks
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 24% 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 2026-07-01.
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What is the top speed of the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 has a maximum speed of 64 km/h.
What is the range of the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 has a maximum range of 500 km.
How much does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 weigh? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 has a combat weight of 65,000 kg.
How many crew does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 require? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 requires a crew of 4.
What is the main armament of the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4's primary weapon is the 120 mm MG253 smoothbore.
What engine does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 use? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 is powered by the GD883 turbocharged diesel.
What is the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 used for? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 is a main battle tank typically used for anti armor, infantry combat.
How many countries operate the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 cost? +
The MANTAK (Merkava Tank Office) Merkava Mk4 has an approximate unit cost of 6,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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