According to the defenceturk website reported on June 23, according to Israel's "Haaretz" news on the 22nd, Israel plans to sell hundreds of old Merkava MK3 tanks to a European country. This European country is most likely Cyprus. If successful, it would be the first time Israel has sold Merkava tanks to a European country since 1979.
The news first appeared on June 15, in an interview with the Calcalist Economic Daily by the head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's Export Coordination Department, Yayil Kuras, that Israel was in talks with two countries, one of which was European, on the sale of obsolete Merkava tanks. Israel's Defense Ministry declined to name the country Kulas mentioned. Subsequently, various accounts on many websites and social media claimed that the country in question was Cyprus. Haaretz noted an unnamed Cypriot official who confirmed discussions were ongoing with Israel but declined to provide further details on a potential deal or timeline. Allegedly, one of the options mentioned during the negotiations was to send old Russian-made tanks to Ukraine if Cyprus buys Merkava tanks from Israel. However, according to Haaretz, Cypriot sources denied this claim.
The Merkava main battle tank is a type of main battle tank developed under special historical conditions suitable for Israel's special national conditions. The design concept of "protection first" and "survivability first" has been established, and special designs such as large vehicle body, wedge turret, engine front, rear door opening of the hull, infantry in the crew compartment, and vehicle-mounted mortars have been adopted to meet the combat needs of the Israeli army. Design work on the Merkava Mk3 main battle tank (MBT) began in August 1983, shortly after the delivery of the first Merkava Mk2. Introduced in December 1989, the tank received a number of major upgrades to the drivetrain, powertrain, weapons and safety systems. The first production Mk3 was delivered to the 188th Panzer Brigade in the spring of 1989. Production ceased in 2003, a total of 780 such tanks were produced. The Merkava MK3 main battle tank was equipped with an Israeli-developed MG251 120mm smoothbore gun, the bolts of the barrel heat shield were located above the barrel, and the smoke extraction device was thicker and had no fixed bolts. Modular armor was added to the sides and roof of the turret, and the gun-commander's sight of the image-stabilized fire control system remained in the turret. In addition, the turret of another improved model of the Merkava 3, the Falcon, was equipped with additional saucer-shaped armor to further increase its protection, which is also a distinctive feature of this type of tank.
The Merkava MK3 weighs 65 tons, has a length (gun forward) of 9.04 meters, a hull length of 7.97 meters, a width of 3.72 meters, and a height of 2.66 meters, using a 1200 hp General Dynamics land system AVDS-1790-9ARV-12 air-cooled diesel engine combined with a new Ashot gearbox. The new suspension system consists of 12 load wheels, six on each side, mounted independently on the trailing arm and supported by paired concentric coil springs. The first two and last two load wheel stations on both sides are equipped with hydraulic rotary dampers developed by SHL. The maximum road speed is 60 km / h, the cruising range is 500 km, the slope is 60%, the slope is 40%, it can cross 1 meter vertical step and about 3 m ditch, and wade 1.4 m deep. The Merkava Mk3 is the first main battle tank to be protected with a modular layered armor kit. The armor module is equipped with bolted connections, which allow the entire system to be replaced in the field, greatly improving protection, and a new 230 mm longer turret has been introduced. The Merkava Mk3 is also equipped with an overpressure three-proof protection system and a central filter and air conditioning function.
The Merkava MK3 is equipped with the MG251 120mm smoothbore gun developed by Israel Military Industries, equipped with a Vidco Industries thermal sheath and a reserve of 50 rounds. It is also equipped with three 7.62 mm machine guns, two mounted on the roof and one coaxial with the main gun, with a reserve of 10,000 rounds. The Merkava MK3 is also equipped with a 60-mm mortar system, capable of firing high-explosive and illumination shells. The crew can load, aim and fire from inside the turret. The Hunter Dual Stability Fire Control System, jointly developed by ELOP and Elbit, allows the Merkava Mk3 to engage moving targets with a high first-round hit probability when moving. Both the gunner and the commander can control the all-electric turret, with the commander's panoramic sight with magnifications of ×4.8 and ×12, and the gunner's sight being a dual-axis stabilized day/night sight with magnifications of ×5 (hot) and ×12 (daytime). The gunner's sight contained an Nd:YAG laser rangefinder and an automatic target tracker, and was also equipped with the Amcoram LWS-2 laser warning system and a threat warning display in front of the commander.
Merkava tanks have been marketed to the outside world, but have never received export orders, and only the Philippine Army has ordered two armored bridge erecting vehicles (AVLBs) from Israel's Elbit Systems based on the chassis of Israel's Merkava IV main battle tank. In December 2018, the Philippine Department of Defense (DND) awarded the project to a joint venture between Israel's Elbit Systems and IMI Systems, and a $27.7 million contract was signed in late 2019. Arrived at Batangas Port, Batangas City, Philippines on July 12, 2022. The new AVLB is based on a joint attack bridge with a longer span developed by Leonardo DRS and Israel Military Industries (IMI), the Filipinos require a maximum working weight of 60 tons, a bridge span of at least 18 meters, a road width of at least 3.5 meters, and a military grade of MLC 50. Therefore, there is also speculation that the Philippines may be another buyer mentioned by Israel. Of course, social media also says that it is Moroccan.
Speaking of Cyprus, the country has always been divided. In July 1974, the internal ethnic contradictions in Cyprus reached their peak, the Greek military group staged a coup d'état in Cyprus, the Turkish government invaded Cyprus on the pretext of "protecting the security of the Turkish population", and quickly occupied 37% of the northern territory, moved all the Turkish residents north, forced about 180,000 Greek people to move south, and in 1975 and 1983 respectively declared the establishment of the "Turkish State of Cyprus" and the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", since then the Republic of Cyprus has been divided between the two communities in the north and south for a long time. The "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" is recognized only by Turkey. The United Nations has tried to promote reconciliation between the two communities, but little progress has been made.
According to Military Balance 2021, the Cypriot National Guard has a total of 82 Soviet-made T-80U/UK main battle tanks, which are modifications of the T-80 with a modern turret, contact-5 explosive reactive armor, improved artillery sights and the 9M119 anti-tank missile system. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, due to economic difficulties in various countries, the tank was introduced to the international market at a fairly low price, and Cyprus purchased 41 units in two batches in 1997 and 43 BMP-3s in 2009. Interestingly, when Ukrainians were drawing tanks all over the world, the United States and Germans asked Cyprus to aid Ukraine with 41 vehicles, as a result, the Foreign Minister of Cyprus, Giannis Kasoulides, conveyed a condition to the diplomatic and security adviser to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz James Plotner in exchange for the donation of T-80U for the same number of Leopard 2. As a result, the matter went away. For Cyprus, they must maintain a large number of tanks to deal with the threat of the Turks, and the same number of T-80s and the same number of Merkava MK3 deterrent are not the same. Therefore, it is unlikely that the T-80 will be given to Ukraine. Instead, the aging 52 AMX30B2 tanks in its hands are likely to be the primary targets for replacement. We also need to wait for further news to confirm the status of the transaction.