Before Israel's large-scale ground offensive began, the armored forces suffered considerable losses, and its "Merkava" main battle tanks were destroyed in large numbers. According to Hamas, more than 50 tanks have been destroyed by the Israeli army, accounting for 10% of the IDF tank population.
Videos posted by Hamas on social platforms show them using drones to fly above the Merkava III tank and then airdrop a propulsion rocket to destroy it. To defend against similar blows, the Israeli army has equipped some tanks with roof armor. The media predicts that the tanks may be among the first to be used in a ground offensive on Gaza.
This shows that the myth of the Israeli "Merkava" main battle tank has been shattered
There are not many countries in the world that can independently develop third-generation main battle tanks, and Israel is one of them, which is very rare for a country with a small country and a widow. The tank was developed by Israel Defense Industries and entered service in the 1980s. Its design concept is based on strong mobility and excellent protection, making it a unique tank.
Protection is the most outstanding advantage of the Merkava, which Israel regards as the most important performance, focusing on firepower and mobility. Its frontal front, turret top, tank body, and fighting compartment roof armor are different from other tanks, using a gap or spaced armor structure, with a mezzanine in the middle, which is used to store materials to strengthen secondary protection capabilities.
The "Merkava" tank particularly highlights the protection of the crew, batteries, three-proof devices, hydraulic power components, transmission devices, etc. are arranged around the crew compartment, even if it is hit head-on, it can also play a good protection and cushioning role. In order to prevent the detonation of ammunition, tank ammunition is placed in fireproof and explosion-proof containers to avoid injury to the crew from explosion. There is an automatic explosion suppression device inside, which can suppress and eliminate the risk of mixed gas explosion within 60 milliseconds.
In addition, the "Merkava" tank also has three defense functions, namely anti-radiation, anti-biological weapons, and anti-chemical weapons, creating an overpressure environment in the cabin through the central pressurization system to prevent toxic substances from entering the cabin through the gap. Even important external devices such as the sight of the tank's main gun, laser rangefinder, etc. were protected with steel plates.
It can be said that the "Merkava" tank is the best of the main battle tanks in the world. In the past few Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, the Merkava tank has also performed very well. For example, in Operation Cast Lead in 2006, 52 Israeli tanks were damaged, only 5 were completely destroyed, and 22 armor was pierced. Of the 208 crew members, 30 were killed and 25 wounded, with only one tank crew killed.
The Merkava tanks closely protected all the places that might be hit, but did not strengthen the top, and Hamas found a weak point.
Of course, Hamas's use of drones cannot be underestimated
It is understood that Hamas uses the Iranian "Swallow-2" drone, which is mainly used for suicide attacks, which is actually a patrol missile. It has a simple structure, a cylindrical fuselage and a swept vertical tail, propelled by propellers, but can reach a range of 100 kilometers.
The drone is inexpensive to manufacture, has a long range, is simple to operate, and can be launched on any platform, making it ideal for Hamas. When it comes to striking tanks, it has an armor penetration depth of 80 mm and can easily penetrate weak tank top armor. Because of this, Hamas was able to destroy Israeli tanks in large numbers in a short period of time.
The Swallow-2 UAV gives Hamas a partial advantage in fighting Israel, which will greatly weaken the offensive momentum of Israeli ground forces. In addition, patrol missiles are inexpensive, and if you can destroy a tank with a patrol missile, it can be said to be a great value.
On the whole, Palestine has performed very well in this operation, whether it is pre-war secrecy, organizational strength, operational ability, or the use of new tactics and new equipment, there are remarkable points, and the achievements have shown the world how to deal with the modern national defense system with backward equipment. This is something that all countries can learn from and learn from.