Israel’s Defense Forces Receive First Operational Merkava Barak Tanks
Israel’s Defense Forces and the Israeli defense ministry have announced the delivery of the first operational Merkava 4 Barak (Lightning) main battle tanks, with the 52nd Armored Battalion of the 401st Brigade becoming the first to operate the Baraks.
The delivery of the first operational Baraks follow a final series of trials earlier this year. Last August, then-commanding officer of the Israeli Ground Forces’ Armored Corps, Brigadier General Ohad Najma, announced that the 401st Brigade would be the first Barak-equipped unit.
In development since 2018, the Barak is the latest model of the Merkava 4, and by extension the Merkava family that has served as Israel’s main battle tanks since the 1980s. Development work was jointly conducted by the defense ministry’s Tank and APC Directorate, the Weapons Department of the Israeli Ground Forces and the Armored Corps.
One of the main upgrades on the Barak over the preceding Merkava 4M is Elbit’s IronVision augmented reality system, which allows crew members to “see through” the tank using specially equipped helmets. Elbit claims that the system features artificial intelligence assistance in locating targets. Other upgrades provided by Elbit include improvements to the tank’s night vision and user interface.
Another major upgrade is an improved version of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ Windbreaker hard-kill active protection system, otherwise known as Trophy on the export market. Israel remains the only operator of the system to have intercepted incoming missiles during combat.
Yet another key upgrade is to the tank’s networking abilities, allowing tank crews to better share targeting information among each other and other IDF personnel and assets.
In a statement, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said that it was “very meaningful” that the Baraks were delivered on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War and the “heroic battles fought during this war by the soldiers of the Armored Corps in defense of our country”. “We receive further proof of the relevance and power of the tank as an essential tool. The Barak tank is very innovative – it takes our maneuvering capabilities to another level, and it is a clear expression of our technological capabilities,” the minister continued “I would like to express my appreciation to the engineers of the Tank and APC Administration, the Israeli Ground Forces and all those involved in the professional process.”
Commanding Officer of the 401st Armored Brigade, Colonel Beni Aharon said of the deliveries:
“The brigade invested in learning the capabilities of the tank against the nature of combat and its use in battle, in the training of the crew members and those in charge, and in the cooperation of the tank with other advanced anti-tank weapons, such as the Namer and the Engineering Namer. The absorption of the tank is a tremendous opportunity to improve operational effectiveness in preparation for the next campaign and a significant force multiplier for the IDF, the Israeli Ground Forces and the Armored Corps.
The 401st Armored Brigade sees the Barak Tank as a historic event and a national mission for victory in the next campaign. We were privileged to be the first Armored Brigade to receive the Barak Tank and therefore a great responsibility rests on our shoulders – our mission is to fulfill it with distinction.”