Armor/AFV: IDF [Israeli Defense Forces]
Armor and AFVs of the IDF army from 1947-today.
Hosted by Darren Baker
IDF Light/Heavy Metal
ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Tuesday, June 12, 2018 - 02:03 AM UTC
1541.


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ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Sunday, June 17, 2018 - 09:03 PM UTC
A Mk.IV dressed-up in Fibrotex's mobile camouflage-system: http://www.fibrotex-tech.com/mobile-platforms

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ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Sunday, June 17, 2018 - 09:11 PM UTC
1553.


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ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Sunday, June 17, 2018 - 09:25 PM UTC
Special, short-barrelled version for urban-warfare...

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McScheffer
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Posted: Monday, June 18, 2018 - 04:56 AM UTC
Hey Israel,

do you know the story behind pic 1560 ff?

Regards
Chris
ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Monday, June 18, 2018 - 05:07 AM UTC

Quoted Text

do you know the story behind pic 1560 ff?



AFAIK it took a direct hit from an AT missile during the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Nagmakava
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Posted: Monday, June 18, 2018 - 07:55 AM UTC
Great photos. Do you have anymore of the Volvo tractor/tank transporter please?
exgrunt
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Posted: Tuesday, June 19, 2018 - 12:17 AM UTC
1546 really gives you an idea of how hard this thing must be to spot in a hull down position with just the turret visible. Nice design feature, especially compared to other western tanks.

LonCray
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Posted: Tuesday, June 19, 2018 - 02:05 AM UTC
Re: 1560 to 1562 - a little 100 mile per hour tape would fix that right up! Perhaps with a little superglue.
ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Tuesday, June 19, 2018 - 02:33 AM UTC

Quoted Text

1546 really gives you an idea of how hard this thing must be to spot in a hull down position with just the turret visible. Nice design feature, especially compared to other western tanks.



Spot-on observation, John: the Merkava was very much designed with special topographic features of the Golan Heights on mind, as well as the unique tank-warfare tactics developed there (firing from prepared positions).
ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Tuesday, June 19, 2018 - 02:36 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Great photos. Do you have anymore of the Volvo tractor/tank transporter please?



Thanks, Jim. I'm afraid all I have can be found on page #7 of this thread.
ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Sunday, June 24, 2018 - 07:30 PM UTC
1563.


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All in one: Mk.4, 3D and 2B
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ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Monday, July 16, 2018 - 08:46 PM UTC
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ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Saturday, July 28, 2018 - 09:21 PM UTC
1581.


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exgrunt
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Posted: Sunday, July 29, 2018 - 03:48 AM UTC
Interesting on the M-4 that that the smoke grenades all point forward. Every other Western MBT has them angled to spread out after launching a salvo.

Given how often the IDF updates it's MBT's, wonder if we'll soon be seeing some glimpses of the Merkava 5?
brunocollin
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Posted: Wednesday, August 01, 2018 - 02:59 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I assumed the extended/redirected exhausts on the recovery tractor in photo 641 was so the crew wouldn't be asphyxiated by diesel exhaust while trying to hook up the tow cables. But the gun-tank in photo 653 has something similar. Just one more reason to think that when modelling AFVs produced in large numbers (and thus modified/repaired in large numbers) that it's always risky to say a particular detail is "wrong"--some guy will then pop up with a photo showing it existed.


The long exhausts on Egyptian's T-34/SU-100, as far as I know, were introduced after their disastrous campaign into Yemen in 1965.
The story behind is that Yemenite fighters succeeded in choking T-34 engines by pushing their keffiyehs (or any other thing) into the exhaust pipes, immobilizing the tanks.
Legend or truth, I can't say for sure, but you don't see those long exhausts before 1965.
Scarred
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Posted: Wednesday, August 01, 2018 - 03:38 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

I assumed the extended/redirected exhausts on the recovery tractor in photo 641 was so the crew wouldn't be asphyxiated by diesel exhaust while trying to hook up the tow cables. But the gun-tank in photo 653 has something similar. Just one more reason to think that when modelling AFVs produced in large numbers (and thus modified/repaired in large numbers) that it's always risky to say a particular detail is "wrong"--some guy will then pop up with a photo showing it existed.


The long exhausts on Egyptian's T-34/SU-100, as far as I know, were introduced after their disastrous campaign into Yemen in 1965.
The story behind is that Yemenite fighters succeeded in choking T-34 engines by pushing their keffiyehs (or any other thing) into the exhaust pipes, immobilizing the tanks.
Legend or truth, I can't say for sure, but you don't see those long exhausts before 1965.



Just lengthening an exhaust pipe wouldn't stop someone from stuffing something in it to disable the engine, in fact it gives them more room to shove more stuff up one.
ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Wednesday, August 01, 2018 - 05:26 AM UTC
Maybe the thick black smoke from the exhaust limited visibility therefore they wanted to dispense it as low as possible...?
RobinNilsson
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Posted: Wednesday, August 01, 2018 - 05:51 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Maybe the thick black smoke from the exhaust limited visibility therefore they wanted to dispense it as low as possible...?



Did the Egyptians continue the Soviet practice of having infantry riding on the top of the tank? If they did it could be a reason for pushing the exhaust down.

Were thermal sights an issue to consider back in 1965?
Bringing the exhaust gases closer to the ground could possibly spread out the heat and make the heat plumes less distinct and prominent. A redesign to something else than a simple pipe would be more effective though ..

Maybe they just wanted to get the heat away from the rear plate to try and avoid heating the tank ....

/ Robin
ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Wednesday, August 01, 2018 - 06:13 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Did the Egyptians continue the Soviet practice of having infantry riding on the top of the tank? If they did it could be a reason for pushing the exhaust down.



No. By 1967 Egyptian mechanized infantry rode in APCs into battle, regular infantry were transported in trucks.
ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Thursday, August 02, 2018 - 11:42 PM UTC
1595.


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Scarred
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Posted: Friday, August 03, 2018 - 03:20 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Maybe the thick black smoke from the exhaust limited visibility therefore they wanted to dispense it as low as possible...?



I was thinking the opposite, stir up dust for concealment? Dust raised from the tracks blown around so the don't need smoke.
Scarred
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Posted: Friday, August 03, 2018 - 03:27 AM UTC
1605. I was always so paranoid about painting the white stripes on the barrels so I didn't have any runs, the black lines had to be perfect and the paint uniform, no blotches. I look at that paint job and it's like they said "meh, close enough". Now I'm not going to be so a... retentive.
ReluctantRenegade
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Posted: Friday, August 03, 2018 - 04:20 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I was thinking the opposite, stir up dust for concealment? Dust raised from the tracks blown around so the don't need smoke.



The tracks stir up the dust so much, the exhaust wouldn’t make any difference.
Scarred
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Posted: Friday, August 03, 2018 - 10:19 AM UTC
Yeah, things like this drive me nuts wondering why they did that.