What if Israel had the Merkava tank in Yom Kipper war

I think you are comparing new versions while I'm talking about Mk I. (63 for Mk I, 65 for Mk III, 61 for Abrams, 54 for Leclerc, 62 for Leo II, according to Wiki). Merks are not that heavier when compared to others, though French tanks were historically light and fast and British heavy and slow. Still, Merk is comparable to others but as I said, Mk Is had weak engines and were underpowered and not overweight with regular engines. Granted results may be simialr but it's easier to put in stronger engine than reove weight.

Wiki lists higher speeds for Merks, though I guess it's again question of which version and what loads we are talking about.

My '97 Janes was giving data for Mk 1 Merkava and M-1 tanks (105mm gun) Abrams. My other, more recent tanks books give heavier weights as well I'm sure the current models are much heavier.
Interesting question is whether Merks made after the '67 War will be more or less underpowered than OTL Mk 1s.
 
As others have pointed out, the Merkava as we know it only developed because of Israeli experiences in the Yom Kippur war. I also have to second Clint's statement that a tank is only as good as its crew. Look at operation Barbarossa, where the German tank crews skill helped offset the fact that the Russian tanks were for the most part technically better.

Also, Jason222, why is it that all your threads seem to involve Israel beating the Arabs one way or another? Just curious...
 
Meh, it's all good. "The man in the tank will be victorious". At the end of the day it's the crew and not the machine, look at the Shermans that knocked out Syrian T-55/62's during the YK war.

Though to be honest they were used in reserve forces and were heavily upgraded and upgunned to 105mm.
 

Jason222

Banned
As others have pointed out, the Merkava as we know it only developed because of Israeli experiences in the Yom Kippur war. I also have to second Clint's statement that a tank is only as good as its crew. Look at operation Barbarossa, where the German tank crews skill helped offset the fact that the Russian tanks were for the most part technically better.

Also, Jason222, why is it that all your threads seem to involve Israel beating the Arabs one way or another? Just curious...
Not all put one thread Palestinian Arab milities had won suggestion happen then.
 
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