via Jerusalem Post.
The IDF's 7rh Armored Brigade is in the midst of a modernization process that will see all tank battalions equipped with the Merkava Mk. 4 tank by 2016, a senior army source said Tuesday.Israel's recent fight is causing a serious back to basics movement. Good to see.
The brigade's 75th battalion will complete the switch over from the Merkava Mk. 2 tank to the Mk. 4 on Thursday, and an additional two tank battalions will complete the process within two years, he added.
The tanks will come equipped with Raphael's Trophy active protection system against anti-tank missile attacks, making them suitable for combat in complex and hostile environments saturated with guerrilla cells armed with anti-tank missiles, particularly, in Lebanon against Hezbollah, according to the source.
The Seventh Brigade's fourth battalion is an engineering corps unit, and the brigade is also supplemented by a specialized infantry company that travels around in armored vehicles.
"The last time we got a new tank was in the 1980s," the officer said.
"This will enhance our ability to fight in closed spaces and hilly areas, against an enemy that disappears," he stated.
