Merkava 3M

Announced last year concurrently with the announcement on the Merkava 4 Barak development, the Merkava 3 is set to become the 3M and receive the Trophy system. The project will take about 3 years, and will cover the 188th active armor brigade.

There has been some confusion around this topic. Some thought the IDF intends to equip the entirety of the Merkava 3 brigades with Trophy. It does not. I'll try to explain why.

The armored corps consists of 4 active armored brigades, and 8 in reserve. Those who finish their service are transferred to the reserve brigades where they undergo training to gain proficiency in the new tanks they're operating, because usually reservists' tanks are older and require time to get used to. The bigger the gap, the less effective they are after the transition. A serviceman on a Merkava 4M, the most technologically advanced MBT in the IDF, and one of the most advanced in the world, will face a serious shock if he's transferred to an early 1980's Merkava 2. All the advanced features he got used to, the tank's speed, its firepower options, the living conditions, the aiding devices in his previous station, are all gone.

For this reason, the IDF does not equip its active brigades first and only then the reservists. It zigzags between active and reserve.

The Merkava 3 brigade is also needed because its servicemen will have an easier time integrating in the 2 remaining Merkava 2 brigades and another Mark 3A brigade. It's very much possible that the IDF will choose to keep the Merkava 3 in active service for at least another 5 to 8 years, until the Merkava 2 tanks are either completely phased out, or one remaining that would be replaced by these Mark 3.

At the moment there is 1 fully equipped reserve brigades with Merkava 4A/B tanks, and another one is in the middle of its transition.

Armored Corps Brigades
Tag	Name	No#	Division	Command	Equipment
Active Brigades
	Storm from Golan	7	36th	North	Merkava 4M
	Barak	188	36th	North	Merkava 3D Baz
	Iron Tracks	401	162nd	South	Merkava 4M
	Bnei Or	460	80th	South	Merkava 4M and 3D Baz (also instructional)
Reserve Brigades
	Kiryati	4	319th	North	Merkava 4
	Zaken	8	91st	North	Merkava 3A
	Arel	10	252nd	South	Merkava 2
	Crushers	14	252nd	South	Merkava 3
	Oryx	37	162nd	South	Merkava 3D Baz
	Iron Fist	205	319th	North	Merkava 3D Baz
	Yiftach	434	210th	North	Merkava 3D Baz
	Steel Chariots	847	340th	Central	Merkava 2 Transitioning to Merkava 4

            

So back to the Trophy system!

When this brigade will be fully equipped with the Trophy APS in about 3 years, the IDF will simultaneously reach multiple milestones:

1)The entire active arm of the armored corps will be equipped with the Trophy APS.

2)It will have 2 armored divisions worth of APS-equipped combat vehicles.

3)The 36th will have 2 armored brigades with Trophy, and one infantry brigade with Trophy-equipped Namer APCs/IFVs.

4)The 162nd will have 1 armored brigade with Trophy, and 2 infantry brigades with Trophy-equipped Namer and Eitan IFVs.

And of course, by the time the US and Russia only start delivering APS-equipped tanks and AFVs to the frontline units, the IDF will already start transitioning its first APS-equipped tanks to reserve units, in about 2-3 years from now. And will start producing APS-equipped vehicles at a rate of 100 vehicles per year.