Merkava.

[RERomine]

Originally Posted by kevineduguay1

The Merkava can carry two stretcher cases inside the tank.

How many men can sit in the space of a standard military stretcher?

Given the configuration of the stretchers, I would say you could get four, as long as they are friendly. The photo is obviously of a display model and not in a real vehicle, but the ammo has been remove (aside from the 10 rounds that would be carried elsewhere) which seems to be something no one has said would be done. This is a special configuration and 10 are proposed and supposed to be the the field sometime this year.

[kevineduguay1]

RERomine,

Thanks for posting that picture!

The Merkava "Tankbulance" has a reduced ammo load. No one is saying how reduced but with the whole rear compartmen reconfigurd and the extra equipment etc. it for sure is carrying NO ammo in that area.

[RERomine]

Originally Posted by kevineduguay1

RERomine,

Thanks for posting that picture!

The Merkava "Tankbulance" has a reduced ammo load. No one is saying how reduced but with the whole rear compartmen reconfigurd and the extra equipment etc. it for sure is carrying NO ammo in that area.

Not a problem on the picture. A lot of folks have said they have trouble getting to the site but I don't. While it seems to stretch the facts some, there are a lot of good pictures out there. I figured I would put some of the relevant pictures out here so everyone could see them.

[kevineduguay1]

I had a few that I wanted to post but I kept getting the error message. The Tankbulance was one of them.

I belive thet on that site or one of the links you will find pics of those shell sleaves/protectors stuffed into the baskets at the rear of the tank. I to saw the pic of the crew loading unprotected rounds. It just makes no sence unless its an older Mk and the rounds are going to be repacked into the larger ammo crates.

Those sleaves are supposed to help prevent cook offs. The older bins held 2 or 4 rounds.

[RERomine]

I found the reference to the individual fire-proof canisters, but I don't think we've seen any pictures of them. The photo with the containers on the road, I'm sure those are just shipping tubes. Somewhere in the tank are the fire-proof canisters, so the rounds are removed from the shipping tube and loaded into the canisters. The upright ammo in the road is probably just some intermediate step, where the rounds have been removed from the shipping tubes, but not been stowed in the fire-proof canisters within the tank yet.

As to the caliber of the ammo, they look like 120mm rounds, but don't have combustible casings. The tank doesn't appear to be a Merk IV, because I don't see the rearward facing camera. I'm pretty sure it isn't a Merk I, also. That leaves Merk II or Merk III. If they are 105mm rounds, it is a II, if 120mm a III. Overall, I don't think it matters.

[kevineduguay1]

RERomine,

Yes I see what you mean. It looks like the rounds are removed from the shipping tubes and then placed inside the tank.

Also the rounds in the "ready" magazine area are protected by the magazine. 5-10 rounds depending on Mk.

Now as to the stowage question I have some observations from the short video and the pictures on Tanknet.
Both show an early Mk of Merkava. The short video shows the 4 round containers stacked 6 to each side of the rear compartment much like the picture on the site poster here. Those containers do not belong in that tank. Its a MkI. The picture on my thread on Tanknet show 2 metal bins that look like they could hold about 6 rounds of 105mm ammo. This would match up with the description of secured storage of ammunition on a MkI. If I am correct about those metal bins there are only 12 rounds stored in the back of a MkI. With 5 or 6 at the ready station where are the other 42 rounds stored?
In the game the MkI holds 60 rounds of ammo for its 105mm gun. I have seen other numbers that seem correct up to 62 rounds. Now if you read the part about carrying troops and ammo storage one the site we have both been looking at here the author gives a main gun ammo load of only 47 rounds if carrying troops.
The hull of the MkIII is larger that the MkI and MkII. The MkIVs hull is slightly large than the MkIII. On the site posted here the author only gives the load out of 120mm ammo for the MkIV carrying troops. The Magazine in the MkIII I think only carries 5 rounds. With the smaller magazine the number of rounds stowed while carrying troops in a MkIII would be 5 to 7 rounds less than a MkIV.

With all the videos I have looked at the only rounds that are ever shown being used are those from a magazine of one kind or another. But if we look at the layouts of other tanks we see that ammo can and is stored almost anywhere it will fit.

Just some thoughts.

Edit: Its not a MKIV in the pic but it could be an early MkIII or an updated MkII. The MkIIs have been upgraded almost as much as they can be. MkIIIs going back for re-fit are comming out looking much like MkIVs. Good eye about the camera!

[kevineduguay1]

See post # 26 on the thread I started on Tanknet. Good info on MkI and MkII ammo load out.