- The Israel Defense Forces is prepared to transfer to
the United States all technological know-how used in the production of
the Merkava tank in return for participating in the development of the
American tank of the future that will replace the Abrams (M1-A2).
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- The exchange idea was raised by the commander of the
IDF ground forces, Major General Yiftah Ron Tal, at a meeting in August
with the president of Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems, James Albaugh,
who was visiting Israel at the time. Ron Tal said that when production
of the Merkava Mark 4 was completed, he would like the Israeli armored
corps to equip itself with the future American tank.
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- The Pentagon has given Boeing, the world's largest airplane
producer, responsibility for developing the weapons systems for the American
military's Future Forces. The multibillion-dollar project will also involve
developing the tank of the future. The planned tank will be much lighter
(about a third of the weight of the Merkava) and will move on wheels rather
than on tracks. It will be possible to transport it by plane.
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- The idea is to halt production of the Merkava only after
a reserve division and a regular brigade are fully outfitted with the Merkava
Mark 4 tank, Haaretz has learned. There are some 300 tanks in a division
and 100 in a brigade. According to foreign publications, the IDF has more
than 1,300 Merkavas, making the tank the backbone of the armored divisions
now that the Centurion and Patton tanks have been taken out of service.
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- Since its inception in 1970, some $6.5 billion have been
invested in the Merkava project. According to figures presented to Defense
Ministry officials by Brigadier General Amir Nir, head of the the ministry's
division dealing with the Merkava, the defense establishment will lose
billions of dollars if the project is stopped in the middle of production.
The ministry has acquired equipment for the production lines of the tank
for the next three years.
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- Halting the project could also have an adverse affect
on the large tank-upgrading project that Israel Military Industries is
carrying out in Turkey, using technology from the Merkava to update 170
Patton tanks. That project is worth some $700 million, but no real profit
will be made unless the number of tanks to be upgraded is significantly
increased. Ron Tal has warned that Turkey will not expand the deal if the
Merkava project is shut down.
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