Magach is the designation of a series of tanks in Israeli service. The tanks are based on the AmericanM48 and M60 Patton tanks. The name continued to be used for all Patton tanks, including the M60. Magach 1, 2, 3 and 5 are based on M48 series tanks where as Magach 6 and 7 are based on M60 series tanks.
Service history
The first M48 Patton tanks acquired by the Israel Defense Forces were purchased from West Germany in the early 1960s, followed by deliveries from the United States after 1965. Several dozen Jordanian M48 tanks, captured intact during the 1967 Six-Day War, were also commissioned, adding to the 150 already in service at that time. During the war, the Israeli tanks served in their original configuration. Following the 1967 war, several modifications were made to improve the tank to M48A3 level, resulting in the Magach 3. These modifications included replacing the original 90 mm gun with the British105 mmL7 or US M68 equivalent, replacing the commander's machine gun cupola with a lower-profile Urdan Cupola, upgrading the communication suite, and replacing the 650 hp gasoline engine with a 750 hp diesel one, more powerful and less vulnerable to fuel fires. When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Israel had 540 M48A3 and M60/A1 tanks. During the war, the tanks suffered heavy losses. The location of flammable hydraulic fluid at the front of the turret was discovered to be a severe vulnerability. After the war, Israel had only about 200 M48A3 and M60A1 tanks, after a large number of Israeli tanks were destroyed or terminally hit during the war, mostly in the Sinai front against entrenched Egyptian infantry armed with 9M14 Malyutka anti tank missiles. War losses were replaced with new M48A5, M60 and M60A1 during the 1970s. The older M60's were supplied to make up for a shortage of sufficient M60A1s, explaining why the older model has the higher designation. Prior to the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Magach 6 and 7 tanks were fitted with explosive reactive armor. Further work has been done on the upgraded Magach 6 models, including new belly armor, Merkava tracks, new fire controls, a thermal sleeve for the gun and smoke grenades, eventually resulting in the Magach 6b and ultimate 6b Gal Batash and equivalent Magach 7c Gimel models. Since the 1980s and 1990s, the Magachs have been gradually replaced by Merkava tanks as Israel's front-line main battle tank. However, a large majority of the IDF's armored corps continued to consist of Magach variants until the 1990s, and the tank was continuously upgraded during this time. By 2006, all Magachs in regular units had been replaced by Merkavas. In July 2015, Israel officially unveiled the existence of the Pereh missile carrier. The Pereh is a guided missile carrier disguised as a tank. A Magach is converted into a Pereh tank destroyer by replacing the main battle gun with an anti-tank guided missile launch station. The original turret is enlarged to install a launcher under armor for 12 "Tamuz" Spike NLOS missiles, which can destroy targets out to. Disguised as a standard tank, the Pereh is fitted with a fake cannon barrel to the front, but can be identified easily by the curved antenna mounted at the rear on the roof of the turret, which is erected in firing position; additional features include add-on frontal armor and stowage boxes on the turret sides. Pictures of the Pereh were first released during Operation Protective Edge in July 2014.
Versions
Magach 1: M48A1.
Magach 2: M48A2C.
Magach 3: Modernized M48A1/A2C/A3. The modifications included British 105 mm L7 cannon, low profile commander's cupola, upgraded communication suite, a 750 hp diesel engine Continental AVDS-1790-2A with Allison CD-850-6 transmission. They were eventually fitted with Blazer ERA.
Magach 5: M48A5 in the original configuration. Generally similar to the Magach 3, but had slightly different engine and transmission—AVDS-1790-2D and CD-850-6A accordingly. They were eventually fitted with Blazer ERA.
Magach 6: Modernized M60A1 or M60A3. Fitted with the Urdan low profile cupola and Blazer ERA.
*Magach 6A : Modernized M60A1. All vehicles were eventually upgraded to the Magach 6B level.
*Magach 6B Gal Batash : Magach 6B Gal fitted with 4th generation passive armor and 908 hp engine. The turret has angled sides and angled mantlet. This variant is sometimes unofficially referred to as Magach 7D or Magach 8. A limited number of vehicles were converted from the Magach 6B Gal variant.
*Magach 6B Baz : Magach 6B fitted with Baz fire control system. A limited number of vehicles were converted from the Magach 6B variant.
*Magach 6C : Modernized M60A3.
*Magach 6R : Modernized M60, with engine upgraded to the AVDS-1790-2AG level.
Magach should not be confused with the Sabra series of upgrade packages for the M60A1/A3, which were developed for export to Turkey. Sabra includes upgrades similar to those of the Magach 7, but an essential difference is that it is armed with the MG251 120 mm smooth-bore gun.
