Hamas copies tactics from Ukraine. Strike on Israeli Merkava

The DefenceBlog portal shares a recording of Palestinian fighters showing how they destroy an Israeli Merkava Mk 4 tank. They used a practice well known from Ukraine, which involves dropping a grenade from a drone.

Hamas used an RPG-7 cumulative grenade in the attack. The ammunition was dropped from a drone - this is a tactic that has been observable on the front in Ukraine for many months. In the video published on the network, you can see that the projectile fell on the rear part of the vehicle, but it's hard to identify specific losses on the IDF side.

It's worth noting that before the tank exploded, a characteristic ammunition separation in the Merkava Mk 4 could have prevented it. Here, unlike other modern tanks, the manufacturer decided to place only four rounds in the crew compartment, and another 10 in magazines in the turret niche and in the hull (in individual fireproof containers).

The Merkava, a main battle tank produced since 1979, is a machine that only the Israeli military possesses. In the version designated as Mk 4, it is an exceptionally advanced design of the local army. There are also opinions suggesting that the Merkava Mk 4 is the most advanced tank in the world.

The mentioned construction primarily boasts an extensive and durable armor. However, it is impossible not to mention the weaponry, which includes an IMI 120 mm gun, a 12.7 mm machine gun, two 7.62 mm rifles, and a 60 mm mortar.

In the context of defensive capabilities, the Merkava boasts the presence of moving armored plates, which move upon impact of a projectile, as a result of which there is a dispersion of the cumulative stream. There is also no lack of a protective bottom of the Merkava hull, where a massive shield capable of repelling an attack from anti-tank grenade launchers is applied.

Virtual Poland reporter Łukasz Michalik also explained that in the context of the defensive solutions of this construction produced by Mantak, important additions are also jammers used for defense against radio-detonated explosives. The Merkava Mk 4 is also able to "create a smoke screen using its own propulsion system" – Michalik wrote. The vehicle injects fuel into the intake manifold, as a result of which a huge smoke cloud is immediately created, and fuel consumption increases to 52.8 gallons/min.

The RPG-7 missile used in the attack is one of the more popular types of ammunition used by Hamas fighters. This missile features a shaped charge and the ability to penetrate armor up to about 11.8 inches thick. Currently, this is insufficient to effectively attack the latest armored vehicles.