TEL AVIV Ñ An initial military investigation has concluded that "no battle tank in the world" could have survived the explosive force of the Palestinan land mine that destroyed an Israeli Merkava Mk-3 tank on Valentines' Day.
The tank was blown up by an 80-kilogram
Palestinian landmine on Feb. 14 in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli military sources said the Palestinians used C-4 military
explosives. It was the first time the Palestinians were known to have used
the explosives of the type found on the Karine-A freighter, which contained Iranian
weapons and rockets and was captured by Israel on Jan. 3.
Israel has launched an examination of the tank, which has been called the most protected armored vehicle in the world.
An initial military investigation confirmed that the tank did not
contain add-on armor to protect its undercarriage but also determined that given the size of the mine the add-on armor would not have
protected the tank in any case.
"The initial findings clarified that the explosive power of the bomb was
very large, and that it was not possible to prevent the damage and loss of
life by additional armor, an underbelly modular plate-'belly plate'" a
military statement said. "It should be noted that there is no battle tank in
the world that can stand such a powerful blast under its bottom."
Israeli officials said the Palestinians succeeded in destroying the
Merkava tank by exploiting the vulnerability of its undercarriage, the sole
area not protected by armor. They said special add-on armor meant for the
undercarriage Ñ reported to weigh three tons Ñ was removed last month to
increase its maneuvering ability in the insurgency war in the Gaza Strip.
The add-on armor was removed after the Merkava was reported to be stuck
in muddy Gaza fields. The order was given by chief armored officer Brig.
Gen. Avigdor Klein.
The statement said the ammunition in the tank did not explode and the
tank did not catch fire. The Mk-3 can hold up to 1,000 liters of gasoline,
50 120 mm shells as well as smoke bombs and light ammunition.
The military's ground forces commander, Maj. Gen. Yiftah Ron-Tal, has
appointed a panel to examine all of the technical, professional and
operational aspects of the incident.
Officials said the Defense Ministry and the military will investigate
whether the tank should contain add-on armor along its undercarriage to
prevent destruction mines. They said another question is whether protection
can be increased without the addition of armor, which slows down the tank.
The Mk-3, which weighs 65 tons and is driven by a 1,200-horsepower
engine, features a modular special armor and rear access door meant to
protect against enemy shells and mines. The tank, containing a 120 mm
smooth-bore gun, is reinforced with an automatic fire supression system and
an overpressurized fighting compartment for protection against nuclear,
biological and chemical weapons.
