Replacement
On July 14, 2011, The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF was beginning to develop a successor for the Merkava series of tanks. The development was started in part by the arrival of the Trophy active protection system. With the system's abiliy to intercept threats at a stand-off distance, there was a review of the need for vehicles like the Merkava to have thick, heavy layers of armor. By July 2012, details began to emerge of considerations for developing technologies for the new design. One possibility is the replacement of the traditional main gun with a laser cannon or an electromagnetic pulse cannon. Other improvements could include a hybrid-electric engine and a reduced crew of two. The goals of the new tank are to make it faster, better protected, more interoperable, and more lethal than the current Merkava. The IDF is hoping for it to be operational by 2020.
Read more about this topic: Merkava
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