class: Tank
description: 'The Merkava is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces.
  The tank began development in 1970, and entered official service in 1979. Four main
  variants of the tank have been deployed. It was first used extensively in the 1982
  Lebanon War. The name "Merkava" was derived from the IDF''s initial development
  program name. Design criteria include rapid repair of battle damage, survivability,
  cost-effectiveness and off-road performance. '
introduced: 2004
manufacturer: MANTAK
origin: Israel
price: 25
role: Main Battle Tank
variants:
  Merkava Mk IV: {}