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IDF Achzarit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| IDF Achzarit Mk1 | |
|---|---|
 Achzarit in Yad la-Shiryon museum, Israel |
|
| Type | Heavy armored personnel carrier |
| Place of origin |  Israel |
| Service history | |
| Wars | Second Intifada Second Lebanon War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Israeli Defence Forces Corps of Ordnance |
| Manufacturer | Israeli Defence Forces Corps of Ordnance |
| Produced | 1988 - Present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 44 tonnes |
| Length | 6.20 m |
| Width | 3.60 m |
| Height | >2 m (estimate) |
| Crew | 3 + 7 passengers |
|
|
|
| Armor | 200 mm |
| Primary armament |
3×7.62mm machine gun, 7.62mm MAG Rafael Overhead Weapon Station |
| Engine | diesel 850 hp (630 kW) |
| Power/weight | 19 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | torsion-bar |
| Speed | km/h |
The Achzarit (אכזרית in Hebrew: "cruel", female inflection) is a heavily armored armored personnel carrier manufactured by the Israeli Defence Forces Corps of Ordnance.
Contents |
The Achzarit is based on the Soviet-built T-54/T-55 tank, beginning with those captured from Arab armies during the Arab-Israeli wars. The IDF took the old T-55 tank and removed its turret. The chassis was modified for troop carriage by adding a troop compartment and a rear door. The original Soviet-made water-cooled diesel engine was replaced with a more compact and powerful diesel engine, and other internal systems were upgraded. Reactive armor was installed over the original armored tank chassis. The APC was created in 1988.
The Achzarit Mk 1 has a 650-hp engine, while the Mk 2 has an 850-hp engine.
It is armed with 7.62 mm machine guns, including one Rafael Overhead Weapons Station, a machine gun controlled from within the cabin, developed by the Israeli Armament Development Authority (Rafael).
As a lesson from the Second Intifada, a bulletproof glass turret was installed over one of the hatches to allow the commander to see outside well without being exposed to sniper fire and sharpanel.
Serveral Achzarit are equiped with a Katlanit Weapon Station, armed in 20mm machine gun and may also be armed with missiles.
Because of its heavy armor, the Achzarit is sometimes called a heavy APC (HAPC). Achzarit APCs are in service with the IDF Golani Brigade, which operates near the Lebanese border and in the northern part of the West Bank and with part of the IDF Givati Brigade.
Achzarit APCs took part in Operation Rainbow in Rafah, after a comparatively lightly-armored M-113 APC was destroyed by an RPG round.
- VIU-55 Munja, similar example from Serbia
- BTR-T
- BMPT
