IMI M-3/M-9
Half-Track-based Mortar Carriers
Notes: For most
of the active Israeli-Arab Wars, the Israelis used many mortars based upon the
US Half-Track (both M-3 and M-9 versions), which were suitably modified for
their role. The first of such
vehicles were little more than standard M-3A1 Half-Tracks with a mortar and the
associated equipment added in, as well as ammo and equipment racks.
The mortars were quickly replaced by mortars of Israeli design, and
ammunition storage rearranged. In
this guise, the vehicle was known as a Half-Track Mk C.
Later, after considerable redesign work, the M-3 and M-9 were able to be
equipped with a 120mm Soltam mortar.
These vehicles were used by the Israelis from near the beginning of the
country’s existence, and well into the 1980s.
They were the recipients of numerous upgrades, maintenance work, and
repair work. Ultimately, they were
replaced by US-built M-125 and M-106 mortar carriers (with the latter mounting a
Soltam 120mm mortar instead of the M-106’s standard 4.2-inch mortar).
Early Israeli Half-Track
Mortar Carriers and the Mk-C Series
Used from the
1950s until the 1980s, the original Israeli Half-Track Mortar Carrier was, had,
as stated above, the minimum of modifications to turn it into a medium mortar
carrier. For a while, these mortar
carriers were equipped with the US-designed 81mm M-29 mortar; as Israeli arms
production got underway, these were replaced by short or long-barreled versions
of the Soltam 81mm mortar series were mounted.
Unfortunately, the mechanical design and layout of the Half-Track meant
that a proper vehicle-mounted baseplate could not be used; instead, the
baseplate was welded directly to the floor of carrier, with several points
around the rear of the mortar to allow large deflection changes to be made by
picking up the mortar, swinging it in the direction necessary, then locking the
feet of the mortar’s bipod into the floor of the Half-Track.
Though these
early IDF Half-Track mortar carriers may have been based on M-3s, M-3A1s, M-5s,
or M-5A1s, by the time they went through the upgrades to turn them into Mk-Cs,
they were all essentially the same vehicles and had the same specifications.
Pretty much, except for IDF-specific modifications, they were all
equivalent to M-5A1s.
The First Step: The Mk-C
When the new
mortars were mounted on the Half-Track, the new vehicle was called the Mk-C, as
it also had several modifications to help the protection picture and to increase
automotive reliability. Engines were
tuned up or replaced, suspensions were made capable of better cross-country, and
a new transmission made driving the half-tracked vehicle easier (though the
transmission was still manual, one did not need to worry about the gearing to
the front wheels as well as to the rear track).
Externally, the use of appliqué armor is obvious; some Mk-Cs even have
track skirts and wheel protectors.
The bullet-resistant glass of the cab was made stronger, as strong as that of
the rest of the vehicle, and Israeli Mk-Cs generally did not use armored
shutters. The door in the rear of
the Half-Track was retained, as was the ring mount over the commander’s seat.
Sometimes the side-mounted M-1919A4 (later MAG-58) were retained, but not
all Israeli Half-Track mortar carriers had them. (I have included them below.)
The rear machinegun mount interfered with the mortar (especially if a
long-barreled mortar was used) and was generally omitted. Internally, the rear
section of the Half-Track was crammed full with racks for mortar rounds, fuzes,
and a few spare charges; it also had two long-range radios and a shorter-range
radio for communication with vehicles and personnel who are closer to the
carrier. These radios were carried
internally. Though in most cases,
the mortar carrier would get its instructions from an FDC, Israeli mortar
gunners, like most Western mortar crews, could aim their fires with a decent
degree of accuracy using the old-fashioned plotting circle, protractor, map, and
grease pencils. Crew personal
equipment were mostly carried in racks along the side of the vehicle.
Mk-Cs could be
powered by the White 160AX 147-horsepower gasoline engine of the M-3 or the IHC
RED 450B 143-horsepower liquid-cooled engine of the M-5; most used the
higher-horsepower, lighter, and mechanically-simpler White engine, and that what
the stats below show. Most of these
vehicles’ drive train displayed numerous repairs, upkeep, and general
maintenance, as well as some jury-rigged repairs.
Starting with the Mk-C, driving the vehicle became easier due to the
transmission modifications noted above.
(It might be difficult to simulate this in game terms, though one
possibility is to assign fractional levels of work each period spent driving the
Half-Track.) Most crew seats are
deleted, though they still have the under-seat stowage; in addition, the
equivalent of two seats on each side also retain the stowage bins, though there
is no actual seat there. Israeli Half-Track mortar carriers also sometimes had
their M-2HBs exchanged for M-1919A4s or MAGs; this allowed the vehicle to carry
the same amount of machinegun ammunition, but cut down on the weight of
ammunition carried and the space it takes up in the vehicle.
The Half-Track Mortar
Carrier Improved: The Mk-C2
By the 1973 War,
the Israelis managed to come out with a kit that changed earlier versions of the
Mk-C into a vehicle that was largely based on the M-9A1 Half-Track.
However, the Mk-C2 has a much better suspension than the US-designed
M-9A1. In addition, the gasoline engines of the earlier versions were pulled and
replaced with the same Detroit Diesel 6V53 212-horsepower as used in the
M-113-series APCs of the period.
The M-113s Allison TX-100N automatic transmission was also fitted to the
Half-Track. Internal ammunition
stowage was rearranged to allow the Mk-C2 that allowed the vehicle to carry more
mortar shells and fuzes as well as more machinegun ammunition and a small box of
grenades (not included below).
Thicker appliqué armor was fitted; experiments were done in the late
1970s, trying to fit the ERA of that period to the sides and front of the
vehicle’ however, it was judged that an ERA panel explosion would injure or
possibly kill crewmembers, and often, the frontal ERA glazed or shattered the
bullet-resistant windshield. The
ERA experiments were quickly dropped. IR headlights were added, allowing safe
driving at night if the driver is wearing IR goggles.
The Mk-C2 gave
the commander or gunner a hand-held laser rangefinder to assist in positioning
the vehicle and in cases of firing by direct lay.
(And remember how big “hand-held” laser rangefinders were at the time…)
In the early 1980s, at nearly the end of their service lives, the Mk-C2s
had mortar ballistic computers installed in them; these MBCs were new tech,
relatively large, and prone to failures, but allowed the gunners to accurately
fire support missions given their map coordinates and those of the target.
Half-Track Mortar
Carrier to the Max: the Mk-D
The 1956 War
revealed an unexpected problem with the Mk-C; though it could carry enough
rounds for a good bombardment, the 81mm shells lacked the power to produce a
really heavy, nasty shelling of the target.
This led the IDF to begin experimenting with a 120mm mortar carrier.
At first, the Israelis experimented with the use of an AMX-13 base
vehicle; this chassis proved to be problematic for the task it was given.
As with the Mk-C, the AMX mortar carrier prototype had a baseplate welded
directly to the floor of the vehicle.
This meant that the AMX-13’s suspension would have to take up the entire
shock of the mortar’s recoil, which amounted to an astounding 120 tons of force.
The AMX-13’s suspension simply was not up to the task, and due to the
AMX-13’s suspension design, it could not be beefed up enough to handle the task.
The IDF would also have problems getting enough AMX-13 chassis from
France for the task. The M-113
series, which would later see heavy use with the IDF, was still being developed
in the US. Most other countries
simply didn’t want to sell arms to Israel.
It looked bad
for the IDF, but then several things came together.
Soltam developed a new 120mm mortar which not only had effective shock
absorbers of its own, but also had a baseplate platform that meant that the
mortar did not have to be welded to the floor of the Half-Track.
The Half-Track proved to take to beefing up very well, and able to take
up much of the recoil forces. And
more Half-Tracks were gotten from several countries, including the US, through
back channels.
The resulting
vehicle was known as the Mk-D (and later, the Mk-D2).
Of course, the Mk-D could not carry as many shells and fuzes as the Mk-C,
the 120mm shells being much bigger and heavier than the 81mm shells.
Thus, the Mk-Ds were almost always accompanied by trucks or armored load
carriers with more ammunition. Generally, machinegun ammunition was reduced to
make way for a little more 120mm ammunition, though most Mk-Ds mounted the M-2HB
at the commander’s station to somewhat increase the defensive firepower.
Night Vision goggles were issued to the driver as part of the vehicle,
and are included in the stats below.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
Early IDF
Half-Track Mortar Carrier (M-3-Based) |
$309,868 |
G, A |
200 kg |
9.91 tons |
2+4 |
11 |
Headlights |
Open |
Early IDF
Half-Track Mortar Carrier (M-3A1-Based) |
$306,830 |
G, A |
150 kg |
10.01 tons |
2+4 |
9 |
Headlights |
Open |
Early IDF
Half-Track Mortar Carrier (M-5-Based) |
$309,858 |
G, A |
200 kg |
10.11 tons |
2+4 |
11 |
Headlights |
Open |
Early IDF
Half-Track Mortar Carrier (M-5A1-Based) |
$309,858 |
G, A |
150 kg |
10.31 tons |
2+4 |
11 |
Headlights |
Open |
Mk-C (Light
Mortar) |
$337,869 |
G, A |
250 kg |
10.36 tons |
2+4 |
9 |
Headlights |
Open |
Mk-C
(Long-Barrel Mortar) |
$349,729 |
G, A |
250 kg |
10.38 tons |
2+4 |
9 |
Headlights |
Open |
Mk-C (Long-Range
Mortar) |
$350,115 |
G, A |
250 kg |
10.39 tons |
2+4 |
9 |
Headlights |
Open |
Mk-C2 (Light
Mortar) |
$454,112 |
D, A |
300 kg |
10.66 tons |
2+4 |
10 |
IR Headlights |
Open |
Mk-C2
(Long-Barrel Mortar) |
$454,209 |
D, A |
300 kg |
10.67 tons |
2+4 |
10 |
IR Headlights |
Open |
Mk-C2
(Long-Range Mortar) |
$454,256 |
D, A |
300 kg |
10.68 tons |
2+4 |
10 |
IR Headlights |
Open |
Mk-D |
$525,521 |
D, A |
200 kg |
12.46 tons |
2+4 |
10 |
IR Headlights,
Passive IR (D) |
Open |
Mk-D2 |
$525,521 |
D, A |
200 kg |
12.69 tons |
2+4 |
10 |
IR Headlights,
Passive IR (D) |
Open |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp* |
Armor** |
Early IDF
Half-Track Mortar Carrier (M-3-Based) |
126/88 |
35/24 |
230 |
65 |
Stnd |
T2/(W)1 |
HF3
HS2 HR2 |
Early IDF
Half-Track Mortar Carrier (M-3A1-Based) |
125/87 |
35/24 |
230 |
65 |
Stnd |
T2/(W)1 |
HF3
HS3 HR2 |
Early IDF
Half-Track Mortar Carrier (M-5-Based) |
122/85 |
34/24 |
230 |
63 |
Stnd |
T2/(W)1 |
HF3
HS2 HR2 |
Early IDF
Half-Track Mortar Carrier (M-5A1-Based) |
120/84 |
33/23 |
230 |
63 |
Stnd |
T2/(W)1 |
HF3
HS3 HR2 |
Mk-C
(Light/Long-Barrel/Long-Range Mortar) |
122/85 |
34/24 |
230 |
65 |
Stnd |
T2/(W)1 |
HF4
HS4 HR2 |
Mk-C2
(Light/Long-Barrel/Long Range Mortar) |
154/108 |
43/30 |
230 |
79 |
Stnd |
T2/(W)1 |
HF5
HS4 HR3 |
Mk-D |
138/96 |
38/27 |
230 |
79 |
Stnd |
T2/(W)1 |
HF5
HS4 HR3 |
Mk-D2 |
136/95 |
38/26 |
230 |
80 |
Stnd |
T2/(W)1 |
HF5
HS5 HR3 |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
Early IDF
Half-Track Mortar Carrier (M-3/M-3A1/M-5/M-5A1-Based) |
None |
None |
81mm M-29 or
Soltam Light Mortar, M-2HB (C) and M-1919A4 (L, Rt) or M-1919A4 (C, Rt,
L), or MAGs instead of M-1919A4s |
105x81mm;
525x.50 and 5800x.30-06 or 7.62mm; or 6700x.30-06 or 7.62mm |
Mk-C
(Light/Long-Barrel/Long-Range Mortar) |
None |
None |
81mm Soltam
Mortar; M-2HB (C) and 2xMAG (Rt, L); or 3xMAG (C, Rt, L) |
105x81mm;
525x.50 and 5800x7.62mm; or 111x81mm, 6325x7.62mm |
Mk-C2
(Light/Long-Barrel/Long-Range Mortar) |
None |
None |
81mm Soltam
Mortar; M-2HB (C) and 2xMAG (Rt, L); or 3xMAG (C, Rt, L) |
105x81mm;
525x.50 and 5800x7.62mm; or 111x81mm, 6325x7.62mm |
Mk-C (Long-Range
Mortar) |
None |
None |
81mm Soltam
Long-Range Mortar; M-2HB (C) and 2xMAG (Rt, L); or 3xMAG (C, Rt, L) |
105x81mm;
525x.50 and 5800x7.62mm; or 111x81mm, 6325x7.62mm |
Mk-D/Mk-D2 |
None |
None |
120mm Soltam
K-6; M-2HB (C) and 2xMAG (Rt, L); or 3xMAG (C, Rt, L) |
71x120mm;
525x.50 and 5800x7.62mm; or 78x120mm, 6325x7.62mm |
*If
the tracks are hit, the Suspension value is T2.
If the front wheels are hit, the Suspension value is (W)1.
Suspension hits are a 67/33 proposition as to whether the tracks or
wheels are hit, unless the shooter is aiming for one or the other.
**This vehicle has no overhead protection at all; hull roof AV is 0.
Floor armor, however, is 2.
Makmat
Notes: The
Makmat consists of a heavily-modified M-7 Priest (itself a heavily-modified M-4
Sherman tank), with the modifications designed to allow the Makmat to carry the
Soltam 160mm mortar (an improved version of the old Soviet 160mm mortar).
Though there were not many built, the Makmat mortar does fire a
satisfyingly-heavy charge of explosives, and throws general mayhem downrange.
Most of these vehicles are now museum pieces or have been sold to other
countries; the last combat use of the Makmat by the Israelis occurred in 1982 in
Lebanon. In addition to fire
support, one of the primary missions of the Makmat was to provide battlefield
illumination. This was especially
important during the 1967 war, as most Israeli vehicles and troops did not have
night vision equipment. They should
perhaps get the title of “unsung hero,” as the illumination (and fire support)
they provided made many of their night victories possible in that war.
The M-7 Priest
base vehicle is essentially stripped down to its chassis; when the body is
finished, the Makmat has a moderately-sloped glacis.
The driver is behind this glacis, with the driver in the front of the
vehicle near the bottom of the glacis.
The driver has a hatch which locks open slightly above horizontal, or
closes with the driver looking out through a vision slit near the top of his
hatch. (Note that while the hatch
is open, he is vulnerable to small-arms fire and shell fragments, particularly
in the head, torso, and arms.) The commander is essentially in the same place he
would be on a Priest, except that the pulpit-like stand is replaced by a more
conventional hatch and stand. The
commander’s position has fittings for a machinegun, and there is a ring mount,
but in practice this is often not mounted.
Instead, a pintle is mounted on either side of the rear gun space.
The rest of the crew have seats in the rear; the rear area, behind the
commander’s position, is open-topped.
The back of the rear area is normally locked straight out to provide more
space for the crew to work in when using the mortar; a ladder is mounted on this
folding rear deck, and when the deck is folded up and closed for traveling, the
ladder folds flat against the outside of the deck plate.
The suspension
remains typical of a Sherman-series vehicle; however, the gasoline engine and
manual transmission have been replaced with a 430-horsepower Cummins
turbocharged diesel engine and an automatic transmission, with the driver having
a conventional brake and gas pedal, a steering yoke, and a gearshift that can be
used on the fly and allows operation in reverse, in the lower range of gears for
steep hills or very rough terrain, or the upper range of gears for maximum
speed. Essentially, the entire
drive train has been removed in favor of the more modern drive train.
The Makmat
mortar uses a heavy-gauge steel smoothbore barrel.
The Makmat mortar is breech-loaded; loading such a large-caliber mortar
by dropping heavy 160mm rounds down the barrel would be impossible to sustain in
a tactical situation. To load the
mortar, the barrel is lowered under by virtually the entire crew into its
traveling position, opening the breech and allowing a round to be loaded.
The mortar is then raised again, which closes and locks the breech, and
the mortar is fired by lanyard.
Raising the mortar back to firing position is relatively easy, as the mortar
strut has a spring-loaded counterbalance mechanism.
When the mortar is in the Makmat carrier, the baseplate’s traveling
wheels are locked into the vehicle’s baseplate and turned inward, with the
offside wheel being used to allow rotation of the mortar.
The mortar fires over the rear of the vehicle, but can be rotated through
360 degrees, with elevation and depression being from +70 to +43 degrees.
When mounted in the carrier, the mortar’s baseplate is locked into the
floor, and the baseplate can be readily removed if necessary.
The mortar is supplied with two sights; one has less precise adjustments
and is used for general bombardment; the other is used for more pinpoint
bombardment, such as in MOUT fighting.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological* |
$464,367 |
D, A |
500 kg |
36 tons |
8 |
22 |
Headlights |
Open |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor** |
109/77 |
30/21 |
700 |
160 |
Stnd |
T5 |
HF27 HS8
HR4 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
None |
None |
160mm Soltam M-66 mortar, 2xMAG or 2xM-2HB (Rt, L) |
56x160mm, 2000x7.62mm or 1000x.50 |
*The two-thirds of the vehicle that is the fighting compartment is open topped
and is considered “Open” against NBC attack.
The front one-third, with the commander’s and driver’s positions, is
considered “Enclosed.”
**As above, note that the rear two-thirds of the Makmat is open topped and
therefore can be fired into without difficulty (assuming you are high enough to
shoot into the fighting compartment or have a weapon that can take advantage of
the open top). In other words, the
rear two-thirds of the Makmat have a roof AV of 0.
Keshet
Notes: The IDF
has been using the US-designed M-125 (81mm), and M-106 (with the 4.2” mortar
replaced with a Soltam K-6 120mm mortar); the M-1064A3 was therefore desirable,
as the crews were already familiar with the M-113 series.
Externally, the Keshet is virtually identical to the M-1064A3;
internally, the Keshet is heavily modified from the M-1064A3, to serve the
Cardom (Hatchet) mortar, Israeli radios, ammunition storage, and in general to
have the Keshet conform to IDF needs and standard.
(The Cardom mortar can also be mounted with minimal modifications to any
M-1064A3-series vehicle; with more extensive modifications, the Cardom can also
be mated to M-113A3 and MTVL-based vehicles; Soltam has not shown many
prototypes or mock-ups of the Keshet mating to wheeled armored vehicles, but
Soltam says they can also mate the Keshet mortar to several wheeled armored
vehicles.) The Keshet was first
deployed to IDF units in 2011, and the US Army is partially replacing its
M-1064A3s with Keshets (M-120 in US service). The US Army has also tested the
Cardom on a modified Stryker mortar carrier, and will almost certainly be part
of a Stryker Brigade’s lineup. Other interested parties include several NATO
countries.
The Cardom is a
heavily-modified Soltam K-6 120mm mortar; however, the K-6 base weapon is almost
unrecognizable under the modifications that produce a Cardom mortar.
One of the most obvious modifications are the heavy-duty recoil-dampening
shock absorbers on either side of the barrel, necessary to allow firing some of
the new 120mm mortar ammunition, to keep from damaging sites, protect the
electronics and carriage system, and to keep the vehicle or the mortar from
movement and ruining the Keshet crews’ fire solution during recoiling when
fired. Another heavy modification
is the loading system; the Cardom is breechloaded, but is in addition, using a
trigger on the barrel and manual loading allow the crew to engage in short but
high-speed bursts of shelling. (Up
to 16 rounds per minute 1 minute can be achieved with a good crew, though the
Cardom’s normal rate of fire is only 4 rounds per minute.)
Though the Cardom mortar system is rather heavy (about 750 kilograms), In
addition, the Mortar Ballistic Computer and other subsystems allows the crew to
conduct its fire missions while the crew is entirely inside the armor envelope
of the Keshet, requiring only that the rear overhead hatch remain open.
The Cardom can fire any sort of 120mm smoothbore rounds, newer rounds
developed for the 120mm mortar over the past 10 years or so, and most types of
smart 120mm mortar munitions. The
Cardom can be brought to its traveling position in less than 5 seconds; it folds
down and forward. The baseplate
system allows the Cardom to be rotated and fired through 360 degrees, and has an
elevation range of +40 to +85 degrees.
Though Soltam is exploring ground-mounted versions of the Cardom, the
Keshet and the Cardom currently do not allow the Cardom to be removed and
ground-mounted.
Of course, the
IDF would have been fools to not include equipment to compliment the Cardom.
This includes an MBC which is slaved to the Cardom and the GPS system,
allowing the crew to generate highly-accurate fire solutions by themselves
without input from an FDC, and to take instructions from the unit needing fire
support in a hurry. The Cardom’s
GPS can use the Keshet’s data-capable radio to pass target information fire
solutions to other Keshets and battlefield control units, or receive information
as needed from other units similarly-equipped.
The fire solutions can be punched into the MBC and other electronics, and
since the MBC, GPS, and tactical computer are slaved to the mortar, the Cardom
will automatically slew and elevate/depress to the proper position inside the
Keshet, and the crew only needs to put a round in the carriage or manually load
the Cardom. (The GPS/map system may be substituted or assisted by a very
accurate inertial navigation; both have access to the computer’s mapping system,
and both can assist the Cardom in calculating fire solutions.)
The Cardom
essentially has the same range when using conventional ammunition as the Soltam
K-6 mortar. The MBC is advanced and
made by Elbit; it is little larger than a cell phone.
The Keshet also has a ruggedized laptop computer, and the radios have
mounts to help further shield them from recoil.
The radio setup includes a short-range computer which may be removed and
manpacked if necessary; other radios include a medium-range radio, and two
data-capable long-range radios. The
Keshet has a GPS system, which, in addition to its input to the Cardom, provides
position information and driving instructions.
The Cardom is equipped with small flat-panel displays (one for the
driver, and one at the commander’s position), with the driver’s screen
displaying position coordinates, speed, fuel consumption and range based on
those consumption figures, as well as fuel onboard and readings and any problems
with the vehicle’s drive train. The
commander’s flatscreen displays that information and the state of the Cardom
mortar and ammunition display.
The Keshet is,
after all a modified M-1064A3, and they have many features in common.
The driver has a conventional brake and gas pedal, as well as a steering
yoke. This greatly reduces the
fatigue on the driver. The Keshet has an automatic transmission and is powered
by a 275-horsepower turbocharged diesel, which is a Detroit Diesel 6V53T engine.
Some other components of the RISE 2 upgrades have been used, such as a
more-reliable drive train and an improved suspension.
The standard M-113-series inability to pivot steer safely has been
improved, allowing IDF units to again pivot steer, even at 3/4s its full speed.
Like the M-1064, the Keshet has its fuel tanks removed to fuel tanks mounted
externally above the rear fenders.
The Keshet is not amphibious; it is too heavy and not sufficiently balanced for
swimming. Because of this, the trim
vane has been removed. Kevlar anti-spalling panels have been added to the
surfaces of the interior as well as the inside of the fuel tanks.
The glacis, sides, and rear has been improved, providing more protection.
If desired, ERA, conventional appliqué, or MEXAS-type composite appliqué
can be used. The driver has a front vision block which may be replaced by a
night vision block; this vision block is a thermal viewer instead of the more
standard passive IR viewer.
The commander’s
station is in the same position as on the M-1064A3, and the driver is also in
the same position as on the M-1064A3.
The other crewmembers have seats at the front of the fighting compartment
with underseat storage. Though
other compartments exist in the Keshet, they are necessarily small, and four
large lockets are mounted on its sides.
Unlike its M-113-based brethren, the Kashet normally has a MAG machinegun
instead of an M-2HB as a commander’s weapon. A limited amount of maps, as well
as a protractor, aiming circle, and some grease pencils and colored wipe-away
alcohol markers are also carried in case the electronics suite is down of not
working to its full potential. The
normal crew compliment is four, with all crewmembers working the Cardom on a
fire mission. However, one or two
additional crewmembers may be added, depending upon mission requirements.
Compared to the
M-1064A3, the Keshet has more armor plating than the M-1064.
The fuel tanks, should they be penetrated, are self-sealing.
On the front fenders are found four smoke grenade launchers per fender;
the Israelis are known to use IR screening smoke, and even fragmentation or
concussion grenades from those launchers.
As noted above, the Keshet has a large two-piece hatch over the mortar to
allow it to fire, and the rear ramp with the smaller door in it is retained.
In addition, over the rear crewmembers there are small hatches, which are
surrounded by vision blocks.
Twilight 2000
Notes: The Keshet mortar carrier does not exist, though limited amounts of
Cardom mortars are available, and usually transported towed behind another
vehicle. The MBC is retained in the
Twilight 2000 timeline.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
Keshet |
$581,759 |
D, A |
890 kg |
14.39 tons |
2+4 |
11 |
Thermal Imaging
(D) |
Shielded |
Keshet
w/Appliqué |
$583,647 |
D, A |
860 kg |
14.81 tons |
2+4 |
11 |
Thermal Imaging
(D) |
Shielded |
Keshet w/ERA |
$606,424 |
D, A |
845 kg |
15.11 tons |
2+4 |
23 |
Thermal Imaging
(D) |
Shielded |
Keshet w/MEXAS |
$597,346 |
D, A |
675 kg |
15.25 tons |
2+4 |
10 |
Thermal Imaging
(D) |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
Keshet |
149/104 |
41/29 |
360 |
102 |
Stnd |
T2 |
HF9
HS7 HR5 |
Keshet
w/Appliqué |
146/102 |
41/28 |
360 |
105 |
Stnd |
T2 |
HF11
HS9 HR5 |
Keshet w/ERA |
144/101 |
40/28 |
360 |
107 |
Stnd |
T2 |
HF9
HS7 HR5 |
Keshet w/MEXAS |
144/101 |
41/28 |
360 |
108 |
Stnd |
T3 |
HF11Cp
HS9Cp HR5 |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
Keshet (All
Variants) |
None |
None |
120mm Cardom
mortar, MAG (C) |
54x120mm,
3335x7.62mm |