IMI 120 mm gun
Encyclopedia
The IMI 120 mm gun is a smoothbore
tank gun
designed and produced by the Israeli Military Industries company. It is widely confused as a licensed production of the Rheinmetall L44 tank gun, however developed by Israeli Military Industries from 1983 to 1988, to meet the requirements of the Israel Defense Forces
' Merkava Mark III
main battle tank
.
First revealed in 1989 when it was shown to be the main armament of the Merkava Mark III. In 1998 the Israel Defense Prize
was awarded to Israeli Military Industries for this development, which gave Israel the means to produce tank guns independently.
Leopard 2
, United States
' M1 Abrams
, South Korea
n K1A1 and Japan
ese Type 90 main battle tank
s. Though, it has a different recoil
system, consisting of an optimized concentric
retarder
and pneumatic recuperator
, and more compact overall dimensions, not exceeding those of the existing 105 mm Royal Ordnance M68 105 mm
rifled gun of the Merkava Mark I and II
, and M60 Patton
.
, developed by Vishay Intertechnology
, provided with a fume extractor which can be removed for maintenance without disturbing the actual sleeve, while the second also features a new compressed gas recoil
system and a thermal sleeve
developed by Vidco Industries.
Both versions fire a family of ammunition developed by IMI
but can also fire French, German or US proper 120 mm NATO ammunition if required, may also fire LAHAT
ATGM.
} Merkava Mark III
} Merkava Mark IV
} M60T Sabra
Smoothbore
A smoothbore weapon is one which has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.-History of firearms and rifling:...
tank gun
Tank gun
A tank gun is the main armament of a tank. Modern tank guns are large-caliber high-velocity guns, capable of firing kinetic energy penetrators, high explosive anti-tank rounds, and in some cases guided missiles. Anti-aircraft guns can also be mounted to tanks.-Overview:Tank guns are a specific...
designed and produced by the Israeli Military Industries company. It is widely confused as a licensed production of the Rheinmetall L44 tank gun, however developed by Israeli Military Industries from 1983 to 1988, to meet the requirements of the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
' Merkava Mark III
Merkava
The Merkava is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces. The tank began development in 1974 and was first introduced in 1978. Four main versions of the tank have been deployed. It was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War...
main battle tank
Main battle tank
A main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development...
.
First revealed in 1989 when it was shown to be the main armament of the Merkava Mark III. In 1998 the Israel Defense Prize
Israel Defense Prize
The Israel Defense Prize, in honor of Eliyahu Golomb, is a prize awarded annually to people and organizations who made significant contributions to the defense of the State of Israel....
was awarded to Israeli Military Industries for this development, which gave Israel the means to produce tank guns independently.
Design
This tank gun is very similar to the Rheinmetall L44 versions installed on GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Leopard 2
Leopard 2
The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' M1 Abrams
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n K1A1 and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Type 90 main battle tank
Main battle tank
A main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development...
s. Though, it has a different recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
system, consisting of an optimized concentric
Concentric
Concentric objects share the same center, axis or origin with one inside the other. Circles, tubes, cylindrical shafts, disks, and spheres may be concentric to one another...
retarder
Retarder
Retarder can mean:* Acrylic retarder, a chemical agent added to fine art acrylic paint to slow its short drying time* Retarder , a chemical agent that slows down a chemical reaction...
and pneumatic recuperator
Recuperator
A recuperator is a special purpose counter-flow energy recovery heat exchanger positioned within the supply and exhaust air streams of an air handling system, or in the exhaust gases of an industrial process, in order to recover the waste heat...
, and more compact overall dimensions, not exceeding those of the existing 105 mm Royal Ordnance M68 105 mm
Royal Ordnance L7
The Royal Ordnance L7 is the basic model of Britain's most successful tank gun. The L7 was a 105 mm L/52 rifled design intended for use in armoured fighting vehicles...
rifled gun of the Merkava Mark I and II
Merkava
The Merkava is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces. The tank began development in 1974 and was first introduced in 1978. Four main versions of the tank have been deployed. It was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War...
, and M60 Patton
M60 Patton
The 105 mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tank, M60, also known unofficially as the M60 Patton, is a first-generation main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today...
.
Versions
There are two versions of IMI 120 mm gun: MG251 and MG253, the first of which fitted with a thermal sleeveThermal sleeve
A thermal sleeve is a device around the length of a gun barrel of a large caliber gun, typically found on modern tanks. Its primary purpose is to prevent the gun barrel from being thermally distorted due to environmental conditions, especially when the barrel is already hot due to frequent...
, developed by Vishay Intertechnology
Vishay Intertechnology
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. , is one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components. Vishay has manufacturing plants in Israel, Asia, Europe, and the Americas where it produces rectifiers, diodes, MOSFETs, optoelectronics, selected integrated...
, provided with a fume extractor which can be removed for maintenance without disturbing the actual sleeve, while the second also features a new compressed gas recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
system and a thermal sleeve
Thermal sleeve
A thermal sleeve is a device around the length of a gun barrel of a large caliber gun, typically found on modern tanks. Its primary purpose is to prevent the gun barrel from being thermally distorted due to environmental conditions, especially when the barrel is already hot due to frequent...
developed by Vidco Industries.
Both versions fire a family of ammunition developed by IMI
Israel Military Industries
Israel Weapons Industries , formerly the "Magen" division of the Israel Military Industries Ltd. is an Israeli firearms manufacturer. In 2005, the Small Arms Division of IMI was privatized....
but can also fire French, German or US proper 120 mm NATO ammunition if required, may also fire LAHAT
LAHAT
The LAHAT is a third generation semi-active laser homing low-weight anti-tank guided missile developed since 1992 and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries...
ATGM.
Operators
- MG251:
} Merkava Mark III
Merkava
The Merkava is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces. The tank began development in 1974 and was first introduced in 1978. Four main versions of the tank have been deployed. It was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War...
- MG253:
} Merkava Mark IV
Merkava
The Merkava is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces. The tank began development in 1974 and was first introduced in 1978. Four main versions of the tank have been deployed. It was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War...
} M60T Sabra
Sabra (tank)
The Sabra is an extensively upgraded M60 Patton tank developed by Israel Military Industries. A version of this upgrade package was selected for the Turkish Army's main battle tank modernization program. The Sabra is known as the M60T in Turkish service....