Israel's main battle tanks adapted for urban combat, low-intensity conflict.

Deadly attacks on light armored vehicles have prompted Israel Defense Forces to increase their use of main battle tanks in patrol roles or other types of low-intensity conflict normally assigned to smaller vehicles. In recent months, the IDF has made several modifications to their main battle tanks, so they can be employed as troop carriers in urban combat.

In early May, 11 soldiers traveling in two M113 light armored infantry carriers died when the vehicles exploded after being hit by rocket-propelled grenades in the Gaza Strip. The IDF subsequently decided that tanks increasingly will be employed to patrol disputed zones such as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

IDF officials plan to modify Merkava main battle tanks so they can be employed en lieu of M113s, even though the tanks are much heavier and difficult to maneuver in urban terrain.

The Merkava increasingly will be deployed in low-intensity conflict, said Col. Yaron Livnat, the IDF technical director for the Merkava program.

"We adapt the tank to operate as an infantry carrier," Livnat told an industry conference sponsored by the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement.

Removing the ammunition from the back of the tank opens up enough space to fit five soldiers, said Livnat. The tank operators can scan and observe from inside the vehicle, with the hatch closed. The IDF made the equipment "easy to operate," said Livnat, because not every crew is made up of professionally trained rankers. Some of the tanks are run by infantry soldiers.

Patrolling hostile urban areas in a tank can be dangerous, Livnat said, because the vehicles cannot maneuver as easily as light armored personnel carriers, and can be threatened by a range of weapons--from rocket-propelled grenades fired from tall buildings to trip wires and Molotov cocktails.

The Muslim casbah is "the most challenging environment" for tanks, said Livnat.

IDF vehicles also have been attacked with shaped charges that target the underbelly of the tank. Livnat said he predicts that U.S. tanks in Iraq will suffer more underbelly strikes as insurgents seek new ways to defeat U.S. armored vehicles.

The Merkava now is being equipped with an underbelly charge plate, lightweight plows and mine rollers, specifically to deal with the urban threats, Livnat said. The IDF, additionally, is considering equipping the tank with so-called "non-lethal weapons" for crowd control anti law enforcement type of operations.

Molotov cocktails, although crude weapons, potentially could destroy a tank just by causing an explosion. "If it gets inside the tank, you've lost it," he added.

For low-intensity missions, the Merkava is being upgraded with polycarbonate sight shields, a rear-door firing peephole, and intake and exhaust shields to defend from Molotov cocktails.

The IDF also fitted tanks with marking poles, which assist the commander and driver maneuvering in narrow streets. To protect against individuals planting explosive charges into the air intakes, wire meshes were added to close the openings and to shield the optic sights. A redesigned commander's cupola was installed to improve the commander's visibility at higher elevation. A firing hatch and observation window was opened in the rear access door, where a sniper or sharpshooter can operate from a sheltered position.

The newest version of the Merkava eventually could get active protection systems, which defeat incoming rocket-propelled grenades or missiles by shooting them down with another rocket. That technology also is being considered for U.S. armored vehicles, but it's a tough sell with commanders, because it poses a danger to friendly troops in the vicinity of the tank, who may be accidentally killed by their own vehicle's defensive weapons. For active protection to work, Livnat said, "you have to get the friendly troops out of the way."

The IDF, meanwhile, has built a prototype Merkava that, at 60 tons, is at least 15 tons lighter than the main battle tank, and would be employed exclusively as a personnel carrier.

The IDF M113s, meanwhile, are being retrofitted with reactive armor tiles, similar to the ones the U.S. Army has installed on the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. The tiles are made in Israel by Rafael.