Merkava Mark 4 with “Trophy” (Meil Ruach) Active Tank Defense System to be Presented in Joint Combat Exercise Demonstration for First Time, 11 Oct 2010

A demonstration of the Joint Combat Exercise will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, October 12^th, at the IDF base of Shizafon. The event will be in the presence of the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz, and the Chief of the Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Sami Turgeman. Senior ground forces officers will also participate in the joint combat demonstration.

The Joint Combat Exercise summarizes the training of ground force officer cadets and its objective is to implement the collaboration between the different branches and corps. Tomorrow’s demonstration will display the ground forces’ abilities, in which Officers’ Training School cadets from the infantry, engineering, armored, and artillery corps perform drills that combine various diverse combat techniques. These include urban warfare, advancing through complex obstacles, using artillery support, and employing invasion techniques, along with aerial support of the Israel Air Force, including medical evacuations and aerial re-supplies.

This demonstration will commence the Joint Combat Exercise that continues for ten days. The demonstration includes live fire and presents the interoperability of the ground and air forces by displaying a combined battalion fighting in different operational settings.

This will be the first joint combat demonstration in which the Merkava Tank Mark 4 and the “Trophy” (Meil Ruach) active tank defense system will be presented. The Meil Ruach system is a new defense system against anti-tank missiles and will be demonstrated by firing a dummy missile at the tank.