The Merkava  is the main battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces. Since the early 1980s, four main versions have been deployed. The "Merkava" name was derived from the IDF's development program name.
Currently, it is manned by a crew of  four consisting of the tank commander, driver, loader, and gunner.
This platform is optimized for crew survival and rapid battle damage repair. With the use of spaced-armor techniques and quick-replacement modular designs, the design team was able to incorporate a derivative of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA), and Chobham. Additionally, the space between the inner and outer hulls is filled with diesel fuel—an economical storage method and effective means of defeating HEAT rounds.
Following the model of contemporary self-propelled howitzers, the turret assembly is located nearer the rear than in most main battle tanks. This gives the crew additional protection against a frontal attack by putting the engine between them and the front of the tank. Additionally, the arrangement created an empty, unused space in the rear of the tank that allowed for increased storage capacity.

The lead organization for system integration of the Merkava's main components is Israel Military Industries. The IDF Ordnance and Tank Workshops are responsible for final Merkava assembly. The primary construction facility, "Plant 7100," is located in a complex at Tel HaShomer just outside of Tel Aviv.