Author Topic: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"  (Read 12668 times)

Offline Mark Aldrich

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Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« on: October 16, 2012, 05:19:38 AM »
Dateline: June, 1983.

With the success of the Merkava main battle tank, the Israeli Defense Force has already begun rolling off the Merkava MkII. The Israeli Air Defense Force demands a vehicle to keep abreast of the Merkava Battalions. The American made M-163 Vulcan and the M-730 Chaparral offer air defense coverage at long and close ranges. The Israelis desire a mobile platform that can move forward with the Merkavas’ and still “reach out and touch” enemy aircraft.
The Israeli military have been tracking development and operational histories of both the M-247 Sgt. York and the Gepard. The Israeli’s choose the Gepard as it has a proven track record and the cost appears less then the York.
The Israeli government approaches Germany and a contract is struck to purchase 20 Gepard turrets, ammunition and training on the system. The negotiations also call for purchasing licenses so that these turrets can be produced in Israel. It is deemed prudent to replace as many components as possible to use Merkava produced parts.
The resulting vehicle is rolled off the assembly line and named Apollo’s Chariot. The combination of the Merkava Hull and Gepard turret is an astounding success. Though there has not been much enemy air activity since the “Yom Kippur” war, the 35mm cannons have proved to be useful in other venues.



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Offline taiidantomcat

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2012, 06:14:04 AM »
That might be one of the coolest tank models Ive seen  :)
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Offline Doom!

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2012, 06:22:22 AM »
Another great build!  :)
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Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #3 on: October 16, 2012, 06:56:04 AM »
Wicked!  Wicked Cool!
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Offline Queeg

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2012, 07:04:54 AM »
Yeah you wouldn't want to be taking pots shot with your AK from a second story building and see one of these coming down the street .... another awesome build!

Offline raafif

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #5 on: October 16, 2012, 07:34:57 AM »
Nice, a bit more mobility than my AA vehicle
              http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=1055.0

With all those spare Merkava I & II hulls out there I'm sure the IDF (or a customer of theirs >:D ) will come up with more stuff like this !

Offline Mark Aldrich

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #6 on: October 16, 2012, 08:52:00 AM »
Thanks guys!  I had forgotten about this build until I was looking over old posts and saw the M109 AA vehicle! 
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Offline apophenia

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #7 on: October 16, 2012, 10:00:42 AM »
Yeah you wouldn't want to be taking pots shot with your AK from a second story building and see one of these coming down the street .... another awesome build!

I was thinking the same.  Easy to imagine a RW Merkava urban warfare fire support vehicle put together out of those "spare Merkava I & II hulls" and surplus Gepards. Are the Dutch selling off their PRTL-35mm GWIs yet?
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Offline Scooterman

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #8 on: October 16, 2012, 10:40:13 AM »
Another excellent job, dude.  Question-what did you use/how did you do the anti-slip texture on the hull?

Offline ChernayaAkula

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #9 on: October 16, 2012, 10:55:13 AM »
Very nice build!  :) Looks very plausible.

<...> Easy to imagine a RW Merkava urban warfare fire support vehicle put together out of those "spare Merkava I & II hulls" and surplus Gepards. <...>
Yeah! A Merkava-based vehicle along the lines of the Russian BMPT would be awesome!  >:D
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Offline Old Wombat

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #10 on: October 16, 2012, 01:15:04 PM »
Man, that's sweet! :D
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Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #11 on: October 16, 2012, 03:10:08 PM »
Outstanding! :)
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Offline TerryCampion

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #12 on: October 16, 2012, 04:58:50 PM »
Awesome....I love it!! :-* :-*

Offline Mark Aldrich

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #13 on: October 16, 2012, 08:22:27 PM »
Scooter! 
  The anti-slip is called embossing powder!  You can get it in different colors at most Michaels type stores.
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Offline M.A.D

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2013, 09:06:45 PM »
Very nice!!
I've never understood why the IDF, after all its combat experience has not adopted a more powerful (larger caliber) SPAAG system?

You give me thought!!

M.A.D 

Offline M.A.D

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #15 on: January 08, 2013, 09:17:26 PM »
Any chance that the IDF might follow the German Army lead and add Stinger MANPAD's to their Apollo’s Chariot?
The Merkava unique front-engine layout - which affords it an excellent rear fighting/storage compartment means that your 'Apollo’s Chariot' would be able to carry a substantial amount of reserve ammo for both the 35mm cannons and Singer reloads!!
Could the IDF go one further and adopt some of the Soviet practices (and appreciation of some of their equipment) and perhaps add an additional 2 x 35mm cannon - as the Soviet's did with their excellent 2S6 Tunguska (aka 4 x 30mm cannons) ;)

M.A.D   

Offline Mark Aldrich

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #16 on: January 08, 2013, 11:16:19 PM »
The main reason is because they probably do not precieve any immediate air threat from their neighbors.
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Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #17 on: January 09, 2013, 02:34:50 AM »
The main reason is because they probably do not precieve any immediate air threat from their neighbors.

Agreed.
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Offline Mark Aldrich

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2013, 05:44:47 AM »
Graeme Davidson did a GREAT conversion in his Osprey M113 modelling book.  It is called the SIDAM 25.......That woudl look cool on it as well.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sidam&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1357316858,d.eWU&biw=1600&bih=719&wrapid=tlif135768141966010&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=GZPsUM6AOYHI9QT6jYGIAg
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Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #19 on: January 09, 2013, 06:11:51 AM »
Graeme Davidson did a GREAT conversion in his Osprey M113 modelling book.  It is called the SIDAM 25.......That woudl look cool on it as well.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sidam&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1357316858,d.eWU&biw=1600&bih=719&wrapid=tlif135768141966010&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=GZPsUM6AOYHI9QT6jYGIAg


Agreed.  An Italian company called Historica Production did produce a SIDAM 25 conversion.  Unfortunately they went out of production.
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Offline Gingie

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Offline Silverfox

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Re: Merkava ADA "Apollo's Chariot"
« Reply #21 on: May 28, 2018, 06:35:55 PM »
Nicely done! I've done the exact same thing myself, but yours has come out a lot better from the paint shop than mine, haha.