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.