The Merkava ("chariot") is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces. The tank began development in 1970, and entered official service in 1979. Four main variants of the tank have been deployed. It was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War. The name "Merkava" was derived from the IDF's initial development program name. The Mark IV is the most recent variant of the Merkava tank, which has been in development since 1999 and production since 2004. The first Merkava IVs were in production in limited numbers by the end of 2004.
