In all honesty, the Merkava is a step up from the M1A1. The Merkave can move 60 Km/h on rocky terrain without throwing tracks. It also has such na good stabilizer that you can get a lawn chair, a cup of coffee, and a magazine to read while you sit ontop of the tank while it races along a road. You wouldn't spill a drop.
Best of all, the Merkava is lighter than the M1A1. Problem with the M1A1 is that it's too heavy to move to places with timely delivery to the battlefield. And it guzzles gas faster than an Irishman in a beer factory. I don't know how the Merkava performs in regards to mileage, but i doubt it's much better.
I don't remember how much the comparison of price was but I'm sure it's expensive for both of them.
And to answer your other question, yes the merkava was designed primarily as a tank vs. tank, and it's secondary was infantry support, not to have the merkava go in alone against waves of infantry. It's just suicidal.
And thanks for elaborating on points I forgot/didn't cover Skybird. Seems like we make a good pair together. (You are a girl right?).
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Science is the organized unpredictability that strives not to set limits to mans' capabilities, but is the engine by which the limits of mans' understanding is defined-Yahoshua
  
Last edited by Yahoshua; 08-16-06 at 11:11 PM.
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