Merkava compared with K2 Black Panther, Tank Full Specs Comparison : The Merkava (Hebrew: מרכבה (help·info), Chariot) is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces. The tank began development in 1973 and entered official service in 1979. Four main versions 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. Main Battle Tank K2 Black Panther (Hangul: K2 '흑표'; Hanja: K2 '黒豹') is a South Korean main battle tank that will replace most of the various models of M48 Patton tanks and complement the K1 series of main battle tanks currently fielded by the Republic of Korea. Full-scale mass-production is currently on hold due to concerns regarding its transmission and main engine.