Magach 6B Batash

Alway liked the look of this update version of the M60


Article by Efim SAndler

Magach 6B GAL BATASH was a ‘gap filler’. Well, this tank is mostly known to modelers who like the fancy look of an old and good M60, and despite a couple of well-known pics that traversed all over the internet, very little really known of its brief service in IDF. Moreover the same tank got several names like – Magach 7D, Magach 8, Magach 6 KASAG while in the units it was mostly named Magach 6 MEMUGAN (Heb.-Protected) or Magach 6 LEBANON. BTW, BATASH is translated from Hebrew as ‘Continues Security’ that was the name of the mission IDF performed in Lebanon Security Belt and later in Gaza/West Bank.

By the end of 1990s, IDF had four tank brigades sharing Lebanon Security Belt – 188 with Merkava Mk.3, 7 with Merkava Mk.2, 500 with Magach 7C and 401 with Magach 6B GAL. The latter was considered vulnerable to the newer generation of ATGMs supplied to Hezbollah while in mid-late 1990s more Fagots and Konkurs were observed. To manage this extra protection was added to Magach 6B GAL tanks – the hull was enforced in the same manner as 7C tanks and turret got new layers of extra armor that gave a ‘dish’-like layout. All the tanks also got 908hp engine and enforced torsion bars and some other suspension parts. Note despite some sources, these tanks were not upgraded 7C but original 6B GAL. In total about 20 tanks were upgraded (the number could probably be a bit higher but not more than 30).

Officially the first Magach BATASH tanks appeared in 401 Brigade in 1999 but we can actually spot those tanks in 1998. According to my knowledge each tank battalion (46, 52 and 9) got somewhere between 6-8 tanks while each company operated a mixture of BATASH and regular 6B GAL tanks. The tanks appeared in Lebanon in 1999 and remained there until the withdrawal in May 2000. So from the good side it was a massive protection but from the bad its mobility was very limited especially in Lebanon muddy and rocky terrain. According to one source, the tank took direct hit of 120mm mortar round in the turret with absolutely no effect. But this was not a real tank as it barely moved.

After withdrawal from Lebanon the tanks of 401 Brigade took part in several operations in Gaza and West Bank - all have seen fancy pics from Ramallah during Operation PROTECTIVE SHIELD, 2002. In 2003 500 Armor Brigade was disbanded giving its Magach 7C tanks to reserve units, leaving 401 Armor Brigade the only regular one with Magach tanks. By 2004 BATASH tanks started to fall apart – according to the veterans, they became ‘maintenance nightmare’. For example, in Gaza, the tanks were moved to the position and back only, after 16 hours of mission time, another 8 were spent for suspension repairs. The attrition was ginormous, torsion bars ‘cracked down like nuts’ killing the arms and springs, the units tried to use BATASH tanks as less as possible.

Finally in 2005 401 Brigade exchanged all Magach tanks for Merkava Mk.4. Serving to fill the gap between two generations BATASH tanks did not get to reserve units, and remained only in plastic models.