[FreedomPoster]

There’s a pretty big gulf between a 60mm mortar and a BMPT!

[Spktyr]

I agree, but the *entire* Merkava platoon will be shooting at the building with their mortars, which will do the job. The Merkavas are also fitted with high angle capable remotely operated M2HB .50s and sometimes Mk19 40mm grenade launchers (the sometimes part is for remote operation - they ALL have the Mk19 in some kind of mount). They seem to have worked fine in Lebanon in recent years.

The point is, the Merkavas were designed to have some high-angle firing capability because of this threat, and the Russian tanks generally weren’t. The BMPT has to be able to cover its entire platoon and rapidly deal with all the high angle threats by itself.

Neither one is really a *wrong* answer, I think. The Israeli approach is combat proven through multiple actions, and the BMPT has proven itself in Syria.

[Spktyr]

The Israelis aren't exactly alien to the concept of the BMPT, either. There's a version of their Namer APC (which is built off the Merkava hull) that's an IFV. It's got a 30mm autocannon and a two ATGM missile pod that retracts into the unmanned turret, and while it isn't integral to the tank platoon, it's usually operating not terribly far away...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namer