The Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) is evaluating initial proposals from some local companies to decide what types of loitering weapon systems will be deployed on Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) Merkava 4 main battle tank. The idea to equip the MBT with advanced loitering weapon systems stems from the initial experience accumulated by the IDF’ armored corps during the fighting in the highly densely populated Gaza. In the fighting in such an urban area, the tank is more vulnerable to advanced anti-tank weapons. “a loitering weapon system with an EO payload will allow the tank commander to locate hidden threats and destroy them in real-time. The loitering weapon systems that will be carried by the MBT will have added capabilities to fulfill the triple task – improve situational awareness, detect and destroy the enemy.