Historical overview
The Merkava was Israel’s answer to a strategic problem: the Israel Defense Forces needed a tank optimized for local terrain, high crew survival, rapid maintenance, and national supply autonomy rather than a generic export-pattern MBT. The Israel Ministry of Defense states that in 1970 Israel elected to eliminate reliance on foreign tank suppliers and establish a Tank and APC Administration under the Ministry; the first Merkava Mark I followed nearly nine years later. Sources
Its historical significance rests on three linked features. First, the Merkava made tank design into a national industrial project. Second, its layout subordinated many design choices to crew protection and recoverability: the engine was placed forward, the turret was set rearward, ammunition was protected, and a rear door enabled evacuation, resupply, casualty carriage, or limited troop carriage. Third, later Merkavas became the primary combat platform for hard-kill active protection in regular armored service through Rafael’s Trophy system. [IMOD-MANTAK; TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; RAFAEL-TROPHY] Sources
The most important variants are the Mk 1, which established the concept and fought in Lebanon in 1982; the Mk 2, which incorporated immediate Lebanon-war lessons; the Mk 3, which introduced a 120 mm smoothbore gun and more powerful engine at the Cold War boundary; the Mk 4, which redesigned protection, electronics, powerpack, and digital systems; the Mk 4M Windbreaker, which integrated Trophy APS; and the Merkava Barak, fielded from 2023 with advanced sensors, commander helmet interface, data-sharing, and AI-enabled target-support claims. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; TANK-AFV-MKIII; ARMYREC-MK4; TOI-BARAK-2023] Sources
Uncertainties include production totals, inventories at particular dates, classified armor details, combat losses, and the distinction between tank exports and exports of derivative chassis. The cited sources describe separate Cold War and modern-family entries because Mk 4, Mk 4M, and Barak belong to the modernized service family, while Mk 1–Mk 3 form the Cold War lineage. Sources
The Merkava is not the fastest, smallest, or most exportable modern MBT, but it is one of the clearest examples of a tank designed around national doctrine, crew survival, protected ammunition, and domestic sustainment. Its modern influence is strongest in active protection, heavy infantry carrier derivatives, and a design culture that treats the tank as a networked survivability system rather than only as a gun, armor, and engine balance. Sources
Strategic context before development: Israel’s pre-Merkava armored force was built from foreign-origin tanks: British Centurions, American M48/M60-series vehicles, captured Soviet-pattern tanks, and other conversions. The 1967 and 1973 wars confirmed the central role of armored forces while also highlighting losses, ammunition fires, crew vulnerability, supply dependence, and the need to tailor vehicles to the Golan, Sinai, and urban/peri-urban battlefields. [GLOBALSEC-MERKAVA; TANK-AFV-MERKAVA] Sources
The British Chieftain episode is often treated as the emotional and procurement trigger. Sources differ on details, but the broad point is stable: Israel could not assume guaranteed foreign tank access. GlobalSecurity describes Israel Tal’s 1970 feasibility study for a fully domestic tank and frames the Chieftain affair as a turning point in the decision to build at home. The official Ministry of Defense page confirms the 1970 independence decision and creation of the Tank/APC Administration. [GLOBALSEC-MERKAVA; IMOD-MANTAK] Sources
Relevant doctrine: The Merkava reflected a country with limited manpower, short mobilization timelines, hostile borders, and an expectation of high-intensity armor combat. Protection of trained crews had strategic value. A damaged tank that could keep its crew alive, be recovered, and return to service was more valuable than a lighter vehicle optimized only for speed. Sources
Industrial constraints: Israel did not begin with a full tank-manufacturing base comparable to the United States, Britain, Germany, or the Soviet Union. The project drew on depot rebuild infrastructure, local subcontractors, foreign components, and IDF maintenance experience. The Ministry of Defense describes use of existing infrastructure and an old tank-repair facility transformed into a production line; Tank-AFV likewise lists numerous Israeli and foreign subcontractors in later variants. [IMOD-MANTAK; TANK-AFV-MERKAVA] Sources
Development and variants
This is a full-family history. It includes the original Merkava prototypes, Mk 1, Mk 2, Mk 3, Mk 4, Mk 4M Windbreaker, Barak, and major Merkava-chassis derivatives insofar as they explain family development. It excludes detailed unit-by-unit IDF order of battle and full technical disclosure of classified armor/electronic systems. Namer, Ofek, Nemmera, and Philippine AVLBs are treated as tank-derived vehicles, not as Merkava MBTs. Sources
Classification: The Merkava Mk 1 through Barak are main battle tanks. The Namer heavy APC, Namer IFV prototypes or fielding variants, Ofek heavy APC, Nemmera recovery vehicle, and AVLB bridge vehicles are not tanks even when based on Merkava hulls; they are included because they illuminate how the Merkava chassis became a broader armored-vehicle ecosystem. [ARMYREC-PHIL-AVLB] Sources
Related vehicles often confused with it include the Magach/M60 series, the Sho’t/Centurion line, the Sabra M60 upgrade, and the Namer. These cannot be rolled into the Merkava tank count. Magach and Sho’t influenced Israeli armored doctrine and industrial rebuild skills, but they are separate foreign-origin tank families. Namer is a Merkava-derived heavy APC rather than a turreted MBT. Sources
Design origin: The Merkava program emerged from a 1970 decision to pursue independent tank design and production. Maj. Gen. Israel Tal is consistently identified as the central figure and is described by the Ministry of Defense as the first head of MANTAK and the “father of the Merkava.”. [IMOD-MANTAK; GLOBALSEC-MERKAVA] Sources
Prototype timeline: Published accounts describe Merkava prototypes in 1974–1977. Tank-AFV reports that the first prototype was ready in 1974, production began around 1977, and the tank was accepted in the late 1970s. The exact wording differs among sources, with some using public reveal, initial delivery, formal acceptance, and service introduction as different dates; in the cited account, 1970 is used in. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; IMOD-MANTAK] Sources
Mk 1: The Mk 1 established the core layout: front powerpack, rearward turret, low/triangular turret face, 105 mm M68/M64 family gun, 60 mm mortar, protected crew space, and rear access. Tank-AFV cites about 250 Mk 1s, while Published accounts describe “250 approx. / verify.”. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA] Sources
Mk 2: The Mk 2 responded directly to the 1982 Lebanon War. It retained the 105 mm gun but moved the mortar internally, improved fire control, strengthened protection against RPGs and urban attack angles, and added rear turret chain protection. Tank-AFV and other cited accounts give about 580 Mk 2s, a source estimate rather than an official public production total. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; TANK-AFV-MKII] Sources
Mk 3: The Mk 3 was a deeper redesign that introduced the 120 mm smoothbore gun, 1,200 hp powerpack, new transmission, improved armor and electronics, and later Baz / Dor Dalet upgrades. It entered at the Cold War boundary: The cited sources describe Mk 3 in the Cold War family while flagging later subvariants as post-1991. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; TANK-AFV-MKIII] Sources
Mk 4 and Mk 4M: Development of the Mk 4 began in the early 1990s; Army Recognition states it was first revealed in 2002 and that the first battalion became fully operational in 2004. The Mk 4 brought a 1,500 hp powerpack, all-electric turret, redesigned modular armor, advanced FCS/BMS, and later Trophy APS. [ARMYREC-MK4; TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; RAFAEL-TROPHY] Sources
Barak: In 2023 the Defense Ministry and IDF revealed the Barak as a “5th generation Merkava battle tank.” Times of Israel reported first delivery to the 52nd Armored Battalion of the 401st Brigade after five years of development, with research beginning in 2015, development in 2018, and initial tests in 2020. Systems were developed with Elbit, Rafael, IAI/Elta, and other firms. Defense News added that the platform includes AI, sensors, radar, and cameras and that the ministry expected dozens per year, though quantities and costs were not officially disclosed in detail. [TOI-BARAK-2023; DEFNEWS-BARAK-2023] Sources
Design and performance
The Merkava’s signature feature is a forward engine and rearward turret/fighting compartment. The arrangement does not make the engine a substitute for armor, but it adds mass and structure forward of the crew while enabling rear access for evacuation, ammunition handling, casualty carriage, or limited passenger carriage. Sources
The hull uses a long, sloped front with the powerpack forward and driver offset forward. A rear door/hatch arrangement gives the Merkava an unusual degree of crew egress and logistics flexibility. The spacious rear fighting compartment also explains later “Tankbulance” and heavy APC derivatives. Sources
The turret is set well back and presents a narrow frontal profile. Mk 1/Mk 2 turrets have a more visibly angular cast/welded style; Mk 3 and Mk 4 introduce increasingly modular armor packs and different mantlet/turret geometry. Mk 4 and Barak turrets incorporate more electronics, all-electric drives, Trophy sensors/launchers in relevant variants, and mission-system interfaces. [ARMYREC-MK4; TOI-BARAK-2023] Sources
Armor composition and exact thickness remain classified. Open sources support a progression from spaced steel and cast/welded arrangements toward modular composite armor and improved roof, mine, flank, and urban-threat protection. Chain netting behind the turret became a visible anti-RPG measure after Lebanon-war lessons. Exact armor values cannot be assumed. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; TANK-AFV-MKII; ARMYREC-MK4] Sources
Mk 1 and Mk 2 use a 105 mm M68/M64/L7-family rifled gun. Mk 3 introduces an Israeli 120 mm smoothbore; Mk 4 and Barak retain the 120 mm smoothbore family with improved ammunition, stabilization, and digital fire-control integration. Some sources report LAHAT compatibility on later 120 mm variants. This does not establish that the missile was a universal service loadout. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; TANK-AFV-MKIII; ARMYREC-MK4] Sources
Typical secondary armament includes 7.62 mm machine guns, a possible.50 caliber machine gun aligned with or mounted above the main gun, smoke grenade launchers, and a 60 mm mortar. The mortar moved from an exposed/external arrangement in early vehicles to a protected internal arrangement on later variants. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; TANK-AFV-MKII] Sources
The Merkava is notable for protected ammunition stowage and fire-resistant containers. Round counts vary by variant and source, commonly around 62 105 mm rounds in Mk 1/Mk 2, about 46 120 mm rounds in Mk 3, and about 48 120 mm rounds in Mk 4. These figures are described as open-published estimates. [TANK-AFV-MKIII; TANK-AFV-MERKAVA] Sources
FCS sophistication rises through the family: Mk 2 introduces improved thermal and meteorological inputs, Mk 3/Baz upgrades fire control and hunter-killer capability, Mk 4 adds more advanced FCS/BMS integration, and Barak emphasizes sensors, target sharing, touchscreens, and commander helmet display. [TANK-AFV-MKII; TANK-AFV-MKIII; ARMYREC-MK4; TOI-BARAK-2023] Sources
Open details vary because modern optics are sensitive. Mk 2 received improved thermal optics; Mk 3 Baz and Dor Dalet are associated with improved sights and fire control; Barak’s commander system is described as giving a sealed-vehicle 360-degree awareness capability through an Elbit-developed helmet interface. [TANK-AFV-MKII; TANK-AFV-MKIII; TOI-BARAK-2023] Sources
Early vehicles used Teledyne Continental AVDS-1790-family diesels around 900–950 hp; Mk 3 used a 1,200 hp class diesel; Mk 4 uses a 1,500 hp class diesel with modern transmission. Recent Ministry of Defense component deals explicitly reference 1,500 and 1,200 hp transmissions, suspensions, and powertrains for Merkava and Namer vehicles, showing the family’s ongoing sustainment burden. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; TANK-AFV-MKIII; ARMYREC-MK4; IMOD-2025-COMPONENTS] Sources
The Merkava uses a robust spring suspension suited to Israeli terrain and heavy weight. Early variants traded power-to-weight for protection; Mk 4’s 1,500 hp engine gives a more competitive mobility margin for a roughly 65-ton class vehicle. Tracks and road wheels reflect Centurion-influenced design ancestry in early versions. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; ARMYREC-MK4] Sources
Crew is normally four: commander, gunner, loader, and driver. The rear access door and large fighting compartment are unusually important to the vehicle’s identity, giving crews evacuation options and allowing casualty or passenger carriage under some circumstances. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; ARMYREC-MK4] Sources
Modern Merkavas are not merely tanks with radios; they are nodes in an Israeli digital ground-force system. Mk 4 introduced stronger BMS integration, and Barak emphasizes real-time information sharing between tank and other military elements. [ARMYREC-MK4; TOI-BARAK-2023] Sources
Trophy/Meil Ruach/Windbreaker is the defining modern protection system. Rafael describes Trophy as an operational active protection system for armored fighting vehicles; open sources associate Mk 4M with Trophy after the 2006 Lebanon War made advanced ATGM threats a central lesson. [RAFAEL-TROPHY; DEFUPDATE-2007] Sources
The Merkava was designed around local maintainability and battlefield repair as much as tactical performance. The domestic production base and depot assembly approach reduced vulnerability to embargoes but created a long-term sustainment ecosystem of Israeli suppliers, component contracts, and depot upgrades. [IMOD-MANTAK; IMOD-2025-COMPONENTS] Sources
Known or plausible weaknesses include heavy weight, early power-to-weight limitations, exposure to side/rear/top attack in complex terrain, dependence on combined-arms screens in urban and anti-tank missile environments, and classification opacity that makes independent evaluation difficult. The 2006 Lebanon War reinforced that even a survivability-optimized tank could be placed at risk by poor combined-arms employment and dense ATGM threats. Sources
Production, operators, and combat record
Manufacturers and factories: The Merkava was organized through the Israel Ministry of Defense’s Tank/APC Administration, later the Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate, with IDF depot/ordnance assembly and a network of Israeli defense-industrial suppliers. The Ministry’s official account emphasizes the conversion of existing repair and production infrastructure into the basis of a national armored-vehicle production line. Sources
Subcontractor ecosystem: Open-source lists commonly include Israel Military Industries for guns/ammunition, Urdan for hull/powertrain/road-wheel work, Soltam for mortars, Elta/El-Op/Elbit for sensors and electronics, Tadiran for communications and internal systems, Rafael for protection and remote weapon systems, and foreign-origin or licensed engine/transmission elements. Specific supplier responsibilities changed over time, so this represents an industrial map rather than a fixed bill of materials. Sources
Production timeline: Mk 1 production is generally placed from 1977/1979 to 1983; Mk 2 from 1983 to 1989; Mk 3 from 1989 to roughly 2002/2003; Mk 4 from the early 2000s onward; Mk 4M and Barak as active upgrades/production standards. Published accounts describe Mk 1 at about 250, Mk 2 at about 580, Mk 3 at about 780, and modern Mk 3/Mk 4/Barak quantities as “hundreds” or not public. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; TANK-AFV-MKIII] Sources
Current production and sustainment: Recent Ministry of Defense press releases show that Merkava/Namer sustainment and production are active programs, not historical remnants. In April 2025 IMOD announced an approximately $26 million component agreement for 1,500 and 1,200 horsepower transmissions, suspensions, and powertrains for Merkava tanks and Namer APCs. In August 2025 IMOD announced an approximately $1.5 billion plan to increase armored-vehicle inventory and boost production rates of Merkava Mk 4 Barak tanks, Namer APCs, and Eitan APCs over the next five years. [IMOD-2025-COMPONENTS; IMOD-2025-PLAN] Sources
Cost: Official unit costs for modern Merkava tanks are not consistently public. Sources
Export production: No confirmed foreign operator of the Merkava MBT is identified in the available accounts or well-documented open sources. Israeli-made AVLBs delivered to the Philippines appear to be based on a Merkava chassis; they are bridge-layer derivatives, not Merkava tanks. Reports of possible used Merkava tank exports have appeared, but no confirmed MBT export user is treated here as established. [ARMYREC-PHIL-AVLB] Sources
Original operator: Israel is the sole confirmed operator of Merkava MBTs. Service began with Mk 1 at the end of the 1970s; later versions replaced older tanks in regular formations while older Merkavas moved to reserve units, upgrades, conversion, or retirement. Published accounts describe Israel entries for the Cold War family and modern Mk 3/Mk 4/Mk 4M/Barak family with well-documented for operator identity but only less certain for current inventories. Sources
Training and reserve use: Older Mk 2 and Mk 3 variants have been reported in reserve or conversion roles, but current status is time-sensitive and often not published in official fleet tables. The 2023–2026 conflict period has made reserve activation, recovery, and refurbishment claims especially volatile. Sources
First combat use: The Merkava Mk 1’s major combat debut came in the 1982 Lebanon War. Open sources portray it as better suited to Israeli crew-protection priorities than older types, but detailed kill/loss comparisons against Syrian T-series tanks remain difficult because public battlefield claims often blend unit actions, propaganda, and incomplete loss records. Sources
Lebanon 1982 lessons: The war drove concrete design changes: relocating/protecting the mortar, improving rear turret protection against RPGs and fragments, fixing turret shot-trap problems, and shaping the Mk 2 around urban and low-intensity threats. [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA; TANK-AFV-MKII] Sources
South Lebanon, Intifada, and urban/peri-urban operations: Later Merkavas were frequently employed in dense terrain and counter-insurgency contexts where exposure to RPGs, roadside bombs, and close-range anti-armor teams mattered as much as tank-versus-tank performance. The LIC kit and rear-camera/mesh protections reflect that environment. Sources
Second Lebanon War, 2006: Defense Update reported that four Merkava types were used in Lebanon in 2006, including Mk 4, Mk 2D, standard Mk 2, and Mk 3 Baz. It cited official and Israeli armor-corps assessments indicating that many tanks were hit by advanced anti-tank threats and that not all hits penetrated, while also emphasizing tactical lessons: smoke, combined-arms integration, active protection, and protection against side/rear attacks. Hit and penetration counts differ by source and reporting circumstances. Sources
Trophy and the active-protection shift: After 2006, the Merkava’s modern history became inseparable from Trophy. Defense Update described a March 2011 engagement near Gaza as the first combat engagement of an active protection system on a Merkava 4. Rafael’s official material supports Trophy as an operational active-protection system integrated on armored platforms, including Israeli vehicles. [DEFUPDATE-TROPHY-2011; RAFAEL-TROPHY] Sources
Gaza operations and Operation Protective Edge: Mk 4M Windbreaker vehicles with Trophy became symbols of Israel’s armored approach in Gaza operations, combining heavy armor, APS, sensors, and infantry cooperation. Sources
Swords of Iron / current war period: IMOD’s 2025 production-acceleration release states that advanced armored vehicles accumulated more than one million kilometers in current operations and links additional procurement to combat success. This is an official Israeli government statement and is described as an operator-source claim, not an independent battlefield audit. Sources
Crew experience: The Merkava’s rear access, protected ammunition, fire suppression, and ability to carry casualties are often described as crew-survival features. The same features do not make the tank invulnerable; the 2006 experience and later urban fighting show that tanks still require infantry, engineers, drones, artillery, smoke, and intelligence support. Sources
Legacy and historical evidence
Overall battlefield value: The Merkava’s value cannot be judged by a single specification. It was a theater-optimized, doctrine-specific MBT that traded compactness and export simplicity for crew survival, recovery options, local production, and later active-protection integration. Sources
Influence on later tank design: The Merkava did not create a global front-engine MBT trend; most MBTs retained conventional rear-engine layouts. Its influence is therefore less about direct imitation and more about demonstrating how national doctrine can drive an unconventional layout when crew survival, logistics, and repair are prioritized. Sources
Doctrinal impact: The family helped define Israeli armored doctrine after the 1970s: survivability, rapid repair, protected movement, combined-arms urban adaptation, and close integration between tanks, engineers, infantry, sensors, and air/ISR assets. Sources
Heavy APC legacy: Namer, Ofek, and related vehicles show the strategic afterlife of the Merkava chassis. Removing the turret and reinvesting mass in troop protection produced a heavy APC concept that directly addressed the vulnerability of older M113-type vehicles in high-threat environments. Sources
Active protection legacy: Mk 4M and Trophy made active protection a mainstream armored-vehicle question rather than a laboratory idea. Trophy's integration prompted foreign interest and use on non-Israeli platforms, illustrating the increasing combination of armor, sensors, and interceptors in survivability systems. [RAFAEL-TROPHY; DEFUPDATE-TROPHY-2011] Sources
Modern reputation: The Merkava is often mythologized either as nearly invulnerable or as too heavy and specialized. The better assessment is narrower: it is a highly specialized Israeli MBT family with strong crew-protection logic, combat-tested strengths, and documented exposure to modern ATGM/urban threats when combined-arms conditions are unfavorable. Sources
Surviving vehicles: Older Mk 1, Mk 2, and Mk 3 examples are displayed at museums such as Yad La-Shiryon / Latrun; some older hulls have been converted or used for training/support roles. Exact retirement and conversion status remains time-sensitive. [Wikimedia image pages] Sources
Official Israeli announcements document Merkava program milestones and later procurement. Precise historical quantities, current holdings, losses, and classified systems remain less fully established. Sources
Israel decided in 1970 to eliminate dependence on foreign tank suppliers and established a domestic tank/APC administration. Sources
Merkava Mk 1 entered Israeli service at the end of the 1970s and established a survivability-centered front-engine/rear-access layout. [IMOD-MANTAK; TANK-AFV-MERKAVA] Sources
Mk 3 introduced the 120 mm smoothbore and 1,200 hp class powerpack at the Cold War boundary. [TANK-AFV-MKIII] Sources
Mk 4 entered IDF service in the early 2000s and Mk 4M integrated Trophy APS. [ARMYREC-MK4; RAFAEL-TROPHY] Sources
Barak was revealed/fielded in 2023 with sensor, helmet, and data-sharing emphasis. [TOI-BARAK-2023; DEFNEWS-BARAK-2023] Sources
Common Mk 1, Mk 2, and Mk 3 quantities remain estimates rather than fully reconciled totals. Sources
Current Mk 3/Mk 4/Mk 4M/Barak active/reserve status by unit. Sources
Specific subvariant boundaries such as Mk 2B, Mk 2C, Mk 2D, Mk 3 Baz, Mk 3D/Dor Dalet, and Mk 4M 400. Sources
Cost figures and annual Barak output reported by media rather than stable procurement tables. Sources
Precise combat loss and penetration rates by campaign without source attribution. Sources
Unconfirmed foreign Merkava MBT export talks. Sources
Detailed AI/sensor architecture of Barak beyond official public descriptions. Sources
Photographs and image credits
Background reading and references. Each photograph has its own source and credit.
Sources and further reading
Background reading and references. Each photograph has its own source and credit.
- [IMOD-MANTAK] — Israel Ministry of Defense, “Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate.”
- [IMOD-2025-PLAN] — Israel Ministry of Defense, “Israel Defense Procurement Committee Approves Approximately $1.5B Plan to Expand Tank and APC Production,” 20 Aug. 2025.
- [IMOD-2025-COMPONENTS] — Israel Ministry of Defense, “Israel MOD Secures Approximately $26 Million Deal for Merkava Tank and Namer APC Components,” 9 Apr. 2025.
- [RAFAEL-TROPHY] — Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, “Trophy APS.”
- [TOI-BARAK-2023] — Emanuel Fabian, Times of Israel, “Advanced sensors, high-tech helmet: Israel’s 5th generation battle tank revealed,” 19 Sept. 2023.
- [DEFNEWS-BARAK-2023] — Tzally Greenberg, Defense News, “Israel unveils new Barak tank with AI, sensors and cameras,” 20 Sept. 2023.
- [TANK-AFV-MERKAVA] — Tank Encyclopedia / Tank-AFV, “Merkava Main Battle Tank (1978).”
- [TANK-AFV-MKII] — Tank Encyclopedia / Tank-AFV, “Merkava Mark II.”
- [TANK-AFV-MKIII] — Tank Encyclopedia / Tank-AFV, “Merkava Mk. 3.”
- [ARMYREC-MK4] — Army Recognition, “Merkava 4 MBT.”
- [GLOBALSEC-MERKAVA] — GlobalSecurity.org, “Merkava.”
- [DEFUPDATE-2007] — Defense Update, “Assessing the performance of Merkava Tanks,” 14 June 2007.
- [DEFUPDATE-TROPHY-2011] — Defense Update, “Merkava 4 Equipped with Trophy Defeats an RPG on the First Combat Engagement of an Active Protection System,” 1 Mar. 2011.
- [ARMYREC-PHIL-AVLB] — Army Recognition, “Philippine Army to inspect newly delivered Israeli-made AVLB armored vehicle-launched bridge,” 14 July 2022.