Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate (Mantak)מנת"ק- מנהלת המרכבה והרק"ם
What the Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate (Mantak) role asks for, and what it holds
Mantak, the Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate, is a Ministry of Defense unit that develops combat systems and platforms for the ground forces.
RearGeneral Staff unitsProfile 25+Men and womenBlack
The role asks for a medical profile of 25 and up.
The medical profile runs from 21 to 97.
- Kind of role
- Rear
- Branch
- General Staff units
- Open to
- Men and women
- Medical profile
- 25 and up
- Try-out
- Not needed
- Training place
- Tel HaShomer base
This is what the work of the role holds.
The directorate was set up in 1970 to develop an Israeli tank. It develops the Merkava tank and the Namer and Eitan armored personnel carriers, working with defense companies in Israel and abroad.
Soldiers in the role develop systems that are built into combat systems, from the first idea to use in the field. The work covers mechanical design with Creo PTC, structural, modal, flow and thermal analyses in APEX and Nastran, MATLAB simulations, protection systems, electrical systems, electronic boards, optical systems and control systems.
In software and cyber, the work includes full stack development of operational command systems, user interface design, AI for data processing and automatic target recognition, web systems, QA and integration between systems.
This is what service in the role looks like.
The unit serves at the Tel HaShomer base.
The role also asks for a few more things.
- Entry is possible through the academic reserve in mechanical, electrical or software engineering.
- Entry is possible through the technological reserve in the Technology and Maintenance Corps.
- Entry is possible through the Matal track, a land technology NCO track for graduates of the FIRST project.
- Entry is possible through the Pa'amei Atidim program of the technological reserve.
- Graduates of the Data Analyst course of the IDF computer and communications corps can join.
- Graduates of the QA course of the IDF computer and communications corps can join.
After the role, the IDF's page names these paths.
- The engineering experience from the service can lead to roles in high tech, defense and civilian technology.
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Frequently asked questions
What does the Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate (Mantak) role ask for?
The role asks for a medical profile of 25 and up.
Who can serve as Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate (Mantak)?
The role is open to men and women.
Is there a try-out for Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate (Mantak)?
The IDF names no try-out for the role.
This page was written from the IDF's pages for future soldiers, read on 6 November 2026.
- The role's page on the IDF's site: Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate (Mantak)
The requirements and screenings change from time to time, and the IDF's page for each role is the one that counts.