Sho't Kal Bet - Reliability at the Cost of Stability

Revaxus · February 27, 2026, 10:45pm

Would you like to see the Sho’t Kal Bet in-game?

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A Sho’t Kal Bet with Blazer ERA and IS-10 smoke grenade launchers pictured in the early 1980’s during an exercise in south Israel

History

As reputable as the Israeli Sho’t Kal Alef Centurion was after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, one issue still plagued the tank’s performance: the original British electric turret control system. The turret control system was known to tire the tank’s batteries and thus give a limited performance.

The fix to this issue was to replace it with a new system based on the electro-hydraulic turret control system known as Cadillac Gage, already prevalent and proved reliable in the IDF’s Magach 3 (M48 Patton) tanks. This replacement eased logistics but however gave an unperfected solution due to two main reasons, one being because the hydraulic fluids were a flammable danger, a lesson learned during the war in Magach tanks after being hit. The second and most prominent reason being the lack of a gun stabilizer, a prime feature of the Centurion tank. Due to these flaws, the Sho’t Kal Bet was not widely implemented throughout the IDF and would only mostly serve in front-line brigades.

The Sho’t Kal Bet pictured on the firing range during its evaluation of the hydro-electric turret control system

Around the Bet’s introduction in 1975, the mid to late 70’s of the IDF armored force would see the entrance of a classified special type of armor now widely known as Explosive Reactive Armor. After urban warfare lessons learned in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, an emphasis was put on protection from chemical projectiles. Sho’t Kal Bets were equipped with ERA mounting points and would be able to suit Blazer ERA for combat.

The Sho’t Kal Bet was used as the main force of Israel’s tanks during Operation Litani in 1978. The tanks were seen with visible ERA mounting points and other products of the time such as the loader’s machine gun, creating a distinction between the Bet and the in-game Alef.

Products of the time which differentiate the Bet from the in-game Alef

ERA mounting points
Reorganized frontal hull headlights due to ERA
.30 cal loader’s machine gun
Urdan cupola
New electrical plug on turret roof
New searchlight storage bracket
Two spare track links relocated from upper glacis plate to rear of the tank
Mantlet cover trimmed
Thermal sleeve (however rarely seen)

A Sho’t Kal Bet with ERA mounting points and a .30 caliber loader’s machine gun during Operation Litani

Upon the introduction of newer variants to the lineage, the Sho’t Kal Bets would eventually be standardized in the 80’s. The Sho’t Kal Gimel received a safer turret control drive and new stabilization system, solving the issue and being widely implemented throughout the IDF.

Specifications

Primary Armament:
- x1 105mm US-licensed M68/Sharir cannon
Secondary Armament:
- x1 12.7mm M2HB machine gun mounted above mantlet
- x3 M1919A4/L3A1 machine gun (coaxial, commander, & loader)
- x2 IS-10 73.3mm smoke grenade launchers
- x1 60mm smoke grenade mortar
Turret Rotation Speed:
- 14 seconds for full 360° = approx. 25.71° /s
Vertical Guidance:
- -10.0 / +18.0 @ 6° /s
Mass:
- 51-52 t w/o Blazer ERA
- 53-54 t w/ Blazer ERA

Translated IDF document of turret control system comparisons between the Alef, Bet, and Gimel

Translated IDF document of turret control comparisons between the Alef, Bet, and Gimel

All other specifications coordinate with the Sho’t Kal Alef and will not be listed here.

Gameplay & Implementation

Being identical to the Sho’t Kal Alef, it would receive the same US-licensed 105mm M68 domestically produced Sharir cannon with the addition of an M111 APFSDS tier III modification correlating with the late 70’s to early 80’s time period, the same as the Magach 5.

The Sho’t Kal Bet in general would play extremely similarly to the Magach 5, for the lack of a stabilizer but strong APFSDS round, ERA protection, and smoke grenade launchers. The Magach 5 would still arguably remain the stronger tank at its BR due to the rangefinder modification.

Considering the Magach 5 and Sho’t Kal Bet have the same turret control system, this would be an indication of the tank commander possessing commander override controls over the main armament, which the Magach 5 and other M48-based tanks in the game have.

It would be fair to give the Bet the 44mm upper frontal glacis appliqué plate welded on top of the main 76mm of armor seen on other Centurion/Sho’t Kal variants, adding more armor protection for the sacrifice of the stabilizer. This is also taking into account how a common amount of photographed and recorded (see Additional Media section) Sho’t Kal Bets are seen to possess the 44mm appliqué plate, especially common in Brigade 188.

Overall, an introduction of the Bet in-game would open up another opportunity to use a lethally-armed tank at its BR. It would not be a difficult implementation due to the Gimel’s model sharing many similar aspects with Bet.

Additional Media

Additional Photos & Videos