What you’re seeing here is the muzzle flash of a Merkava IIId Baz tank and its 120 mm gun. It’s a pretty creepy sight and gives you a pretty good idea of just how strong modern tanks are. But what’s creating the fiery ‘bang’? It’s called a “muzzle flash.” As the name implies, the muzzle flash is the brief burst of light emitted from the muzzle of a tank’s gun when it is fired. This phenomenon occurs due to the ignition of propellant gases as they exit the barrel at high speed, creating a visible and often dramatic flash of light. Firearms also exhibit this phenomenon, but in the context of a t…