"Battle Tank" redirects here. For the video game, see Battle Tank (video game).
v
t
e
History of the tank
Era
World War I
Interwar
World War II
Cold War
Post–Cold War
Country
Australia
United Kingdom
Cuba
China
Canada
New Zealand
Czechoslovakia
France
Germany
Iran
Iraq
Italy
Israel
Japan
Poland
North Korea
South Korea
Soviet Union
Spain
Sweden
United States
Ukraine
Type
Light tank
Medium tank
Heavy tank
Super-heavy tank
Cruiser tank
Flame tank
Infantry tank
Main battle tank
Tank destroyer
Tankette
Assault gun
Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon
Self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled mortar
Multiple rocket launcher
A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank,[1] is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension systems and lighter composite armour allowed for the design of a tank that had the firepower of a super-heavy tank, the armour protection of a heavy tank, and the mobility of a light tank, in a package with the weight of a medium tank. The first designated MBT was the British Chieftain tank, which during its development in the 1950s was re-designed as an MBT.[a] Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the MBT replaced almost all other types of tanks, leaving only some specialist roles to be filled by lighter designs or other types of armoured fighting vehicles.
Main battle tanks are a key component of modern armies.[3] Modern MBTs seldom operate alone, as they are organized into armoured units that include the support of infantry, who may accompany the tanks in infantry fighting vehicles. They are also often supported by surveillance or ground-attack aircraft.[4] The average weight of MBTs varies from country to country. The average weight of Western MBTs is usually greater than that of Russian or Chinese MBTs.
^Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222
^Forty, George (1979). Chieftain. London: I. Allan. p. 16. ISBN 0-7110-0943-0. OCLC 16495641.
^House (1984), Toward Combined Arms Warfare: A Survey of 20th-Century Tactics, Doctrine, and Organization[full citation needed]
^Tranquiler, Roger, Modern Warfare. A French View of Counterinsurgency trans. Daniel Lee, Pitting a traditional combined armed force trained and equipped to defeat similar military organisations against insurgents reminds one of a pile driver attempting to crush a fly, indefatigably persisting in repeating its efforts.[full citation needed]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
(Urdu:حیدر; Trans. Lion Heart), is a modernized variant of the VT-4 mainbattletank of Norinco. It is locally manufactured by Heavy Industries Taxila of...
planners organize tanks with the first generation of tanks up to 1950, and four generations of tanks (with the first mainbattletank being the third-generation...
The M1 Abrams (/ˈeɪbrəmz/) is a third-generation American mainbattletank designed by Chrysler Defense (now General Dynamics Land Systems) and named for...
and France, aiming to replace their current Leopard 2 and Leclerc main battletanks. Coordinated by Germany, in contrast to the other major Franco-German...
Qījiǔ shì) are Chinese first generation mainbattletanks. Both were developments of the Type 59 medium tank (a locally produced Soviet T-54A) with technologies...
short for German "Kettenfahrzeug" lit. 'tracked vehicle') is a German mainbattletank (MBT) that is under development by Rheinmetall Landsysteme (part of...
integrating tanks into modern military forces spawned a new era of combat, armoured warfare. Until the invention of the mainbattletank, tanks were typically...
between countries and eras. With the worldwide adoption of the modern mainbattletank designs, which favour a modular universal design, these sorts of classifications...
The Ramses II tank is a heavily modernized T-55 mainbattletank designed for and used by the Egyptian Armed Forces. A single T-54 was sent to the United...
firepower of medium-tanks and the evolution of the mainbattletank rendered heavy tanks obsolete. The Soviet Union also had Allied tanks from the British...
The M60 is an American second-generation mainbattletank (MBT). It was officially standardized as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 105-mm Gun, M60 in March...
(Chinese: 96式; pinyin: Jiǔliù shì) or ZTZ96 is a Chinese second generation mainbattletank (MBT). The final evolution of the Type 88 design, the Type 96 entered...
pinyin: Jiǔjiǔshì Zhǔzhàn Tǎnkè) or ZTZ-99 is a Chinese third generation mainbattletank (MBT). The vehicle was a replacement for the aging Type 88 introduced...