A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat and combines strong strategic and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities. The 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment is a Regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Hood TX. In Modern warfare, overwatch is the state of one small unit or military vehicle supporting another unit while they are executing Fire and movement tactics The M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Continuous tracks are large (modular tracks used on the so-called caterpillar Tanks construction equipment and certain other off-road vehicles An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged A front line is a line of confrontation in an Armed conflict, most commonly a War. A Strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, most often "winning Military tactics ( Greek: Taktikē, the art of organizing an army are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating An Offensive is a military operation that seeks through aggressive projection of armed force to occupy territory gain an objective or achieve some larger strategic, operational Defence Firepower is normally provided by a large-calibre main gun in a rotating turret and secondary machine guns, while heavy armour and all-terrain mobility provide protection for the tank and its crew, allowing it to perform all primary tasks of the armoured troops on the battlefield. A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical The term caliber or calibre designates the interior Diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod A tank gun is the main armament of a Tank. Modern tank guns are large- Caliber high-velocity guns capable of firing Kinetic energy penetrators A gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. For body armour see Armour, for armoured forces see Armoured warfare, for other uses see Armour (disambiguation. A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical [1]
Tanks were first manufactured during World War I in an effort to break the bloody deadlock of trench warfare. The development of Tanks in World War I began as a solution to the stalemate which Trench warfare had brought to the western front. Trench warfare is a form of warfare where both combatants have fortified positions and fighting lines are static The British Army was the first to field a vehicle that combined three key characteristics: mobility over barbed wire and rough terrain, armour to withstand small arms fire and shrapnel and the firepower required to suppress or destroy machine gun nests and pillboxes. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Barbed wire, also known as barb wire (and frequently in dialect form spelled bob or bobbed) is a type of fencing Wire constructed Terrain, or relief, is the third or vertical dimension of land surface. Small arms is a term used by the Armed forces to refer to Infantry Weapons such as the Firearms that an individual soldier can carry Shrapnel is the term originally applied to an anti-personnel artillery shell which carried a large number of individual bullets to the target and then ejected them forwards relying For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. A military bunker is a hardened shelter often buried partly or fully underground designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks Despite some success and a significant psychological effect on the German infantry, "the tank in 1918 was not a war-winning weapon. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common "[2]
Interwar developments culminated in the blitzkrieg employed by the German Wehrmacht during World War II and the contribution of the panzers to this doctrine. Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 This article deals with the history of the Tank in World War II. A panzer, pronunced, is a German Tank, especially in the context of World War II. Hard lessons learned by the Allies during WWII cemented the reputation of the tank, appropriately employed in combined arms forces, as "indispensable to success in both tactical and strategic terms. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Combined arms is an approach to Warfare which seeks to integrate different arms of a Military to achieve mutually complementary effects "[3] Today, tanks seldom operate alone, being organized into armoured units and operating in combined-arms formations. Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of Armoured fighting vehicles in Modern warfare. Despite their apparent invulnerability, without support tanks are vulnerable to anti-tank artillery, helicopters and aircraft, enemy tanks, anti-tank and improvised mines, and (at close range or in urban environments) infantry. Combat engineering is a Combat service support role of using the knowledge tools and techniques of Engineering by troops in peace and war but specifically in Anti-tank refers to any method of combating military Armored fighting vehicles notably Tanks The most common anti-tank systems Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine An attack helicopter, also known as a Helicopter Gunship, is a Military helicopter armed for attacking targets on the ground Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft designed to attack targets on the ground and are often deployed as Close air support for and in proximity to their own ground forces A land mine is an Explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the Proximity of a vehicle person An improvised explosive device ( IED) is a Bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional Military action In Physics, a Projectile launched with specific Initial conditions in a uniform Gravity field will have a predictable range [4]
Due to its formidable capabilities and versatility the battle tank is generally considered a key component of modern armies,[5] but recent thinking has challenged the need for such powerful and expensive weaponry in a period characterized by unconventional and asymmetric warfare. Unconventional warfare (abbreviated UW) is the opposite of Conventional warfare. Asymmetric warfare originally referred to War between two or more belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly [6] Ongoing research and development attempts to equip the tank to meet the challenges of the 21st century. prod concern = essayish with too much original research month = October day = 7 year = 2008 time = 1242 timestamp = 20081007124253 A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical
Contents |
History
The first proposal for a tank was by the Austrian Oberleutenant Günther Burstyn who, in 1911, proposed a design for "motor artillery" (Motorengeschütz) with a turret, but his design never progressed beyond a German patent in 1912. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Langres is a town and commune of eastern France. It is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne departement, in the Champagne-Ardenne This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The British Mark I was the world's first combat Tank, entering service in the middle of World War I, born of the need to break the domination of trenches and This article is about the history of the Tank. The prehistory of the tank The problem of advancing to attack while under fire is as old as The development of Tanks in World War I began as a solution to the stalemate which Trench warfare had brought to the western front. Günther Burstyn ( 6 July 1879 in Bad Aussee, Steiermark - 15 April 1945 in Korneuburg, Lower Austria [7]
Tank or "landship" development, originally conducted by the British Navy under the auspices of the Landships Committee was sponsored by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill and proceeded through a number of prototypes culminating in the Mark I tank prototype, named Mother. The Landships Committee was a small British war cabinet committee established in 1915 to deal with the design and construction of what would turn out to be Tanks during the The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of the Board of Admiralty, which exercised command over the Royal Navy. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 The British Mark I was the world's first combat Tank, entering service in the middle of World War I, born of the need to break the domination of trenches and [8] The first tank to engage in battle was designated D1, a British Mark I, during the Battle of Flers-Courcellette on 15 September 1916. The British Mark I was the world's first combat Tank, entering service in the middle of World War I, born of the need to break the domination of trenches and The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, fought from July to November 1916 was among the largest battles of the First World War [9]
In contrast to World War II, Germany fielded very few tanks during WWI, with only 15 of the A7V type being produced in Germany during the war. The A7V was a Tank introduced by Germany in 1918, near the end of World War I. [10] The first tank versus tank action took place on 24 April 1918 at Villers-Bretonneux, France, when three British Mark IVs met three German A7Vs. Villers-Bretonneux is a commune in the Somme département in the Picardie region of France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The British Mark I was the world's first combat Tank, entering service in the middle of World War I, born of the need to break the domination of trenches and The A7V was a Tank introduced by Germany in 1918, near the end of World War I.
Mechanical problems, poor mobility and piecemeal tactical deployment limited the military significance of the tank in World War I and the tank did not fulfil its promise of rendering trench warfare obsolete. Nonetheless, it was clear to military thinkers on both sides that tanks would play a significant role in future conflicts. [8]
Interwar years
In the interwar period tanks underwent further mechanical development and, in terms of tactics, J.F.C. Fuller's doctrine of spearhead attacks with massed tank formations was the basis for work by Heinz Guderian in Germany, [[[Percival Hobart]]] in Britain, Adna R. Chaffee, Jr. in the U. This article is about the history of the Tank. The prehistory of the tank The problem of advancing to attack while under fire is as old as Major-General John Frederick Charles Fuller, CB, CBE, DSO, commonly J Heinz Wilhelm Guderian ( 17 June, 1888 – 14 May, 1954) was a military theorist and innovative General of the German Adna Romanza Chaffee Jr (September 23 1884&ndashAugust 22 1941 was a major general in the United States Army, called the "Father of the Armored Force" S. , Charles de Gaulle in France, and Mikhail Tukhachevsky in the USSR. Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky (Михаи́л Никола́евич Тухаче́вский Michał Tuchaczewski ( &ndash June 12, 1937) was a All came to similar conclusions, but in the Second World War only Germany would initially put the theory into practice on a large scale, and it was their superior tactics and French blunders, not superior weapons, that made blitzkrieg so successful in May 1940. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial [11] For information regarding tank development in this period, see tank development between the wars. This article is about the history of the Tank. The prehistory of the tank The problem of advancing to attack while under fire is as old as
Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union all experimented heavily with tank warfare during their clandestine and “volunteer” involvement in the Spanish Civil War, which saw some of the earliest examples of successful mechanized combined arms—such as when Republican troops, equipped with Soviet-supplied medium tanks and supported by aircraft, eventually routed Italian troops fighting for the Nationalists in the seven-day Battle of Guadalajara in 1937. The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of The Battle of Guadalajara ( 8 March &ndash 23 March 1937) saw the Spanish Popular Army defeat Italian and Nationalist forces attempting to [12]
Blitzkrieg and combined arms
World War II was the first conflict where armoured vehicles were critical to success on the battlefield and during this period the tank developed rapidly as a weapon system. Tiger I ( is the common name of a German heavy Tank of World War II. The Tank Infantry Mk II Matilda II (A12 (sometimes referred to as Senior Matilda was a British Tank of World War II. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Operation Compass was the first major Allied military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during World War II. The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1941 to 1958 It is widely regarded as having been the world's best Tank when the Soviet Union Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River This article deals with the history of the Tank in World War II. A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons During the Invasion of Poland the Panzer II and the captured Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) light tanks predominated. The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied Panzer II is the common name of a German Tank used in World War II. The Panzerkampfwagen 38(t was a Czechoslovakian tank used by Germany during World War II. The Somua S35 and Char B1 in the French Army and the Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tanks appeared in numbers during the Battle of France, while the North African Campaign brought the British Crusader and Matilda into combat with the panzers. The SOMUA S35 was a French cavalry Tank of the Second World War. The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before the Second World War. Panzer III is the common name of a Medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and used extensively in World War II. The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a Medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from June 10, 1940 One of the primary Cruiser tanks of the United Kingdom during World War II, the Tank Cruiser Mk VI Crusader (A15 was perhaps the most important British The Tank Infantry Mk II Matilda II (A12 (sometimes referred to as Senior Matilda was a British Tank of World War II. A panzer, pronunced, is a German Tank, especially in the context of World War II. In Operation Barbarossa the Wehrmacht encountered the Soviet T-34 and this prompted development so that during the Invasion of Normandy from June 1944 the Germans were fielding the Panther and Tiger tanks against the Allied Sherman. Operation Barbarossa ( Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the Codename for Nazi Germany 's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1941 to 1958 It is widely regarded as having been the world's best Tank when the Soviet Union The Panther ( was a Tank fielded by Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945 World War II foreign variants and use Lend-Lease Sherman tanks. By 1945 and the final stages of the war the Tiger II, Pershing and Iosif Stalin tanks dominated the battlefields where they saw action. Tiger II is the common name of a German Heavy tank of the Second World War. The Heavy Tank M26 Pershing was an American heavy tank used during World War II and the Korean War. The Iosif Stalin tank (or IS tank, named after the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin) was a heavy Tank developed
During WWII the tactics and strategy of deploying tank forces underwent a revolution. A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively Heinz Guderian, father of the German panzer forces, said "Where tanks are, the front is", and this concept became a reality in WWII. Heinz Wilhelm Guderian ( 17 June, 1888 – 14 May, 1954) was a military theorist and innovative General of the German A panzer, pronunced, is a German Tank, especially in the context of World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including [13] Following the Invasion of Poland where tanks performed in a more traditional role in close cooperation with infantry units, in the Battle of France deep independent armoured strategic penetrations were executed by the Germans, a tactic later called Blitzkrieg or 'lightning war'. In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial Early war German tanks sacrificed firepower and protection for mobility and reliability. A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical Blitzkrieg made use of innovative combined arms tactics and radios in all of the tanks to provide command and control which made them more effective tank for tank than their Allied opponents, despite the Allied machines being more than a match for the panzers one-on-one. Combined arms is an approach to Warfare which seeks to integrate different arms of a Military to achieve mutually complementary effects Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. The French Army, with tanks equal or superior to the German tanks in both quality and quantity employed a linear defensive strategy to which the armoured cavalry units were made subservient. [11] The French also had poor command and control systems, lacking radios in many of their tanks and headquarters. Command and control can be defined as the exercise of Authority and Direction by a properly designated Commander over assigned and attached Forces Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Headquarters (HQ denotes the location where most if not all of the important functions of an organization are concentrated [14] In accordance with the tactics of blitzkrieg, German tanks bypassed enemy strongpoints and could radio for close air support to destroy them, or leave them to the infantry on foot. In Military tactics, close air support ( CAS) is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to A related development, mechanized infantry, allowed some of the troops to keep up with the tanks and create highly mobile combined arms forces. Mechanized infantry (or "mech infantry" are Infantry equipped with Armored personnel carriers (APCs or Infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs [11]
Operation Barbarossa started with the Soviets having a superior tank design, the T-34,[15] but a lack of preparations for the Axis surprise attack, mechanical problems, poor training of the crews and incompetent leadership caused the Soviet machines to be surrounded and destroyed in large numbers. Operation Barbarossa ( Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the Codename for Nazi Germany 's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1941 to 1958 It is widely regarded as having been the world's best Tank when the Soviet Union However, the geographic scale of the conflict, the dogged resistance of the Soviet combat troops, Soviet manpower and production capability and the Russian Winter prevented a repeat of the Blitzkrieg of 1940. [16] Despite early successes against the Soviets, the Germans were forced to up-gun their Panzer IVs, and design and build larger and more expensive Panther and Tiger tanks. The Panther ( was a Tank fielded by Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945 In doing so the Wehrmacht denied the infantry and other support arms the production priorities that they needed to remain equal partners with the increasingly sophisticated tanks, in turn violating the principle of combined arms that they had pioneered. [5] In the meantime, the Soviets ramped up T-34 production for a huge quantitative advantage. [17]
When entering WWII American mass production capacity enabled her to rapidly construct thousands of relatively cheap Sherman tanks. Mass production (also called flow production, repetitive flow production, series production, or serial production) is the production of World War II foreign variants and use Lend-Lease Sherman tanks. A compromise all round, the Sherman was reliable and formed a large part of the Anglo-American ground forces, but in a tank vs tank battle they were no match for the German Panther and Tiger tanks. [18] Numerical and logistical superiority and the successful use of combined arms allowed the Allies to overrun the German forces during the Battle of Normandy. A number is an Abstract object, tokens of which are Symbols used in Counting and measuring. Military Logistics is the art and science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces The Sherman Firefly was introduced to improve the Sherman's firepower, but concerns about protection remained. The Sherman Firefly was a World War II British variation of the American Sherman Tank, fitted with the powerful British
Tank chassis were modified to produce flame tanks, mobile rocket artillery and combat engineering vehicles for tasks including mine-clearing and bridging. A chassis (plural "chassis" (ˈʃæːsiː ˈtʃæːsiː consists of a framework that supports an inanimate object analogous to an Animal 's A flame tank is a term commonly applied to a Tank or other Armoured fighting vehicle equipped with a Flamethrower. Rocket artillery is a type of Artillery equipped with rocket launchers instead of conventional guns or mortars. Combat engineering is a Combat service support role of using the knowledge tools and techniques of Engineering by troops in peace and war but specifically in Demining is the process of removing Land mines or Naval mines from an area Bridging can refer to Construction Building of Bridges across a gap Electronics In electronics using a low Specialised self-propelled guns were also developed: tank destroyers and assault guns were cheap, stripped down tanks carrying heavy guns, often in a fixed hull mounting. A self-propelled anti-tank gun or tank destroyer, is a type of Armoured fighting vehicle designed specifically to engage enemy armor forces and not produced for an infantry An assault gun is a Gun or Howitzer mounted on a motor vehicle or armored chassis designed for use in the Direct fire The firepower and low cost of these vehicles made them attractive but as manufacturing techniques improved and larger turret rings made larger tank guns feasible, the gun turret was recognised as the most effective mounting for the main gun to allow movement in a different direction from firing, enhancing tactical flexibility. A gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions [11]
The Cold War arms race
During the Cold War, tension between the Warsaw Pact countries and NATO countries created an arms race that ensured that tank development proceeded largely as it had during WWII. This article is about the history of Tanks in the Cold War In the Cold War the two opposing forces in Europe were the Warsaw Pact Tank classification is a Taxonomy of identifying either the intended role or weight class of Tanks The classification by role was used primarily during Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The Warsaw Pact (see Nomenclature) was an organization of Communist states in Central and Eastern Europe. The North Atlantic Treaty The term arms race, in its original usage describes a competition between two or more parties for real or apparent military supremacy The essence of tank designs during the Cold War had been hammered out in the closing stages of World War II. Large turrets, capable suspension systems, greatly improved engines, sloped armour and large-calibre (90 mm and larger) guns were standard. Tank design during the Cold War built on this foundation and included improvements to fire control, gyroscopic gun stabilisation, communications (primarily radio) and crew comfort and saw the introduction of laser rangefinders and infrared night vision equipment. Note the term " fire control " may also refer to means of stopping a fire such as sprinkler systems A fire-control system A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of Angular momentum. A laser is a device that emits Light ( Electromagnetic radiation) through a process called Stimulated emission. Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of Armour technology progressed in an ongoing race against improvements in anti-tank weapons, especially antitank guided missiles like the TOW. Composite armour is a type of Vehicle armour consisting of layers of different material such as Metals Plastics, Ceramics or Air Anti-tank refers to any method of combating military Armored fighting vehicles notably Tanks The most common anti-tank systems Guided Missile is a London based Independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994. In the Composites Industry, a tow is an untwisted Bundle of continuous filaments and it refers to human-made Fibers particularly
Medium tanks of WWII evolved into the main battle tank (MBT) of the Cold War and took over the majority of tank roles on the battlefield. Tank classification is a Taxonomy of identifying either the intended role or weight class of Tanks The classification by role was used primarily during This gradual transition occurred in the 1950s and 60s due to anti-tank guided missiles, sabot ammunition and high explosive anti-tank warheads. Anti-tank refers to any method of combating military Armored fighting vehicles notably Tanks The most common anti-tank systems Guided Missile is a London based Independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994. The Armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS is a type of kinetic energy projectile fired from a gun to attack armoured targets WWII had shown that the speed of a light tank was no substitute for armour and firepower and heavy tanks were as vulnerable as medium tanks to newer weapon technology, rendering them obsolete.
In a trend started in WWII, economies of scale led to serial production of progressively upgraded models of all major tanks during the Cold War. For the same reason many upgraded post-WWII tanks and their derivatives (for example, the T-55 and T-72) remain in active service around the world, and even an obsolete tank may be the most formidable weapon on battlefields in many parts of the world. The T-54 and T-55 tank were a series of Main battle tanks designed by the Soviet Union. The T-72 is a Soviet -designed Main battle tank that entered production in 1971 [19] Among the tanks of the 1950s were the British Centurion and Soviet T-54/55 in service from 1946, and the US M48 from 1951. The Centurion was the primary British Main Battle Tank of the immediate post-war era and has proven itself be a successful tank design mainly due to its thick The M48 Patton was one of the US army 's principal Main battle tanks of the Cold War, with models in service from the early 1950s on through the 1990s [20] These three vehicles formed the bulk of the armoured forces of NATO and the Warsaw Pact throughout the Cold War. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Lessons learned from tanks such as the Leopard 1, M60 Patton, Chieftain, and T-72 led to the contemporary Leopard 2, M1 Abrams, Challenger 2, T-90 and Merkava IV. The Leopard (or Leopard 1) is a German designed and produced main battle tank that first entered service in 1965 and was used as the main battle tank The M60 Patton was the fourth and last of the Patton series medium tanks of the U The FV 4201 Chieftain was the Main battle tank of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s The T-72 is a Soviet -designed Main battle tank that entered production in 1971 The Leopard 2 is a German Main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979 The M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. FV4034 Challenger 2 is a Main battle tank (MBT currently in service with the armies of the United Kingdom and Oman. The GPO Uralvagonzavod T-90 is a Russian main battle tank derived from the T-72, and is currently the most modern tank in the Russian The Merkava ( Hebrew:, Chariot) is the Main battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces.
Tanks and anti-tank weapons of the Cold War era saw action in a number of proxy wars like the Korean War, Vietnam War, Soviet war in Afghanistan and Arab-Israeli conflicts culminating in the Yom Kippur War. A proxy war is the war that results when two powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The Soviet war in Afghanistan, also known as the Soviet-Afghan War or just the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, was a nine-year conflict involving The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War (מלחמת יום הכיפורים transliterated: Milkhemet Yom HaKipurim or מלחמת יום The T-55, for example, has seen action in no fewer than 32 conflicts. The T-54 and T-55 tank were a series of Main battle tanks designed by the Soviet Union. In these wars the USA or NATO countries and the Soviet Union or China consistently backed opposing forces. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The North Atlantic Treaty The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Proxy wars were studied by Western and Soviet military analysts and provided a grim contribution to the Cold War tank development process. Military intelligence (abbreviated MI int Commonwealth, or intel
21st century
As of 2005, there were 1,100 M1 Abrams used by the United States army in the course of the Iraq War, and they have proven to have an unexpectedly high level of vulnerability to roadside bombs. The M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign An improvised explosive device ( IED) is a Bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional Military action [21] A relatively new type of remotely-detonated mine, the explosively formed penetrator has been used with some success against American armoured vehicles (particularly the Bradley fighting vehicle). An explosively formed penetrator (EFP is a type of Petard also known as an explosively formed projectile, a self-forging warhead, or a self-forging The M2 Bradley IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle and M3 Bradley CFV (Cavalry Fighting Vehicle are American Infantry fighting vehicles manufactured by However, with upgrades to their armour in the rear, M1s have proven invaluable in fighting insurgents in urban combat, particularly at the Battle of Fallujah, where the Marines brought in two extra brigades. [22] Britain deployed its Challenger 2 tanks to support its operations in southern Iraq. FV4034 Challenger 2 is a Main battle tank (MBT currently in service with the armies of the United Kingdom and Oman.
Tank design
The three traditional factors determining a tank's effectiveness in battle are its firepower, protection, and mobility. In practical terms, the cost to manufacture and maintain a given tank design is also important in that it determines how many tanks a nation can afford to field.
Firepower is the ability of a tank to identify, engage, and destroy a target. Protection is the tank's ability to resist being detected, engaged, and disabled or destroyed by enemy fire. Mobility includes tactical (short range) movement over the battlefield including over rough terrain and obstacles, as well as strategic (long range) mobility, the ability of the tank to be transported by road, rail, sea, or air to the battlefield.
Tank design is a compromise; it is not possible to maximize firepower, protection and mobility simultaneously. For example, increasing protection by adding armour will result in an increase in weight and therefore decrease mobility; increasing firepower by installing a larger gun will force the designer to sacrifice speed or armour to compensate for the added weight and cost.
Since WWII tank development has shifted focus from experimenting with large scale mechanical changes to the tank design to focusing on technological advances in the tank's subsystems to improve its performance. However, a number of novel designs have appeared throughout this period, with mixed success, including the Soviet IT-1 missile tank, the Swedish "super self-propelled gun", the S-tank, the Israeli Merkava, with a unique protective layout and an infantry compartment, and the incorporation of autoloaders to reduce the crew complement in a number of tanks. The Stridsvagn 103 (Strv 103 or S-Tank, was a Swedish Tank (although some consider it to be a Tank destroyer) The Merkava ( Hebrew:, Chariot) is the Main battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces. An auto-loader or autoloader is a mechanical aid or replacement for the personnel that load ordnance into Crew-served weapons such as Tanks
- Further information: Tank classification
Firepower
The main weapon of all modern tanks is a single, large-calibre (105 to 125 mm) gun mounted in a fully traversing turret. Tank classification is a Taxonomy of identifying either the intended role or weight class of Tanks The classification by role was used primarily during A tank gun is the main armament of a Tank. Modern tank guns are large- Caliber high-velocity guns capable of firing Kinetic energy penetrators A tank gun is the main armament of a Tank. Modern tank guns are large- Caliber high-velocity guns capable of firing Kinetic energy penetrators The term caliber or calibre designates the interior Diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod A gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions The typical tank gun is a smoothbore weapon capable of firing armour-piercing kinetic energy penetrators (KEP), also known as armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS), and high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shells and/or anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) to destroy armoured targets, as well as high explosive (HE) shells for engaging soft targets or fortifications. Smoothbore refers to a Firearm or Cannon which does not have a rifled barrel. A kinetic energy penetrator (also known as a KE weapon) is a type of Ammunition which like a Bullet, does not contain Explosives and uses The Armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS is a type of kinetic energy projectile fired from a gun to attack armoured targets A shell is a payload-carrying Projectile, which as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling though modern usage includes large solid projectiles An anti-tank guided missile ( ATGM) or anti-tank guided weapon ( ATGW) is a guided Missile primarily designed to hit and destroy A shell is a payload-carrying Projectile, which as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling though modern usage includes large solid projectiles A shell is a payload-carrying Projectile, which as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling though modern usage includes large solid projectiles Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for Canister shot may be used in close or urban combat situations where the risk of hitting friendly forces with shrapnel from HE rounds is unacceptably high. Canister shot (or Case-shot) was a kind of Anti-personnel Ammunition used in Cannons It was similar to Grapeshot in which [22]
A gyroscope is used to stabilise the main gun, allowing it to be effectively aimed and fired at the "short halt" or on the move. A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of Angular momentum. Modern tank guns are also commonly fitted with insulating thermal jackets to reduce gun-barrel warping caused by uneven thermal expansion, bore evacuators to minimise fumes entering the crew compartment and sometimes muzzle brakes to minimise the effect of recoil on accuracy and rate of fire. Thermal Expansion is the tendency of matter to change in Volume in response to a change in temperature A bore evacuator is a device on the gun barrel of an Armoured fighting vehicle which helps prevent poisonous propellant gases from venting back into the vehicle's fighting Muzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a Firearm or Cannon to redirect propellant gases with This article is about backward Momentum produced in firearms when fired Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific Weapon can fire or launch its projectiles
Modern target detection relies on telescopic periscopes and sophisticated light intensification and thermal imaging equipment to improve fighting capability at night, in poor weather and in smoke. A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects and the collection of Electromagnetic radiation. A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position A night vision device (NVD is an Optical instrument that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darkness wiki stranglesnakejpg|thumb|Thermographic image of a Snake held by a human]] Infrared Thermography, thermal imaging, or thermal video, is a type of The accuracy of modern tank guns is pushed to the mechanical limit by computerized fire-control systems. Note the term " fire control " may also refer to means of stopping a fire such as sprinkler systems A fire-control system A fire-control system uses a laser range-finder to determine the range to the target, a thermocouple, anemometer and wind vane to correct for weather effects and a muzzle referencing system to correct for gun-barrel temperature, warping and wear. In Electrical engineering and industry thermocouples are a widely used type of temperature sensor and can also be used as a means to convert thermal Potential An anemometer is a device for measuring wind speed and is one instrument used in a Weather station. A weather vane, also called a wind vane, is a movable device attached to an elevated object such as a roof for showing the direction of the wind Two sightings of a target with the range-finder enable calculation of the target movement vector. This information is combined with the known movement of the tank and the principles of ballistics to calculate the elevation and aim point that maximises the probability of hitting the target. External ballistics is the part of the science of Ballistics that deals with the behaviour of a non-powered projectile in flight For other senses of this word see Elevation (disambiguation. In Ballistics, the elevation is the Angle between the The predicted impact point (PIP is the location at which a ballistic projectile (e Probability is the likelihood or chance that something is the case or will happen
Usually, tanks carry small-calibre (7.62 to 20 mm) armament for short-range defence where fire from the main weapon would be ineffective, for example when engaging infantry, light vehicles or aircraft. For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. | NOTE Throughout this article "cannon" is used as BOTH the || singular and plural The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists This article refers to the Military HMMWV not the civilian Hummer sold by General Motors The M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled In Military tactics, close air support ( CAS) is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to A typical complement of secondary weapons is a general-purpose machine gun mounted coaxially with the main gun, and a heavier antiaircraft machine gun on the turret roof. A coaxial weapon is a weapon system that is mounted side-by-side with the main weapon system usually on a Tank. Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces
Protection
- See also: Anti-tank warfare
A tank's protection is the combination of its ability to avoid detection, to avoid being hit by enemy fire, its armour to resist the effects of enemy fire, and to sustain damage and complete its mission, or at least protect its crew. Anti-tank refers to any method of combating military Armored fighting vehicles notably Tanks The most common anti-tank systems The Panther ( was a Tank fielded by Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945 In common with most unit types, tanks are subject to additional hazards in wooded and urban combat environments which largely negate the advantages of the tank's long-range firepower and mobility, limit the crew's detection capabilities and can restrict turret traverse. Ecologically a woodland is an area covered in trees differentiated from a Forest. Despite these disadvantages, tanks retain high survivability against previous-generation rocket-propelled grenades in all combat environments by virtue of their armour. Survivability is the ability to remain alive or continue to exist RPG or rocket-propelled grenade, is a loose term describing hand-held shoulder-launched Anti-tank weapons capable of firing an unguided By contrast, tank survivability against newer-generation tandem-warhead anti-tank missiles is a concern for military planners. A tandem-charge weapon is an Explosive device or Projectile that has two or more stages of detonation [23]
Avoiding detection
A tank avoids detection using the doctrine of CCD: camouflage (looks the same as the surroundings), concealment (cannot be seen) and deception (looks like something else). Camouflage became an essential part of modern Military tactics after the increase in accuracy and rate of fire of weapons during the 19th century Deception (also called beguilement or subterfuge) is the act of convincing another to believe Information that is not true or not the whole truth as in
Working against efforts to avoid detection is the fact that a tank is a large metallic object with a distinctive, angular silhouette that emits copious heat and noise. A silhouette is a view of some object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior with the silhouette usually being black wiki stranglesnakejpg|thumb|Thermographic image of a Snake held by a human]] Infrared Thermography, thermal imaging, or thermal video, is a type of Consequently, it's difficult to effectively camouflage a hull-up tank in the absence of some form of cover or concealment (e. The term hull-down describes the situation where the upper part of a vessel or vehicle is visible but the main lower body ( hull) is not the opposite term hull-up g. , woods). The tank becomes easier to detect when moving (typically, whenever it is in use) due to the large, distinctive auditory, vibration and thermal signature of its power plant. Vibration refers to mechanical Oscillations about an equilibrium point. Tank tracks and dust clouds also betray past or present tank movement. Switched-off tanks are vulnerable to infra-red detection due to differences between the thermal conductivity and therefore heat dissipation of the metallic tank and its surroundings. Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of wiki stranglesnakejpg|thumb|Thermographic image of a Snake held by a human]] Infrared Thermography, thermal imaging, or thermal video, is a type of In Physics, thermal conductivity, k is the property of a material that indicates its ability to conduct Heat. In Physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is Energy transferred from one body or system to another due to a difference in Temperature At close range the tank can be detected even when powered down and fully concealed due to the column of warmer air above the tank and the smell of diesel. A mirage is a naturally-occurring Optical phenomenon, in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky
Thermal blankets slow the rate of heat emission and camouflage nets use a mix of materials with differing thermal properties to operate in the infra-red as well as the visible spectrum. Camouflage attempts to break up the distinctive appearance and silhouette of a tank. Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism Adopting a turret-down or hull-down position reduces the visible silhouette of a tank as well as providing the added protection of a position in defilade. The term hull-down describes the situation where the upper part of a vessel or vehicle is visible but the main lower body ( hull) is not the opposite term hull-up Enfilade and defilade are concepts in Military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire
Armour
To effectively protect the tank and its crew, tank armour must counter a wide variety of antitank threats. The M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. Survivability is the ability to remain alive or continue to exist For body armour see Armour, for armoured forces see Armoured warfare, for other uses see Armour (disambiguation. Anti-tank refers to any method of combating military Armored fighting vehicles notably Tanks The most common anti-tank systems Protection against kinetic energy penetrators and high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shells fired by other tanks is of primary importance, but tank armour also aims to protect against infantry antitank missiles, antitank mines, bombs, direct artillery hits, and (less often) nuclear, biological and chemical threats, any of which could disable or destroy a tank or its crew. A kinetic energy penetrator (also known as a KE weapon) is a type of Ammunition which like a Bullet, does not contain Explosives and uses An anti-tank guided missile ( ATGM) or anti-tank guided weapon ( ATGW) is a guided Missile primarily designed to hit and destroy A land mine is an Explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the Proximity of a vehicle person A bomb is any of a range of devices that typically rely on the Exothermic Chemical reaction of an Explosive material to produce an extremely Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e
Steel armour plate was the earliest type of armour. Rolled homogeneous armour, or RHA is a basic type of steel plate used as a baseline to compare the effectiveness of military Vehicle armour. The Germans pioneered the use of face hardened steel during WWII and the Soviets also achieved improved protection with sloped armour technology. Carbon steel, also called plain carbon steel, is Steel where the main alloying constituent is Carbon. Sloped armour is armour that is neither vertical nor horizontal and is typically mounted on Tanks and other Armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs WWII developments also spelled the eventual doom of homogeneous steel armour with the development of shaped-charge warheads, exemplified by the Panzerfaust and bazooka infantry weapons which were lethally effective, despite some early success with spaced armour. A shaped charge is an Explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy The Panzerfaust (plural Panzerfäuste, "armored fist" or "tank fist" was an inexpensive recoilless German Anti-tank The bazooka is a man-portable Anti-armor rocket launcher made famous during World War II. Armour with two or more plates spaced a distance apart called spaced armour, when sloped reduces the penetrating power of bullets and solid shot as after penetrating each plate Magnetic mines led to the development of anti-magnetic paste and paint. Diamagnetism is the property of an object which causes it to create a magnetic field in opposition of an externally applied Magnetic field, thus causing a repulsive effect
British tank researchers took the next step with the development of Chobham armour, or more generally composite armour, incorporating ceramics and plastics in a resin matrix between steel plates, which provided good protection against HEAT weapons. Chobham armour is the name informally given to a Composite armour developed in the 1960s at the British Tank research centre on Chobham Common Composite armour is a type of Vehicle armour consisting of layers of different material such as Metals Plastics, Ceramics or Air The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word κεραμικός ( keramikos) Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products Resin, not to be confused with Rosin, is a Hydrocarbon Secretion of many Plants particularly coniferous trees. Squash head warheads led to anti-spall armour linings, and KEPs led to the inclusion of exotic materials like a matrix of depleted uranium into a composite armour configuration. Spall are flakes of a material that are broken off a larger solid body and can be produced by a variety of mechanisms including as a result of Projectile impact Corrosion A kinetic energy penetrator (also known as a KE weapon) is a type of Ammunition which like a Bullet, does not contain Explosives and uses Depleted uranium (DU is Uranium primarily composed of the Isotope Uranium-238 (U-238 Reactive armour consists of small explosive-filled metal boxes that detonate when hit by the metallic jet projected by an exploding HEAT warhead, causing their metal plates to disrupt it. Reactive armour is a type of Vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected Tandem warheads defeat reactive armour by causing the armour to detonate prematurely. A tandem-charge weapon is an Explosive device or Projectile that has two or more stages of detonation Grenade launchers which can rapidly deploy a smoke screen and the modern Shtora soft-kill countermeasure system provide additional protection by interfering with enemy targeting and fire-control systems. A grenade launcher is a Weapon that launches a Grenade with more accuracy higher velocity and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand For the Transformers character see Smokescreen (Transformers A smoke screen is a release of Smoke in order to mask the movement Shtora (Штора ‘curtain’ is a Russian electro-optical active protection suite for tanks designed to disrupt the Laser target designation A countermeasure is a system (usually for a Military application designed to prevent Sensor -based Weapons from acquiring and/or destroying a target
The latest generation of protective measures for tanks are active protection systems, particularly hard-kill countermeasures. An active protection system, or APS protects a Tank or other Armoured fighting vehicle from incoming fire before it hits the vehicle's armour A countermeasure is a system (usually for a Military application designed to prevent Sensor -based Weapons from acquiring and/or destroying a target The Israeli TROPHY and Iron Fist, the American Quick Kill, the Soviet Drozd, and Russian Arena systems show the potential to dramatically improve protection for tanks against missiles, RPGs and potentially KEP attacks, but concerns regarding a danger zone for nearby dismounted troops remain. Trophy (also known as ASPRO-A. Israel Defense Forces designation מעיל רוח lit See also Drozd BB rifle Drozd (" thrush " in Russian is an Active protection system developed in the Soviet Union The Arena Active Protection System ( APS) is an active Countermeasure system developed at Russia 's Kolomna -based Engineering Design Bureau to An anti-tank guided missile ( ATGM) or anti-tank guided weapon ( ATGW) is a guided Missile primarily designed to hit and destroy RPG or rocket-propelled grenade, is a loose term describing hand-held shoulder-launched Anti-tank weapons capable of firing an unguided A kinetic energy penetrator (also known as a KE weapon) is a type of Ammunition which like a Bullet, does not contain Explosives and uses Friendly fire or non-hostile fire, a term originally adopted by the United States military, refers to fire from one's own side or allied forces as
Mobility
The mobility of a tank is described by its battlefield or tactical mobility and its strategic mobility. The T-72 is a Soviet -designed Main battle tank that entered production in 1971 The Indian Army (Bharatiya Thalsena भारतीय थाल्सेना is one of the armed forces of India and has the responsibility for land-based Reactive armour is a type of Vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected Arjun ( Sanskrit: अर्जुन) is an Indian Main battle tank being developed by DRDO (Defence Research and Development for the A Strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, most often "winning Tactical mobility can be broken down firstly into agility, describing the tank's acceleration, braking, speed and rate of turn on various terrain, and secondly obstacle clearance: the tank's ability to travel over vertical obstacles like low walls or trenches or through water. A brake is a device for slowing or stopping the motion of a Machine or Vehicle, or alternatively a device to restrain it from starting to move again Speed is the rate of motion, or equivalently the rate of change in position often expressed as Distance d traveled per unit of Terrain, or relief, is the third or vertical dimension of land surface. A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide (as opposed to a wider Gully or Ditch Strategic mobility is the relative ease with which a military asset can be transported between theatres of operation and falls within the scope of military logistics. Military Logistics is the art and science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces
Tank agility is a function of the weight of the tank due to its inertia while manoeuvring and its ground pressure, the power output of the installed power plant and the tank transmission and track design. The vis insita or innate force of matter is a power of resisting by which every body as much as in it lies endeavors to preserve in its present state whether it be of rest or of moving Ground pressure is the Pressure exerted on the ground by the Tires or tracks of a motorized vehicle and is one measure of its potential mobility especially An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input Continuous tracks are large (modular tracks used on the so-called caterpillar Tanks construction equipment and certain other off-road vehicles In addition, rough terrain effectively limits the tank's speed through the stress it puts on the suspension and the crew. Terrain, or relief, is the third or vertical dimension of land surface. Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, Shock absorbers and linkages that connects a Vehicle to its Wheels Suspension A breakthrough in this area was achieved during WWII when improved suspension systems were developed that allowed better cross-country performance and limited firing on the move. Systems like the earlier Christie or later torsion-bar suspension developed by Ferdinand Porsche dramatically improved the tank's cross-country performance and overall mobility. The Christie suspension is a suspension system developed by Walter Christie for his Tank designs A torsion bar suspension, also known as a Torsion spring suspension or incorrectly torsion beam, is a general term for any Vehicle suspension Prof Dr Ing hc Ferdinand Porsche ( [24]
A main battle tank is highly mobile and able to travel over most types of terrain due to its continuous tracks and advanced suspension. Continuous tracks are large (modular tracks used on the so-called caterpillar Tanks construction equipment and certain other off-road vehicles The tracks disperse the significant weight of the vehicle over a large area, resulting in a ground pressure comparable to that of a walking man. Ground pressure is the Pressure exerted on the ground by the Tires or tracks of a motorized vehicle and is one measure of its potential mobility especially [25] A tank can travel at approximately 40 kilometres per hour (25 mph) across flat terrain and up to 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) on roads, but due to the mechanical strain this places on the vehicle and the logistical strain on fuel delivery and tank maintenance, these must be considered "burst" speeds that invite mechanical failure of engine and transmission systems. Fuel is any material that is burned or altered in order to obtain energy Consequently, wheeled tank transporters and rail infrastructure is used wherever possible for long-distance tank transport. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. The limitations of long-range tank mobility can be viewed in sharp contrast to that of wheeled armoured fighting vehicles. An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged The majority of blitzkrieg operations were conducted at the pedestrian pace of 5 kilometres per hour (3. Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial 1 mph), that only was achieved on the roads of France. [26]
Water operations
In the absence of combat engineers, most tanks are limited to fording rivers. The Leopard 2 is a German Main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979 Combat engineering is a Combat service support role of using the knowledge tools and techniques of Engineering by troops in peace and war but specifically in A ford is a place in a Watercourse (most commonly a stream or River) that is shallow enough to be crossed by wading on Horseback or in a wheeled The typical fording depth for MBTs is approximately 1 metre (3. 3 ft), being limited by the height of the engine air intake and driver's position. Modern Soviet tanks and the German Leopard I and Leopard II tanks can ford to a depth of 3-4 meters when properly prepared and equipped with a snorkel to supply air for the crew and engine. The GPO Uralvagonzavod T-90 is a Russian main battle tank derived from the T-72, and is currently the most modern tank in the Russian The Leopard (or Leopard 1) is a German designed and produced main battle tank that first entered service in 1965 and was used as the main battle tank The Leopard 2 is a German Main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979 Military wheeled vehicles like Jeeps are capable of mounting snorkels for the air intake and engine exhaust to allow them to wade through relatively deep water limited by the height Tank crews usually have a negative reaction towards deep fording but it adds considerable scope for surprise and tactical flexibility in water crossing operations by opening new and unexpected avenues of attack. This page contains a list of Military tactics: Principles Identification of objectives Also referred to as 'Selection and Maintenance of the Aim'
Amphibious tanks are specially designed or adapted for water operations, but they are rare in modern armies, being replaced by purpose-built amphibious assault vehicles or armoured personnel carriers in amphibious assaults. An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian) is a Vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport viable on land as well as on water - just like an The Amphibious Assault Vehicle ( AAV)&mdashofficial designation AAV-7A1 (formerly known as LVT-7) is a fully tracked amphibious landing Armoured personnel carriers (APCs are Armoured fighting vehicles developed to transport Infantry on the Battlefield They usually have only a Machine Advances such as the EFA mobile bridge and MT-55 scissors bridge have also reduced the impediment to tank advance that rivers posed in WWII. The EFA or Engin de Franchissement de l'Avant (forward crossing apparatus is a field-deployable river crossing apparatus known as Combat engineers of the French The MT-55 (Танковый мостоукладчик or tankovyy mostoukladchik is an Armoured vehicle-launched bridge (AVLB tank manufactured by the Soviet Union [27]
Tank power plants
The tank's power plant supplies kinetic energy to move the tank, and electric power via a generator to components such as the turret rotation motors and the tank's electronic systems. The kinetic energy of an object is the extra Energy which it possesses due to its motion Electric current is the flow (movement of Electric charge. The SI unit of electric current is the Ampere. In Electricity generation, an electrical generator is a device that converts Mechanical energy to Electrical energy, generally using Electromagnetic A gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions An electric motor uses Electrical energy to produce Mechanical energy. Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical The tank power plant has evolved from predominantly petrol and adapted large-displacement aeronautical or automotive engines during WWI and WWII, through diesel engines to advanced multi-fuel diesel engines, and powerful (per unit weight) but fuel-hungry gas turbines in the T-80 and M1 Abrams. Aeronautics (from Greek aero which means air or sky and nautis which means sailor i The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the Combustion of Fuel and an Oxidizer (typically air occurs in a confined space called a A diesel engine is an Internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle (named after Dr Multifuel, sometimes spelled multi-fuel, is a term applied to any type of Engine, Boiler, or Heater or other fuel-burning device which is A diesel engine is an Internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle (named after Dr A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary Engine that extracts energy from a flow of Combustion gas The T-80 is a Main battle tank which was designed in the Soviet Union and entered service in 1976 The M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States.
Tank power output in context:
| Vehicle | Power output | Power / Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota Camry 2. The Toyota Camry is a Mid-size car, formerly a Compact car manufactured by Toyota since 1980 4L | 158 horsepower (118 kW) | 106 hp/tonne |
| Lamborghini Murciélago 6. The name The name Murciélago (pronounced moor-thee-EH-la-goh in traditional Castilian Spanish and moor-see-EH-la-goh in Spanish of Latin America means " 5L | 632 horsepower (471 kW) | 383 hp/tonne |
| Leopard 2 & M1 Abrams | 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW) | 24. The Leopard 2 is a German Main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979 The M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. 2 & 24. 5 hp/tonne |
| SNCF Class T 2000 | 2,581 horsepower (1,925 kW) | 11. SNCF Class T 2000 Trainsets also known under their French acronym RTG ( Rame à turbine à gaz i 5 hp/tonne |
Command, control and communications
Commanding and coordinating tanks in the field has always been subject to particular problems, particularly in the area of communications, but in modern armies these problems have been partially alleviated by networked, integrated systems that enable communications and contribute to enhanced situational awareness. The German Army (Deutsches Heer heɐ) is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Leopard 2 is a German Main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979 Network-centric warfare (NCW, now commonly called network-centric operations (NCO, is a new Military doctrine or theory of war pioneered by the United States C2I stands for Command Control and Intelligence C4I stands for Command Control Communications Computers and (military Intelligence A computer network is a group of interconnected Computers. Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics System integration is the bringing together of the component Subsystems into one system and ensuring that the subsystems function together as a system System (from Latin systēma, in turn from Greek systēma is a set of interacting or interdependent Entities, real or abstract Situation awareness, or SA is the perception of environmental elements within a volume of time and space the comprehension of their meaning and the projection of their status in the
Early communications
Armoured bulkheads, engine noise, intervening terrain, dust and smoke, and the need to operate "buttoned up" are severe detriments to communication and lead to a sense of isolation for small tank units, individual vehicles, and tank crewmen. A military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a State as a need to offer Military capability required by the National defence policy In WWI, situation reports were sent back to headquarters by releasing carrier pigeons through vision slits and communications between vehicles was accomplished using hand signals, handheld semaphore flags (which were still in use in the Red Army in World War Two) or close range verbal communication. Flag semaphore is a system for conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags rods disks paddles or occasionally bare or gloved hands The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya [28]
Modern communications and the networked battlefield
On the modern battlefield an intercom mounted in the crew helmet provides internal communications and a link to the radio network, and on some tanks an external intercom on the rear of the tank provides communication with co-operating infantry. An intercom (intercommunication device is an electronic communications system intended for limited or private dialogue direction collaboration or announcements A helmet is a form of Protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries a variation of the hat A telecommunications network is a network of Telecommunications links and nodes arranged so that messages may be passed from one part of the network to another over Radio networks employ radio voice procedure to minimise confusion and "chatter". Voice procedure includes various techniques used to clarify simplify and standardize spoken communications over Two-way radios in use by the military in Civil aviation
A recent development in AFV equipment and doctrine is Network-centric warfare (US) or Network Enabled Capability (UK). An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged Network-centric warfare (NCW, now commonly called network-centric operations (NCO, is a new Military doctrine or theory of war pioneered by the United States Network Enabled Capability, or NEC, is the name given to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence intent to achieve enhanced military effect through the better This consists of the increased integration of information from the fire control system, laser range-finder, Global Positioning System and terrain information via hardened milspec electronics and a battlefield network to display all known information on enemy targets and friendly units on a monitor in the tank. Note the term " fire control " may also refer to means of stopping a fire such as sprinkler systems A fire-control system Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth Terrain, or relief, is the third or vertical dimension of land surface. The term electromagnetic pulse ( EMP) has the following meanings Electromagnetic radiation from an Explosion (especially a Nuclear A United States Defense Standard, often called a military standard, " MIL-STD " or " MIL-SPEC " is used to help achieve standardization Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical A computer network is a group of interconnected Computers. Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics A visual display unit, often called simply a monitor or display, is a piece of Electrical equipment which displays images generated from the Video The sensor data can be sourced from nearby tanks, planes, UAVs or (in the future) infantry. The Tactical Command Data Link (TCDL is a secure data link currently being developed by the U An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV is an unpiloted Aircraft. UAVs can be remote controlled or fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic Future Force Warrior is a United States military advanced technology demonstration project that is part of the Future Combat Systems project This improves the tank commander's situational awareness and ability to navigate the battlefield and select and engage targets. Situation awareness, or SA is the perception of environmental elements within a volume of time and space the comprehension of their meaning and the projection of their status in the Navigation is the process of reading and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another In addition to easing the reporting burden by automatically logging all orders and actions, orders are sent via the network with text and graphical overlays. Graphics (from Greek grc [[wiktγραφικός γραφικός]] see -graphy) are Visual presentations on some surface such as a wall
- See also: Military communications, Command, control, and communications, and C4ISTAR
Research and development
In terms of firepower, the focus of current R&D is on increased detection capability such as thermal imagers, automated fire control systems and increased muzzle energy from the gun to improve range, accuracy and armour penetration. Military communications, or Signals ( not to be confused with military Line of communications (LOC is a field of Military activities tactics C2I stands for Command Control and Intelligence C4I stands for Command Control Communications Computers and (military Intelligence C2I stands for Command Control and Intelligence C4I stands for Command Control Communications Computers and (military Intelligence prod concern = essayish with too much original research month = October day = 7 year = 2008 time = 1242 timestamp = 20081007124253 The XM1202 Future Combat Systems Mounted Combat System (MCS is a US Defense Tank, one of a subsystem of light-weight Military vehicles which is part of wiki stranglesnakejpg|thumb|Thermographic image of a Snake held by a human]] Infrared Thermography, thermal imaging, or thermal video, is a type of Muzzle energy is the Kinetic energy of a Bullet as it is expelled from the muzzle of a firearm [29] The most mature future gun technology is the electrothermal-chemical gun. Electrothermal-chemical (ETC technology is an attempt to increase accuracy and muzzle energy of future Tank, Artillery, and Close-in weapon system guns [30] The XM291 electrothermal-chemical tank-gun has gone through successful multiple firing sequences on a modified M8 armored gun system chassis. [31]
To improve tank protection, one field of research involves making the tank invisible to radar by adapting stealth technologies originally designed for aircraft. Stealth technology also known as LOT (Low Observability Technology is a sub-discipline of military Electronic countermeasures which covers a range of techniques used with A variety of camera and display technologies attempt to improve tank camouflage or even render it invisible. Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism Research is also ongoing in electromagnetic armour systems to disperse or deflect incoming shaped charge jets. Electromagnetism is the Physics of the Electromagnetic field: a field which exerts a Force on particles that possess the property of [32][33]
Mobility may be enhanced in future tanks by the use of diesel-electric or turbine-electric series hybrid drives improving fuel efficiency while reducing the size and weight of the power plant. A number of vehicles use a diesel-electric Powertrain for providing locomotion. Hybrid Vehicles make use of both an on-board Rechargeable energy storage system (RESS and a fueled power source for vehicle propulsion. [34] Furthermore, advances in gas turbine technology, including the use of advanced recuperators,[35] have allowed for reduction in engine volume and mass to less than 1 m2 and 1 metric ton, respectively, while maintaining fuel efficiency similar to that of a diesel engine. [36]
In line with the new doctrine of Network-centric warfare, the modern battle tank shows increasing sophistication in its electronics and communication systems. Network-centric warfare (NCW, now commonly called network-centric operations (NCO, is a new Military doctrine or theory of war pioneered by the United States
Etymology
The word tank was first applied to the British "landships" in 1915, before they entered service, to keep their nature secret. There are at least three possible explanations of the precise origin of the term:
- One is it first arose in British factories making the hulls of the first battle tanks: workmen and possible spies were to be given the impression they were constructing mobile water containers or tanks for the British Army, hence keeping the production of a fighting vehicle secret. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. [8]
- Another is the term was first used in a secret report on the new motorized weapon presented to Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, by British Army Lt. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were the members of the Board of Admiralty, which exercised command over the Royal Navy. -Col. Ernest Swinton. Major General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton KBE, CB, DSO, RE (1868 -1951 was a military writer and British Army officer From this report, three possible terms emerged: cistern, motor-war car, and tank. Apparently tank was chosen due to its linguistic simplicity. [37]
- Perhaps the most compelling story comes from Churchill's authoritative biography. To disguise the device, drawings were marked "water carriers for Russia. " When it was pointed out this might be shortened to "WCs for Russia," the drawings were changed to "water tanks for Russia. A flush toilet or Water Closet (WC is a Toilet that disposes of human waste by using water to flush it through a drainpipe to another location " Eventually the weapon was just called a tank. [38]
See also
- Armoured warfare
- Hull-down
- Tank desant
- Armored car (military)
- Armoured engineering vehicle
- Hobart's Funnies
- Infantry fighting vehicle
- Tankette
- Tank classification
- Canadian Army Trophy
- List of armoured fighting vehicles
- List of main battle tanks by country
Notes
- ^ von Senger und Etterlin (1960), The World's Armoured Fighting Vehicles, p. Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of Armoured fighting vehicles in Modern warfare. The term hull-down describes the situation where the upper part of a vessel or vehicle is visible but the main lower body ( hull) is not the opposite term hull-up Tank desant (танковый десант tankovyy desant) is a military Combined arms tactic, where Infantry soldiers ride into an attack A military armored (or armoured) car (see spelling differences) is a wheeled armored vehicle lighter than other armored fighting vehicles primarily Combat engineering vehicles (CEVs are armoured vehicles built for Engineering work on the battlefield or for the transportation of Sappers Types of combat Hobart's Funnies were a number of unusually modified Tanks operated during World War II by the United Kingdom 's 79th Armoured Division An infantry fighting vehicle ( IFV, also known as (mechanized infantry combat vehicle, (MICV) is a type of Armoured fighting vehicle (AFV A tankette is a type of lightly armed and armored tracked combat vehicle resembling a small Tank roughly the size of a car mainly intended for light Infantry Tank classification is a Taxonomy of identifying either the intended role or weight class of Tanks The classification by role was used primarily during The Canadian Army Trophy ( CAT) was a Tank gunnery competition established to foster excellence and competition among the armoured forces of the NATO This is a list of lists of Armoured fighting vehicles. For a complete list of military vehicles see List of military vehicles. This is a list of main battle tanks, and other vehicles serving that role in active military service with countries of the world 9.
- ^ Deighton (1979), Blitzkrieg, From the rise of Hitler to the fall of Dunkirk, p. 132
- ^ Cooper and Lucas (1979), Panzer: The Armoured Force of the Third Reich, p. 7
- ^ Eschel (2007), Assessing the performance of Merkava Tanks
- ^ a b House (1984), Toward Combined Arms Warfare:A Survey of 20th-Century Tactics, Doctrine, and Organization
- ^ Tomes (2004) in Relearning Counterinsurgency Warfare
Pitting a traditional combined armed force trained and equipped to defeat similar military organizations against insurgents "reminds one of a pile driver attempting to crush a fly, indefatigably persisting in repeating its efforts. "
- ^ DiNardo (1986), The First Modern Tank: Gunther Burstyn and His Motorgeschutz
- ^ a b c Willmott (2003), First World War
- ^ Regan (1993), The Guinness Book of More Military Blunders, p. 12
- ^ Willmott (2003), First World War, p. 222
- ^ a b c d Deighton (1979), Blitzkrieg, From the rise of Hitler to the fall of Dunkirk.
- ^ Time (1937), Chewed up
- ^ Cooper and Lucas (1979), Panzer: The Armoured Force of the Third Reich, pp. 9
- ^ Forty (2004) p. 251.
- ^ Zaloga et al. (1997)
- ^ Deighton (1979), Blitzkrieg, From the rise of Hitler to the fall of Dunkirk, pp. 307
- ^ Zaloga (1984), p. 175.
- ^ Cawthorne (2003), Steel Fist: Tank Warfare 1939 - 45, pp. 211
- ^ Steven Zaloga and Hugh Johnson (2004), T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks 1944–2004, Osprey, 39-41, ISBN 1-84176-792-1, p 43
- ^ von Senger und Etterlin (1960), The World's Armoured Fighting Vehicles, p. 61, 118 & 183
- ^ USA Today (2005), Tanks take a beating in Iraq
- ^ a b USA Today (2005), Tanks adapted for urban fights they once avoided
- ^ BBC News (2006) Tough lessons for Israeli armour
- ^ Deighton (1979), Blitzkrieg, From the rise of Hitler to the fall of Dunkirk, pp. 154
- ^ Thompson and Sorvig (2000), Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Building Outdoors, p. 51
- ^ Deighton (1979), Blitzkrieg, From the rise of Hitler to the fall of Dunkirk, p. 180
- ^ Deighton (1979), Blitzkrieg, From the rise of Hitler to the fall of Dunkirk, pp. 234-252
- ^ Wright 2002, Tank: The Progress of a Monstrous War Machine, p. 48,
To the extent that they communicated at all, the tank crews did so by squeezing carrier pigeons out through a hole in a gun sponson, by brandishing a shovel through the manhole, or by frantically waving coloured discs in the air.
- ^ Pengelley, Rupert, A new era in tank main armament, pp. 1521 - 1531
- ^ Hilmes, Rolf (January 30, 1999), "Aspects of future MBT conception". Military Technology 23 (6): 7. Moench Verlagsgesellschaft Mbh.
- ^ Goodell, Brad (January 1, 2007), "Electrothermal Chemical (ETC) Armament Integration into a Combat Vehicle". IEEE Transaction on Magnetics, Volume 23, Number 1, pp. 456-459.
- ^ Wickert, Matthias, Electric Armor Against Shaped Charges, pp. 426 - 429
- ^ Xiaopeng, Li, et. al. , Multiprojectile Active Electromagnetic Armor, pp. 460 - 462
- ^ Electric/Hybrid Electric Drive Vehicles for Military Applications, pp. 132 - 144
- ^ McDonald, Colin F. , Gas Turbine Recuperator Renaissance, pp. 1 - 30
- ^ Koschier, Angelo V. and Mauch, Hagen R. , Advantages of the LV100 as a Power Producer in a Hybrid Propulsion System for Future Fighting Vehicles, p. 697
- ^ Barris (2007), Victory at Vimy: Canada Comes of Age April 9-12 1917, p. 116
- ^ Gilbert (1991), Churchill: A Life, p. 298.
References
- "Electric/Hybrid Electric Drive Vehicles for Military Applications" (September 2007). Military Technology (9/2007): 132 - 144. Moench Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.
- Barris, Ted (2007), Victory at Vimy: Canada Comes of Age April 9-12 1917, Thomas Allen Publishers, pp. 116, ISBN 0887622534; ISBN 9780887622533
- Cawthorne, Nigel (2003), Steel Fist: Tank Warfare 1939-45, London: Arcturus Publishing Ltd. , ISBN 0-572-02872-5
- Cooper, Matthew and Lucas, James (1979), Panzer: The Armoured Force of the Third Reich, Book Club Associates
- Deighton, Len (1979), Blitzkrieg: From the rise of Hitler to the fall of Dunkirk, Fakenham: Fakenham Press Limited, ISBN 0-224-01648-2
- DiNardo, Richard L. (January, 1986), The First Modern Tank: Gunther Burstyn and His Motorgeschutz, vol. 50, No. 1, JSTOR: Society for Military History, pp. 12-15, <http://www.jstor.org/pss/1988528>
- Col. Eshel, David (2007), Assessing the performance of Merkava Tanks, Defense Update, <http://www.defense-update.com/analysis/lebanon_war_3.htm>. Retrieved on 16 May 2008
- Forty, George (2004), Tank Warfare in World War II, London: Constable & Robinson Ltd, ISBN 1-84119-864-1
- Forty, George (2006), The World Encyclopedia of Tanks & Armoured Fighting Vehicles, Lorenz Books, ISBN 0754817415
- Goodell, Brad (January, 2007). "Electrothermal Chemical (ETC) Armament System Integration Into a Combat Vehicle". IEEE Transaction on Magnetics 43 (1): 4. IEEE.
- Hilmes, Rolf (December, 2004). "Arming Future MBTs - Some Considerations". Military Technology (12/2004): 4. Moench Verlagsgesellschaft Mbh.
- House, Jonathan M. (1984), Toward Combined Arms Warfare: A Survey of 20th-Century Tactics, Doctrine, and Organization, United States Government Printing, ISBN 9999532357; ISBN 978-9999532358, <http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/House/Houe.asp>. Retrieved on 18 May 2008
- Komarow, Steven (2005), Tanks take a beating in Iraq, USA Today, <http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-03-29-abrams-tank-a_x.htm>. Retrieved on 16 May 2008
- Koschier, Angelo V. ; Hagen R. Mauch (2000). "Advantages of the LV100 as a Power Producer in a Hybrid Propulsion System for Future Fighting Vehicles". Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power 122 (October 2000): 693 - 698.
- Gilbert, Sir Martin (1991), Churchill: A Life, Thomas Allen Publishers, pp. 298, ISBN 0762420812
- Komarow, Steven (2005), Tanks adapted for urban fights they once avoided, USA Today, <http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-03-29-tank-inside_x.htm>. Retrieved on 16 May 2008
- Macksey, Kenneth (1976), Tank Warfare, A History of Tanks in Battle, London: Panther, ISBN 0-586-04302-0
- Macksey, Kenneth and Batchelor, John H. (1970), Tank: A History of the Armoured Fighting Vehicle, New York: Scribner, ISBN 0345021665; ISBN 0356034615; ISBN 0684136511
- Marcus, Jonathan (2006), Tough lessons for Israeli armour, BBC News, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4794829.stm>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008
- McDonald, Colin F. (1990). "Gas Turbine Recuperator Renaissance". Heat Recovery Systems & CHP 10 (1): 1 - 30. Pergamon Press.
- Pengelley, Rupert (1989). "A new era in tank man armament: The options multiply". Janes International Defense Review (November 1989): 1521 - 1531.
- Ogorkiewicz, Richard M. (1968), Design and Development of Fighting Vehicles, London: MacDonald, ISBN 0-356-01461-4
- Ogorkiewicz, Richard M. (1970), Armoured Forces: A History of Armoured Forces and Their Vehicles, Arms & Armour Press, ISBN 0-85368-049-3
- Ogorkiewicz, Richard M. (1991), Technology of Tanks, Coulsdon, Surrey: Jane's Information Group, ISBN 0-7106-0595-1
- Regan, Geoffrey (1993), The Guinness Book of More Military Blunders, London: Guinness Publishing, ISBN 0851129617
- Sharoni, Asher H. and Bacon, Lawrence D. , The Future Combat System (FCS): Technology Evolution Review and Feasibility Assessment, GlobalSecurity. org, <http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/1997/5fcs97.pdf>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008
- Thompson, William J. and Sorvig, Kim (2000), Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Building Outdoors, Island Press, pp. 51, ISBN 1-55963-646-7
- Time Life Books editors (1990), The Armored Fist, Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, ISBN 0-8094-8609-1; ISBN 0-8094-8608-3; ISBN 0-8094-8704-7
- Chewed Up, Alexandria, Virginia: Time magazine, 5 April 1937, <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,757549,00.html>. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Retrieved on 16 May 2008
- Tomes, Robert R. (2004), Relearning Counterinsurgency Warfare, Parameters, <http://www.army.mil/prof_writing/volumes/volume2/march_2004/3_04_1.html>. Retrieved on 26 May 2008
- von Senger und Etterlin, Dr. F. M. (1960), The World's Armoured Fighting Vehicles, London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd.
- Weeks, John (1975), Men Against Tanks: A History of Anti-Tank Warfare, New York: Mason Charter, ISBN 0-88405-130-7; ISBN 0-7153-6909-1
- Wickert, Matthias (January 2007). "Electric Armor Against Shaped Charges: Analysis of Jet Distortion With Respect to Jet Dynamics and Current Flow". IEEE Transaction on Magnetics 43 (1): 426 - 429. IEEE.
- Willmott, H. P. (2003), First World War, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 1405300299; ISBN-13 9781405300292
- Wright, Patrick (2002), Tank: The Progress of a Monstrous War Machine, ISBN 978-0670030705
- Xiaopeng, Li; Meng Tao, Zhao Chun and Li Liyi (January 2007). "Multiprojectile Active Electromagnetic Armor". IEEE Transaction on Magnetics 43 (1): 460 - 462.
- Zaloga, Steven J. and Grandsen, James (1984), Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two, London: Arms and Armour Press, ISBN 0-85368-606-8
- Zaloga, Steven J. , Kinnear, Jim, Aksenov, Andrey & Koshchavtsev Aleksandr (1997), Soviet Tanks in Combat 1941–45: The T-28, T-34, T-34-85, and T-44 Medium Tanks, Hong Kong: Concord Publication, ISBN 962-361-615-5
External links
- The Burstyn tank Landships has additional information and a model of Günther Burstyn's Motorengeschütz. Günther Burstyn ( 6 July 1879 in Bad Aussee, Steiermark - 15 April 1945 in Korneuburg, Lower Austria
- OnWar's Tanks of WWII Comprehensive specifications and diagrams of WWII tanks.
- Achtung Panzer History of tanks and people of the Panzertruppe.
- Limits of a tanks movement contains private photos showing US tanks with humorous mobility problems in Iraq.
- Danish armour displays all modern weapons in the Danish army.
- Gizmag's The Armored Tank turns 90 Images of tanks in action.
- Future Firepower - Weapon technology Future Firepower contains text, image and video coverage of current generation MBTs and the TROPHY active defense system. Be aware that the videos on this site, while excellent, are advertorial in nature. An advertorial is an Advertisement written in the form of an objective opinion Editorial, and presented in a printed publication — usually designed to
- GlobalSecurity Mounted Combat System (MCS) and Multi-Role Armament and Ammunition System (MRAAS) provides information on the next-generation US MBT and it's armament respectively.
Dictionary
tank
-noun
- A container for liquids or gases, typically with a volume of several cubic metres.
- An armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a gun in a turret, and moving on caterpillar tracks.
- (Australian and Indian English), a reservoir or dam.
- (American SouthWest English, esp Texas), a large metal container, usually placed near a wind-driven water pump, in an animal pen or field. By extension a small pond for the same purpose.
- (slang) A very muscular and physically imposing person. Somebody who is built like a tank.
- In USA scuba divers' usage, a compressed air or gas cylinder.
- (gaming, video games, online gaming) In online and offline role-playing games, a character designed primarily around damage absorption with offensive power as a close secondary consideration.
-verb
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