The history of the tank includes all vehicles intended to advance under enemy fire while remaining protected.
112-709: The Vickers MBT is a series of main battle tanks (MBTs) developed as a private venture by British company Vickers-Armstrongs for export. The design makes use of proven components, such as the L7 gun of the Centurion , the Leyland L60 multi-fuel engine, the transmission and fire control system of the Chieftain . Many copied tanks were also built by India under licence as the Vijayanta . The Vickers MBT followed on from
224-429: A tank . In the 15th century, a Hussite called Jan Žižka won several battles using armoured wagons containing cannons that could be fired through holes in their sides, but his invention was not used after his lifetime until the 20th century. In the 17th century, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz devised his "fire cart", which incorporated the gunpowder engine for propulsion, anticipating the 20th-century incorporation of
336-505: A "heavy" tank for assaulting fixed positions, was redesigned during the war with armour and gun upgrades to allow it to take on anti-tank roles as well, and was reclassified as a medium tank. The second half of World War II saw an increased reliance on general-purpose medium tanks, which became the bulk of the tank combat forces. Generally, these designs massed about 25–30 t (25–30 long tons; 28–33 short tons), were armed with cannons around 75 mm (3.0 in), and powered by engines in
448-470: A 24-tonne 20-pdr gunned tank design intended for export. This would be as well equipped as a Centurion but substantially cheaper and with eight Vickers Vigilant anti-tank missiles it would be as effective. However, with the introduction of the 105 mm L7 gun into the British, US and German tank designs, this light tank would have been less powerful while too large for the reconnaissance role, and so
560-453: A 360º view of the tank's surroundings onto crew helmet-mounted displays or other display systems. MBTs, like previous models of tanks, move on continuous tracks , which allow a decent level of mobility over most terrain including sand and mud. They also allow tanks to climb over most obstacles. MBTs can be made water-tight, so they can even dive into shallow water (5 m (16 ft) with snorkel). However, tracks are not as fast as wheels;
672-535: A British agricultural machinery firm, Foster and Sons , whose managing director and designer was Sir William Tritton . After all these projects failed by June 1915, ideas of grandiose landships were abandoned, and a decision was taken to make an attempt with US Bullock Creeping Grip caterpillar tracks, by connecting two of them together to obtain an articulated chassis deemed necessary for manoeuvring. Experiments failed in tests made in July 1915. Another experiment
784-459: A Philips 2nd Gen thermal imager. The Mark 7 has three features that reduces the likelihood of its detection by night sights and other heat-sensing devices. These are its coat of infra-red reflective paint; the mixing of the hot exhaust gases with the cooling air before discharge; and a new design of thermal sleeve. Equipped with the Marksman turret, as well as a self-propelled 155mm howitzer with
896-732: A US patent for a workable crawler type tractor in 1907. The centre of such innovation was in England, and in 1903 he travelled to England to learn more about ongoing development, though all those he saw failed their field tests. Holt paid Alvin Orlando Lombard US$ 60,000 (equivalent to $ 2,034,667 in 2023) for the right to produce vehicles under Lombard's patent for the Lombard Steam Log Hauler . Holt returned to Stockton and, utilizing his knowledge and his company's metallurgical capabilities, he became
1008-414: A burden on tactics, training, support and maintenance. The MBT has a positive morale effect on the infantry it accompanies. It also instills fear in the opposing force who can often hear and even feel their arrival. History of the tank The principle of armored warfare can be compared with attempts to protect soldiers from enemy projectiles that existed since ancient times. The development of
1120-781: A cross-country ability", but the viability of the project was disputed by the Artillery Technical Committee, until it was formally abandoned in 1908 when it was known that a caterpillar tractor had been developed, the Hornsby of engineer David Roberts . H. G. Wells , in his short story The Land Ironclads , published in The Strand Magazine in December 1903, had described the use of large, armed, armoured cross-country vehicles equipped with pedrail wheels (an invention which he acknowledged as
1232-584: A design for a vehicle that incorporated Chobham composite armour protection within a battle weight of 43 tonnes. This first prototype, designated the Vickers Main Battle Tank Mark 4. The Vickers Mk 7 consisted of a third generation Vickers Valiant turret mounted on a Krauss-Maffei-supplied chassis that in the prototype is essentially that of the Leopard 2 MBT. The tank had a Marconi digital fire control system, an SFIM panoramic sight and
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#17327871171091344-406: A dual role, able to engage other armoured targets such as tanks and fortifications, and soft targets such as light vehicles and infantry. It is fixed to the turret, along with the loading and fire mechanism. Modern tanks use a sophisticated fire-control system , including rangefinders , computerized fire control, and stabilizers, which are designed to keep the cannon stable and aimed even if the hull
1456-596: A functional vehicle pushed the limits of mechanical technology. This limited the specific battlefield capabilities any one tank design could be expected to fulfill. A design might have good speed, armour, or firepower, but not all three together. Facing the deadlock of trench warfare , the first tank designs focused on crossing wide trenches, requiring very long and large vehicles, such as the British Mark I tank and successors; these became known as heavy tanks . Tanks that focused on other combat roles were smaller, like
1568-401: A high level of self-protection, and which is not designed and equipped primarily to transport combat troops." Originally, most MBTs relied on steel armour to defend against various threats. As newer threats emerged, however, the defensive systems used by MBTs had to evolve to counter them. One of the first new developments was the use of explosive reactive armour (ERA), developed by Israel in
1680-605: A human to load. This reduces the silhouette which improves the MBT's target profile. However, with a manual loader, the rounds can be isolated within a blowout chamber, rather than a magazine within the turret, which could improve crew survivability. However, the force of a modern depleted uranium APFSDS round at the muzzle can exceed 6000 kN (a rough estimate, considering a uranium 60 cm/2 cm rod, 19g/cm , @ 1,750 m/s). Composite+reactive armour could withstand this kind of force through its deflection and deformation, but with
1792-504: A key component of modern armies. Modern MBTs seldom operate alone, as they are organized into armoured units that include the support of infantry , who may accompany the tanks in infantry fighting vehicles . They are also often supported by surveillance or ground-attack aircraft . The average weight of MBTs varies from country to country. The average weight of Western MBTs is usually greater than that of Russian or Chinese MBTs. During World War I , combining tracks, armour, and guns into
1904-557: A letter dated 31 January 1916 Commander-in-chief Joffre ordered the production of 400 tanks of the type designed by Brillié and Estienne, although the actual production order of 400 Schneider CA1 was made a bit later on 25 February 1916. Soon after, on 8 April 1916, another order for 400 Saint-Chamond tanks was also placed. Schneider had trouble with meeting production schedules, and the tank deliveries were spread over several months from 8 September 1916. The Saint-Chamond tank would start being delivered from 27 April 1917. In 1914,
2016-477: A long 75 mm gun. Both types saw action on numerous occasions but suffered consistently high losses. In 1918, the Renault FT light tank was the first tank in history with a "modern" configuration: a revolving turret on top and an engine compartment at the rear; it would be the most numerous tank of the war. A last development was the superheavy Char 2C , the largest tank ever to see service, some years after
2128-461: A new design was required. With armour twice that of the light tank design, it would still be 12 tonnes lighter than Centurion and hence more mobile. The design would use the new engine and transmission of the Chieftain tank then being developed. The development coincided with an agreement with India in 1961 to produce a tank design and help set up a factory there to produce it. The Vickers MBT Mk 1
2240-678: A new universal tank was rendered unnecessary. The Centurion, entering service just as World War II finished, was a multi-role tank that subsequently formed the main armoured element of the British Army of the Rhine , the armed forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth forces, and subsequently many other nations through exports, whose cost was met largely by the US. The introduction of the 84 mm (3.3 in) 20-pounder gun in 1948 gave
2352-665: A proposal for a fighting vehicle that had a gun in a rotating turret, known as the Motorgeschütz . In 1912, the Australian civil engineer Lancelot de Mole 's proposal included a scale model of a functional fully tracked vehicle. Both of these were rejected by their respective governmental administrations. Benjamin Holt of the Holt Manufacturing Company of Stockton, California was the first to file
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#17327871171092464-535: A second hit in the same area, an armour breach is inevitable. As such, the speed of follow up shots is crucial within tank to tank combat. As secondary weapons, an MBT usually uses between two and four machine guns to engage infantry and light vehicles. Many MBTs mount one heavy caliber anti-aircraft machine gun (AAMG), usually of .50 caliber (like the M2 Browning or DShK ), which can be used against helicopters and low flying aircraft. However, their effectiveness
2576-491: A shipyard, worked privately on the design of the super-heavy Mendeleev tank from 1911 to 1915. It was a heavily armoured 170 ton tracked vehicle armed with one 120 mm naval gun. The design envisioned many innovations that became standard features of a modern battle tank—protection of the vehicle was well-thought out, the gun included automatic loading mechanism, pneumatic suspension allowed adjusting of clearance, some critical systems were duplicated, transportation by railroad
2688-619: A target and thereby enhance the first-round hit probability. The United States's experience in the Vietnam War contributed to the idea among army leadership that the role of the main battle tank could be fulfilled by attack helicopters . During the Vietnam War, helicopters and missiles competed with MBTs for research money. Though the Persian Gulf War reaffirmed the role of main battle tanks, MBTs were outperformed by
2800-528: A tractor base, codenamed "Tracteur Estienne". In 1915, attempts were also made to develop vehicles with powerful armour and armament, mounted on the cross-country chassis of agricultural tractors, with large wheels having coarse treads, such as the Aubriot-Gabet "Fortress" ( Fortin Aubriot-Gabet ). The vehicle was powered by electricity (complete with a supply cable), and armed with a Navy cannon of 37mm, but it too proved impractical. In January 1915,
2912-468: A trench so that the back wheels could roll over it. The machine would then drag the girder behind until on flat terrain, so that it could reverse over them and set them back in place in front of the vehicle. The machine proved much too cumbersome and was abandoned. When Winston Churchill , First Lord of the Admiralty, learned of the armoured tractor idea, he reignited investigation of the idea of using
3024-403: A trend towards heavier weight and greater firepower during World War II; speed was not a substitute for armour and firepower. An increasing variety of anti-tank weapons and the perceived threat of a nuclear war prioritized the need for additional armour. The additional armour prompted the design of even more powerful guns. The main battle tank thus took on the role the British had once called
3136-534: A world of shaped charge weapons, and new designs rapidly emerged from most armed forces. The Quebec conference in 1957 between the US, UK and Canada identified the MBT as the route for development rather than separate medium and heavy tanks. The concept of the medium tank gradually evolved into the MBT in the 1960s, as it was realized that medium tanks could carry guns (such as the American 90 mm (3.5 in), Soviet 100 mm (3.9 in), and especially
3248-402: Is almost impossible to fire them from under armour since the rocket motor efflux presents a serious problem. Generally speaking, the best that can be achieved is to put the crew under armour and mount the missiles externally. This presents reloading problems and leaves the missiles vulnerable to small arms and mortar fire." In any case, only four spare missile rounds could be carried. The Mk. 3
3360-435: Is considered one of the fastest MBTs in existence. The MBT is often cumbersome in traffic and frequently obstructs the normal flow of traffic. The tracks can damage some roads after repeated use. Many structures like bridges do not have the load capacity to support an MBT. In the fast pace of combat, it is often impossible to test the sturdiness of these structures. Though appreciated for its excellent off-road characteristics,
3472-456: Is limited in comparison to dedicated anti-aircraft artillery. The tank's machine guns are usually equipped with between 500 and 3,000 rounds each. Performing situational awareness and communicating is one of four primary MBT functions. For situational awareness, the crew can use a circular review system combining augmented reality and artificial Intelligence technologies. These systems use several externally mounted video sensors to transfer
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3584-474: Is performed in high-intensity conflicts where reconnaissance by light vehicles would be insufficient due to the necessity to "fight" for information. In asymmetric warfare, main battle tanks are deployed in small, highly concentrated units. MBTs fire only at targets at close range and instead rely on external support such as unmanned aircraft for long range combat. Main battle tanks have significantly varied characteristics. Procuring too many varieties can place
3696-524: Is reserved for ammunition. External space enhances independence of logistics and can accommodate extra fuel and some personal equipment of the crew. The Israeli Merkava can accommodate crew members displaced from a destroyed vehicle in its ammunition compartment. Emphasis is placed on selecting and training main battle tank crew members. The crew must perform their tasks faultlessly and harmoniously so commanders select teams taking into consideration personalities and talents. The main battle tank fulfills
3808-574: Is turning or shaking, making it easier for the operators to fire on the move and/or against moving targets. Gun-missile systems are complicated and have been particularly unsatisfactory to the United States who abandoned gun-missile projects such as the M60A2 and MBT-70 , but have been diligently developed by the Soviet Union, who even retrofitted them to T-55 tanks, in an effort to double
3920-606: The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), requested in September 1917 that 600 heavy and 1,200 light tanks be produced in the United States. When Pershing assumed command of the AEF and went to France, he took Lt. Col. George Patton , who became interested in tanks. They were then unwieldy, unreliable, and unproven instruments of warfare, and there was much doubt whether they had any function and value at all on
4032-512: The Battle of Amiens . General Erich Ludendorff referred to that date as the "Black Day" of the German Army. Parallel to the British development, France designed its own tanks. The first two, the medium Schneider CA and heavy Saint-Chamond , were not well-conceived, though produced in large numbers and showing technical innovations, the latter using an electro-mechanical transmission and
4144-656: The Battle of the Somme . Forty-nine of the Mark I type were committed, of which thirty-two were mechanically fit to take part in the advance and achieved some small, local successes. In July 1917, 216 British tanks were employed in the Third Battle of Ypres but found it almost impossible to operate in the muddy conditions and achieved little. Not until 20 November 1917, at Cambrai , did the British Tank Corps get
4256-534: The Compagnie Nationale du Nord , proposed to the French Ministry a design for a "landship" with armour and armament based on the motorisation of a compactor with heavy wheels or rollers. The Frot-Laffly was tested on 18 March 1915, and effectively destroyed barbed wire lines, but was deemed lacking in mobility. The project was abandoned in favour of General Estienne 's development using
4368-487: The Cromwell tank , combined with efficiency savings elsewhere in the design, almost doubled the horsepower for cruiser tanks. This led to speculation of a "Universal Tank", able to take on the roles of both a cruiser and an infantry tank by combining heavy armour and manoeuvrability. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery is acknowledged as the main advocate of the British universal tank concept as early as 1943, according to
4480-632: The French Army soon after the start of World War I to pull heavy artillery pieces in difficult terrain, but the French did not purchase Holts in large numbers. It was the sight of them in use by the British that later inspired Estienne to have plans drawn up for an armoured body on caterpillar tracks. In the meantime, several attempts were made to design vehicles that could overcome the German barbed wire and trenches. From 1914 to 1915, an early experiment
4592-722: The President of the Republic , and on 10 September, by Commander Ferrus. The first complete chassis with armour was demonstrated at Souain on 9 December 1915, to the French Army, with the participation of Colonel Estienne. On 12 December, unaware of the Schneider experiments, Estienne presented to the High Command a plan to form an armoured force, equipped with tracked vehicles. He was put in touch with Schneider, and in
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4704-655: The Second Battle of Fallujah the United States Marines brought in two extra companies of M1s. Britain deployed its Challenger 2 tanks to support its operations in southern Iraq. Advanced armour has reduced crew fatalities but has not improved vehicle survivability. Small unmanned turrets on top of the cupolas called remote controlled weapon stations armed with machine guns or mortars provide improved defence and enhance crew survivability. Experimental tanks with unmanned turrets locate crew members in
4816-532: The T-72 . The United States Army used 1,100 M1 Abrams in the course of the Iraq War . They proved to have an unexpectedly high vulnerability to improvised explosive devices . A relatively new type of remotely detonated mine, the explosively formed penetrator , was used with some success against American armoured vehicles. However, with upgrades to their rear armour, M1s proved to be valuable in urban combat; at
4928-673: The War Office —which was lukewarm to the idea—to make a trial on 17 February 1915 with a Holt tractor, but the caterpillar bogged down in the mud, the project was abandoned, and the War Office gave up investigations. In May 1915, the War Office made new tests on a trench-crossing machine: the Tritton Trench-Crosser . The machine was equipped with large tractor wheels, 8 ft (2.4 m) in diameter, and carried girders on an endless chain which were lowered above
5040-498: The armoured car , was that it required smooth terrain to move upon, and new developments were needed for cross-country capability. The tank was originally designed as a special weapon to solve an unusual tactical situation: the stalemate of the trenches on the Western Front . "It was a weapon designed for one simple task: crossing the killing zone between trench lines and breaking into enemy [defences]." The armoured tank
5152-543: The attack helicopter . Other strategists considered that the MBT was entirely obsolete in light of the efficacy and speed with which coalition forces neutralized Iraqi armour. In asymmetric warfare , threats such as improvised explosive devices and mines have proven effective against MBTs. In response, nations that face asymmetric warfare, such as Israel, are reducing the size of their tank fleet and procuring more advanced models. Conversely, some insurgent groups like Hezbollah themselves operate main battle tanks, such as
5264-463: The explosion engine makes it possible to transport an armored vehicle more easily than with horses. One of the first traces of the use of an armored motor vehicle occurred during the Crimean War . World War I generated new demands for armoured self-propelled weapons which could navigate any kind of terrain, and this led to the development of the tank. The great weakness of the tank predecessor,
5376-520: The internal combustion engine for the same purpose. In 1903, a French artillery captain named Léon Levavasseur proposed the Levavasseur project , a canon autopropulseur ("self-propelled cannon"), moved by a caterpillar system and fully armoured for protection. Powered by an 80 hp petrol engine, "the Levavasseur machine would have had a crew of three, storage for ammunition, and
5488-586: The "universal tank", exemplified by the Centurion, filling almost all battlefield roles. Typical main battle tanks were as well armed as any other vehicle on the battlefield, highly mobile, and well armoured. Yet they were cheap enough to be built in large numbers. The first Soviet main battle tank was the T-64A (the T-54/55 and T-62 were considered "medium" tanks) and the first American nomenclature-designated MBT
5600-609: The 400–500 hp (300–370 kW) range. Notable examples include the Soviet T-34 (the most-produced tank at that time) and the US M4 Sherman . Late war tank development placed increased emphasis on armour, armament, and anti-tank capabilities for medium tanks: Britain had continued on the path of parallel development of cruiser tanks and infantry tanks. Development of the Rolls-Royce Meteor engine for
5712-627: The British L7 105 mm (4.1 in) ) that could penetrate any practical level of armour then existing at long range. Also, the heaviest tanks were unable to use most existing bridges. The World War II concept of heavy tanks , armed with the most powerful guns and heaviest armour, became obsolete because the large tanks were too expensive and just as vulnerable to damage by mines, bombs, rockets, and artillery. Likewise, World War II had shown that lightly armed and armoured tanks were of limited value in most roles. Even reconnaissance vehicles had shown
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#17327871171095824-585: The British War Office ordered a Holt tractor and put it through trials at Aldershot . Although it was not as powerful as the 105 horsepower (78 kW) Foster-Daimler tractor, the 75 horsepower (56 kW) Holt was better suited to haul heavy loads over uneven ground. Without a load, the Holt tractor managed a walking pace of 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h). Towing a load, it could manage 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h). Most importantly, Holt tractors were readily available in quantity. The War Office
5936-631: The Committee decided to build a smaller experimental landship, equivalent to one half the articulated version, and using lengthened US-made Bullock Creeping Grip caterpillar tracks. This new experimental machine was called the No1 Lincoln Machine : construction started on 11 August 1915, with the first trials starting on 10 September 1915. These trials failed however because of unsatisfactory tracks. Development continued with new, re-engineered tracks designed by William Tritton , and
6048-546: The French Leclerc , or the Russian/Ukrainian T-64 , T-72 , T-80 , T-84 , T-90 , and T-14 and, for this reason, the crew can be reduced to 3 members. MBTs with an autoloader require one less crew member and the autoloader requires less space than its human counterpart, allowing for a reduction in turret size. Further, an autoloader can be designed to handle rounds which would be too difficult for
6160-551: The French Renault FT ; these were light tanks or tankettes . Many late-war and inter-war tank designs diverged from these according to new, and mostly untried, concepts for future tank roles and tactics. Each nation tended to create its own list of tank classes with different intended roles, such as "cavalry tanks", "breakthrough tanks", "fast tanks", and "assault tanks". The British maintained cruiser tanks that in order to achieve high speed and hence manoeuvrability in
6272-584: The French arms manufacturer Schneider & Co. sent out its chief designer, Eugène Brillié , to investigate tracked tractors from the American Holt Manufacturing Company , at that time participating in a test programme in England , for a project of mechanical wire-cutting machines. On his return Brillié, who had earlier been involved in designing armoured cars for Spain , convinced the company management to initiate studies on
6384-746: The GBT 155 turret. The GBT 155 was unveiled in 1982 and was armed with the same 155mm ordnance as the AS-90 . It was designed primarily for existing tank chassis. Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , Tanks in the Cold War Main battle tank A main battle tank ( MBT ), also known as a battle tank or universal tank , is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War -era development of more powerful engines, better suspension systems and lighter composite armour allowed for
6496-523: The Holt tractor. The Royal Navy and the Landship Committee (established on 20 February 1915), at last agreed to sponsor experiments and tests of armoured tractors as a type of "land ship". In March, Churchill ordered the building of 18 experimental landships: 12 using Diplock pedrails (an idea promoted by Murray Sueter ), and six using large wheels (the idea of Thomas Gerard Hetherington ). Construction however failed to move forward, as
6608-422: The MBT can become immobilized in muddy conditions. The high cost of MBTs can be attributed in part to the high-performance engine-transmission system and to the fire control system. Also, propulsion systems are not produced in high enough quantities to take advantage of economies of scale . Crew fatigue limits the operational range of MBTs in combat. Reducing the crew to three and relocating all crewmembers from
6720-413: The Soviet Union's fighting capability. The Soviet Union made novel advancements to the weapon systems including mechanical autoloaders and anti-tank guided missiles . Autoloaders were introduced to replace the human loader, permitting the turret to be reduced in size, making the tank smaller and less visible as a target, while missile systems were added to extend the range at which a vehicle could engage
6832-457: The armistice. The German response to the Cambrai assault was to develop its own armoured program. Soon the massive A7V appeared, weighing 30 tons and with a crew of eighteen. By the end of the war, only twenty had been built. Although other tanks were on the drawing board, material shortages limited the German tank corps to these A7Vs and about 36 captured Mark IVs. The A7V would be involved in
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#17327871171096944-411: The attack carried less armour, and infantry tanks which operating at infantryman pace could carry more armour. After years of isolated and divergent development, the various interwar tank concepts were finally tested with the start of World War II . In the chaos of blitzkrieg , tanks designed for a single role often found themselves forced into battlefield situations they were ill-suited for. During
7056-472: The conditions it needed for success. Over 400 tanks penetrated almost 6 miles on a 7-mile wide front. However, success was not complete because the infantry failed to exploit and secure the tanks' gains, and almost all the territory gained was recaptured by the Germans. The Australian, Canadian, and British forces then scored a far more significant victory the following year, on 8 August 1918, with 600 tanks in
7168-614: The design of a tank that had the firepower of a super-heavy tank , the armour protection of a heavy tank , and the mobility of a light tank , in a package with the weight of a medium tank . The first designated MBT was the British Chieftain tank , which during its development in the 1950s was re-designed as an MBT. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the MBT replaced almost all other types of tanks, leaving only some specialist roles to be filled by lighter designs or other types of armoured fighting vehicles . Main battle tanks are
7280-444: The detonation of ERA blocks creates a hazard to any supporting infantry near the tank. Despite this drawback, it is still employed on many Russian MBTs, the latest generation Kontakt-5 being capable of defeating both high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and kinetic energy penetrator threats. The Soviets also developed Active Protection Systems (APS) designed to more actively neutralize hostile projectiles before they could even strike
7392-515: The development of a Tracteur blindé et armé (armoured and armed tractor), based on the Baby Holt chassis, two of which were ordered. Experiments on the Holt caterpillar tracks started in May 1915 at the Schneider plant with a 75-hp wheel-directed model and the 45-hp integral caterpillar Baby Holt , showing the superiority of the latter. On 16 June, new experiments followed, which were witnessed by
7504-509: The development of the tank and eventually would lead to the mechanised forces that were to assume the old roles of horse cavalry and to loosen the grip of the machine-gun on the battlefield. With increased firepower and protection, these mechanised forces would, only some 20 years later, become the armour of World War II. When self-propelled artillery , the armoured personnel carrier , the wheeled cargo vehicle, and supporting aviation —all with adequate communications—were combined to constitute
7616-520: The early 1980s to defend against the shaped-charge warheads of modern anti-tank guided missiles and other such high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) projectiles. This technology was subsequently adopted and expanded upon by the United States and the Soviet Union. MBT armour is concentrated at the front of the tank, where it is layered up to 33 centimetres (13 in) thick. Missiles are cheap and cost-effective anti-tank weapons. ERA can be quickly added to vehicles to increase their survivability. However,
7728-690: The early 1990s and 2000s; surviving numerous impacts from 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s era rocket-propelled grenades with negligible damage. It is much less efficient against later models of RPGs. For example, the RPG-29 from the 1980s is able to penetrate the frontal hull armour of the Challenger 2. Main battle tanks are equipped with a main gun and at least one machine gun . MBT main guns are generally between 100 mm (3.9 in) and 125 mm (4.9 in) caliber, and can fire both anti-armour and, more recently, anti-personnel rounds. The cannon serves
7840-400: The effect of protecting the vehicle's occupants from nuclear explosion radiation). By the late 1970s, MBTs were manufactured by China, France, West Germany, Britain, India, Italy, Japan, the Soviet Union, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. The Soviet Union's war doctrine depended heavily on the main battle tank. Any weapon advancement making the MBT obsolete could have devastated
7952-988: The effective range of the vehicle's fire. The MBT's role could be compromised because of the increasing distances involved and the increased reliance on indirect fire . The tank gun is still useful in urban combat for precisely delivering powerful fire while minimizing collateral damage. High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), and some form of high velocity kinetic energy penetrator , such as armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds are carried for anti-armour purposes. Anti-personnel rounds such as high explosive or high explosive fragmentation have dual purpose. Less common rounds are Beehive anti-personnel rounds , and high-explosive squash head (HESH) rounds used for both anti-armour and bunker busting. Usually, an MBT carries 30–50 rounds of ammunition for its main tank gun , usually split between HE, HEAT, and KEP rounds. Some MBTs may also carry smoke or white phosphorus rounds. Some MBTs are equipped with an autoloader , such as
8064-458: The end of the war, 10,000 Holt vehicles had been used in the Allied war effort. The French colonel Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne articulated the vision of a cross-country armoured vehicle on 24 August 1914: "Victory in this war will belong to the belligerent who is the first to put a cannon on a vehicle capable of moving on all kinds of terrain" Some privately owned Holt tractors were used by
8176-419: The era. Later came British Chobham armour . This composite armour used layers of ceramics and other materials to help attenuate the effects of HEAT munitions. Another threat came by way of the widespread use of helicopters in battle. Before the advent of helicopters, armour was heavily concentrated to the front of the tank. This new threat caused designs to distribute armour on all sides of the tank (also having
8288-536: The first tank vs . tank battle of the war on April 24, 1918, at the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux —a battle in which there was no clear winner. Numerous mechanical failures and the inability of the British and French to mount any sustained drives in the early tank actions cast doubt on their usefulness—and by 1918, tanks were extremely vulnerable unless accompanied by infantry and ground-attack aircraft, both of which worked to locate and suppress anti-tank defences . General John J. Pershing , commander-in-chief of
8400-416: The first to design and manufacture practical continuous tracks for use in tractors . In England, David Roberts of Hornsby & Sons, Grantham , obtained a patent for a design in July 1904. In the United States, Holt replaced the wheels on a 40 horsepower (30 kW) Holt steamer, No. 77, with a set of wooden tracks bolted to chains. On November 24, 1904, he successfully tested the updated machine ploughing
8512-465: The heavily armoured hull, improving survivability and reducing the vehicle's profile. Technology is reducing the weight and size of the modern MBT. A British military document from 2001 indicated that the British Army would not procure a replacement for the Challenger 2 because of a lack of conventional warfare threats in the foreseeable future. The obsolescence of the tank has been asserted, but
8624-617: The history of the late 20th and early 21st century suggested that MBTs were still necessary. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine , Western and Russian MBTs saw large-scale combat in large numbers. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe defines a main battle tank as "a self-propelled armoured fighting vehicle, capable of heavy firepower, primarily of a high muzzle velocity direct fire main gun necessary to engage armoured and other targets, with high cross-country mobility, with
8736-440: The machine, now renamed Little Willie , was completed in December 1915 and tested on 3 December 1915. Trench-crossing ability was deemed insufficient however, and Walter Gordon Wilson developed a rhomboidal design, which became known as "His Majesty's Landship Centipede " and later " Mother ", the first of the "Big Willie" types of true tanks. After completion on 29 January 1916 very successful trials were made, and an order
8848-533: The maximum of adaptability to the contours of the ground. They crawled level along the ground with one foot high upon a hillock and another deep in a depression, and they could hold themselves erect and steady sideways upon even a steep hillside. In the years before the Great War, two practical tank-like designs were proposed but not developed. In 1911, the Austrian engineering officer Günther Burstyn submitted
8960-439: The maximum speed of a tank is about 65 km/h (40 mph) . The extreme weight of vehicles of this type 40–70 t (39–69 long tons; 44–77 short tons) also limits their speed. They are usually equipped with a 1,200–1,500 hp (890–1,120 kW) engine (more than 25,000 cc (1,526 cu in)), with an operational range near 500 km (310 mi). The German Army has prioritized mobility in its Leopard 2 which
9072-536: The modern armoured division, commanders regained the capability of manoeuvre. Numerous concepts of armoured all-terrain vehicles had been imagined for a long time. With the advent of trench warfare in World War I , the Allied French and British developments of the tank were largely parallel and coincided in time. Leonardo da Vinci is often credited with the invention of a war machine that resembled
9184-495: The need for what he described as a "machine-gun destroyer"—a cross-country, armed vehicle. He remembered the Holt tractor, and decided that it could be the basis for an armoured vehicle. Swinton proposed in a letter to Sir Maurice Hankey , Secretary of the British Committee of Imperial Defence , that the Committee build a power-driven, bullet-proof, tracked vehicle that could destroy enemy guns. Hankey persuaded
9296-518: The number of aircraft available. Military planners anticipate that the airlift capability for MBTs will not improve in the future. To date, no helicopter has the capability to lift MBTs. Rail and road are heavily used to move MBTs nearer to the battle, ready to fight in prime condition. Where well maintained roads allow it, wheeled tank transporters can be used. The task of resupply is usually accomplished with large trucks. Main battle tanks have internal and external storage space. Internal space
9408-484: The point of view of its resistance to armour-piercing projectiles than the flat mantlet of the Mark. 1. The Mark 3 embodies various other improvements, such as an increase in the depression of its main gun from -7 to -10 degrees below the horizontal and an increase in the ammunition from 44 to 50 rounds. The first production order for Mk. 3 tanks was placed in 1977 by the Government of Kenya In 1977, Vickers produced
9520-479: The rest of its armament, can also intercept aircraft and missiles. MBTs can also be protected from radar detection by incorporating stealth technology . The T-14 Armata has a turret designed to be harder to detect with radars and thermal sights. Advanced camouflage, like the Russian Nakidka , will also reduce the radar and thermal signatures of a MBT. Other defensive developments focused on improving
9632-476: The role the British had once called the "universal tank", filling almost all battlefield roles. They were originally designed in the Cold War to combat other MBTs. The modern light tank supplements the MBT in expeditionary roles and situations where all major threats have been neutralized and excess weight in armour and armament would only hinder mobility and cost more money to operate. Reconnaissance by MBTs
9744-464: The same month Little Willie was completed. Ultimately however, the British were the first to put tanks on the battlefield, at the Battle of the Somme in September 1916. The name "tank" was introduced in December, 1915 as a security measure and has been adopted in many languages. William Tritton, stated that when the prototypes were under construction from August, 1915 they were deliberately falsely described in order to conceal their true purpose. In
9856-423: The soggy delta land of Roberts Island . When World War I broke out, with the problem of trench warfare and the difficulty of transporting supplies to the front, the pulling power of crawling-type tractors drew the attention of the military. Holt tractors were used to replace horses to haul artillery and other supplies. The Royal Army Service Corps also used them to haul long trains of freight wagons over
9968-434: The source for his inspiration), to break through a system of fortified trenches, disrupting the defence and clearing the way for an infantry advance: They were essentially long, narrow and very strong steel frameworks carrying the engines, and borne upon eight pairs of big pedrail wheels, each about ten feet in diameter, each a driving wheel and set upon long axles free to swivel round a common axis. This arrangement gave them
10080-595: The strength of the armour itself; one of the notable advancements coming from the British with the development of Chobham armour in the 1970s. It was first employed on the American M1 Abrams and later the British Challenger 1 . Chobham armour uses a lattice of composite and ceramic materials along with metal alloys to defeat incoming threats, and proved highly effective in the conflicts in Iraq in
10192-437: The tank a significant advantage over other tanks of the era, paving the way for a new tank classification, the main battle tank, which gradually superseded previous weight and armament classes. A surplus of effective WWII-era designs in other forces, notably the US and the Soviet Union, led to slower introductions of similar designs on their part. By the early 1950s, these designs were clearly no longer competitive, especially in
10304-521: The tank was called Vijayanta . The 1968 proposal for a vehicle specification that differed from the Mark 1 in the following respects: The Mark 2 did not proceed beyond a mock-up although a Vickers Mark 1 MBT with four Swingfire missiles, two mounted either side of the turret towards the rear, was shown at Farnborough . A note in Vickers's files dated from 20 November 1970 explains the probable reason: "Guided missiles have an inherent disadvantage in that
10416-670: The tank, namely the Shtora and Arena systems. The United States has also adopted similar technologies in the form of the Missile Countermeasure Device and as part of the Tank Urban Survival Kit used on M1 Abrams tanks serving in Iraq. The latest Russian MBT, according to many forum members the T-14 Armata , incorporates an AESA radar as part of its Afghanit APS and in conjunction with
10528-409: The turret to the hull could provide time to sleep for one off-shift crewmember located in the rear of the hull. In this scenario, crewmembers would rotate shifts regularly and all would require cross-training on all vehicle job functions. Cargo aircraft are instrumental to the timely deployment of MBTs. The absence of sufficient numbers of strategic airlift assets can limit the rate of MBT deployments to
10640-477: The unimproved dirt tracks behind the front. Holt tractors were, ultimately, the inspiration for the development of the British and French tanks. By 1916, about 1,000 of Holt's Caterpillar tractors were used by the British in World War I . Speaking to the press, in claiming the British tanks in use in 1916 were Holt-built, Holt vice president Murray M. Baker said that these tractors weighed about 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg) and had 120 horsepower (89 kW). By
10752-521: The vehicles could cross ground well its steering was ineffectual. In post-revolution Russia, the Vezdekhod was portrayed in propaganda as the first tank. The Tsar Tank , also known as the Lebedenko tank after its designer, was a tricycle design vehicle on 9 m high front wheels. It was expected that such large wheels would be able to cross any obstacle but because of a flawed design most of the weight
10864-400: The war, limited-role tank designs tended to be replaced by more general-purpose designs, enabled by improving tank technology. Tank classes became mostly based on weight (and the corresponding transport and logistical needs). This led to new definitions of heavy and light tank classes, with medium tanks covering the balance of those between. The German Panzer IV tank, designed before the war as
10976-402: The wheels seemed impractical after a wooden mock-up was realized: the wheels were initially planned to be 40-feet in diameter, but turned out to be still too big and too fragile at 15-feet. The pedrails also met with industrial problems, and the system was deemed too large, too complicated and under-powered. Instead of choosing to use the Holt tractor, the British government chose to involve
11088-552: The workshop the paperwork described them as "water carriers," supposedly for use on the Mesopotamian Front. In conversation the workers referred to them as "water tanks" or, simply, "tanks." In October the Landships Committee decided, for security purposes, to change its own name to something less descriptive. One of the members, Ernest Swinton suggested "tank," and the committee agreed. The name "tank"
11200-469: The writings of Giffard Le Quesne Martel , but little progress was made beyond development of the basic Cromwell cruiser tank that eventually led to the Centurion . The Centurion, at the time designated "heavy cruiser" and later "medium gun tank" was designed for mobility and firepower at the expense of armour , but more engine power permitted more armour protection, so the Centurion could also operate as an infantry tank , doing so well that development of
11312-550: Was conducted with an American Killen-Strait tracked tractor. A wire-cutting mechanism was successfully fitted, but the trench-crossing capability of the vehicle proved insufficient. A Delaunay-Belleville armoured car body was fitted, making the Killen-Strait Armoured Tractor the first armoured tracked vehicle, but the project was abandoned as it turned out to be a blind alley, unable to fulfil all-terrain warfare requirements. After these experiments,
11424-464: Was designed to be a simple, low-cost, but effective tank. The first prototype was completed in 1963. In 1964, one of the prototypes was sent to India. The Vickers was made of welded rolled homogeneous armour plates. It weighed 38,600 kg, carried a 105 mm gun with 44 rounds and had a top speed of 48 km/h. 70 tanks were sold to Kuwait and many of a modified version were made in India where
11536-684: Was forced through the smaller rear wheel, which became stuck when tested in 1915. The designers were prepared to fit larger engines but the project—and the vehicle—was abandoned. The A7V was the only German tank of World War I that saw actual combat. A prototype was built in early 1917 for trials, with production of the vehicles beginning in October of the same year. They were used on about six occasions from March 1918. Only twenty were produced. Germany also had several other projects on paper as well as other prototype tanks in development. The first offensive using tanks took place on 15 September 1916, during
11648-451: Was intended to be able to protect against bullets and shell splinters, and pass through barbed wire in a way infantry units could not hope to, thus allowing the stalemate to be broken. Few recognised during World War I that the means for returning mobility and shock action to combat was already present in a device destined to revolutionise warfare on the ground and in the air. This was the internal combustion engine , which had made possible
11760-467: Was introduced from May 15, 1916. The committee was happy to perpetuate this misconception since it might also mislead the Germans. The naval background of the tank's development also explains such nautical tank terms as hatch, hull, bow, and ports. The great secrecy surrounding tank development, coupled with the scepticism of infantry commanders, often meant that infantry at first had little training to cooperate with tanks. Vasily Mendeleev, an engineer in
11872-400: Was introduced in 1975 for the export market. It was the last of the Vickers tanks to see sales in numbers abroad. In 1974, Vickers pressed on with development of a Mark 3 version. This stems from Design No. 51400 T and differs from the Mark 1 mainly in having a turret with a well-shaped cast front welded to a fabricated armour plate body. It also has a cast gun mantlet which is better shaped from
11984-511: Was made with the Boirault machine , with the objective of flattening barbed wire defences and riding over gaps in a battlefield. The machine was made of huge parallel tracks , formed by 4×3 metre metallic frames, rotating around a triangular motorized centre. This device proved too fragile and slow, as well as incapable of changing direction easily, and was abandoned. In France, on 1 December 1914, Paul Frot, an engineer constructing canals for
12096-704: Was placed by the War Office for 100 units to be used on the Western front in France, on 12 February 1916, and a second order for 50 additional units was placed in April 1916. France started studying caterpillar continuous tracks from January 1915, and actual tests started in May 1915, two months earlier than the Little Willie experiments. At the Souain experiment , France tested an armoured tracked tank prototype,
12208-399: Was possible by a locomotive or with adapter wheels. However, the cost would have been almost as much as that of a submarine, and it was never built. The Vezdekhod was a small cross-country vehicle designed by aero-engineer Aleksandr Porokhovschikov that ran on a single wide rubber track propelled by a 10 hp engine. Two small wheels on either side were provided for steering but while
12320-623: Was suitably impressed and chose it as a gun-tractor. In July 1914, Lt. Col. Ernest Swinton , a British Royal Engineer officer, learned about Holt tractors and their transportation capabilities in rough terrain from a friend who had seen one in Antwerp , but passed the information on to the transport department. When the First World War broke out, Swinton was sent to France as the Army's war correspondent and in October 1914 identified
12432-577: Was the M60 tank . Anti-tank weapons rapidly outpaced armour developments. By the 1960s, anti-tank rounds could penetrate a meter of steel so as to make the application of traditional rolled homogeneous armour unpragmatic. The first solution to this problem was the composite armor of Soviet T-64 tank, which included steel-glass-reinforced textolite-steel sandwich in heavily sloped glacis plates, and steel turret with aluminum inserts, which helped to resist both high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and APDS shells of
12544-617: Was used in official documents and common parlance from then on, and the Landships Committee was renamed the Tank Supply Committee. This is sometimes confused with the labelling of the first production tanks (ordered in February, 1916) with a caption in Russian. It translated as "With Care to Petrograd," probably again inspired by the workers at Foster's, some of whom believed the machines to be snowploughs meant for Russia, and
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