This article is about the history of the tank. History studies time in human terms. ...

The prehistory of the tank

recreation of an armoured vehicle designed by Leonardo da Vinci at the Château d'Amboise

The problem of advancing to attack while under fire is as old as warfare itself. The idea of using some kind of moving construction for protection seems to be almost as old. The Greeks built huge siege towers called Helepolises. The Assyrians had movable barriers for archers. The Ancient Chinese had Dongwu Che for protecting warriors on the battlefield. The Roman Empire had shielded towers on wheels armed with catapults. The Poles and Czechs had wheeled metal-plated war-wagons in the Middle Ages. Leonardo da Vinci designed a man-powered fighting vehicle with wheels. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 664 KB) An armored tank designed by Leonardo da Vinci at the Château dAmboise File links The following pages link to this file: Leonardo da Vinci Château dAmboise ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 664 KB) An armored tank designed by Leonardo da Vinci at the Château dAmboise File links The following pages link to this file: Leonardo da Vinci Château dAmboise ... it doesnt exist ... For other uses, see War (disambiguation). ... Helepolis (Taker of Cities) was an ancient siege engine invented by Demetrius I of Macedon and constructed by Epimachus of Athens for the unsuccessful siege of Rhodes, based on an earlier, less massive design used against Salamis. ... For other uses, see Assyria (disambiguation). ... Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. ... Dongwu Che (Chinese: 洞屋车) was a kind of mobile armoured cart used in Ancient China from 5th Century BC. It was used for the purpose of protecting warriors in battlefield. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Replica catapult at Château des Baux, France Catapults are siege engines using an arm to hurl a projectile a great distance. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... “Da Vinci” redirects here. ...

Most of these older ideas focused on sieges, where the more common tactics of manoeuvre and formation had less impact. Many advances in technology of the Industrial Revolution threatened to turn all warfare into a giant siege; this was the stalemate of trench warfare. A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition, often accompanied by an assault. ... A Watt steam engine, the steam engine that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the world. ... Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of defense. ...

Armoured trains could carry a lot of weight but only go where tracks took them. Tracks were also relatively easy to destroy. Aircraft could easily penetrate and attack ground-based defensive lines, but could not actually take or defend ground by themselves. Armoured cars, first built by the British, did prove useful in warfare but were not very good at crossing challenging terrain such as trenches or gullies. The primary limitation was the poor ratio between the area of ground contact by the wheels and the vehicle's weight. Polish armoured train Danuta from 1939. ... Flying machine redirects here. ... Military armored cars A French VBL reconnaissance vehicle. ...

The British solved the problem by putting together a host of technologies to create a new class of weapon. It combined caterpillar tracks (already in use for their gun tractors) arranged with a climbing face, weapons mounted in turrets, and all-around bullet-proof armour. They named this tracked, armoured, and armed vehicle the tank. </nowiki> Rear sprocket of a Leclerc tank Track of a Leclerc tank U.S. M60 Patton tank. ... Komsomolets tractor Artillery tractor is a kind of tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, a vehicle used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights. ... Turret (highlighted) attached to a tower on a baronial building in Scotland In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects from the wall of a building, such as a medieval castle or baronial house. ...

H. G. Wells, in his short story The Land Ironclads, published in The Strand Magazine in December 1903, had described the use of large, armored cross-country vehicles, armed with cannon and machine guns, to break through a system of fortified trenches, disrupting the defense and clearing the way for an infantry advance. Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 – August 13, 1946), better known as H. G. Wells, was an English writer best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The First Men in the Moon and The Island of Doctor Moreau. ... Written in 1904 by HG Wells, The Land Ironclads is a short story set in a war similar to the First World War. ... The Strand Magazine was a monthly fiction magazine founded by George Newnes. ...

World War I

Main article: Tanks in World War I

Little Willie, the first tank prototype, had riveted armour, flat caterpillar tracks, and no main gun.

James B. Hill (1856-1945) of Ohio created the caterpillar track, originally referred to as "apron traction" (U.S. Patent 866-647; 24 September 1907). Inventor of the Buckeye Traction Ditcher, a vehicle used to lay drainage tiles in swampy areas, James designed caterpillar wheels to travel over the Florida Everglades. Little Willie, the first tank prototype, had riveted armour, flat caterpillar tracks, and no main gun. ... stolen from the polish wikipedia (pl:Grafika:Little Willie d. ... stolen from the polish wikipedia (pl:Grafika:Little Willie d. ... Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-11, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... James B. Hill was born November 29, 1856, near Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio. ...

Although Austro-Hungarian engineer Gunther Burstyn submitted a design for a tracked armored combat vehicle in 1911 to the Austro-Hungarian and German governments, it was the British who deployed the first operational tanks. Günther Burstyn (6 July 1879 in bath Aussee, Steiermark - 15 April 1945 in Korneuburg (Lower Austria)) was a technician and officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army. ...

The tank was designed from July 1915 by the Landships Committee as a solution to the stalemate trench warfare had brought to the western front. The first prototypes of the Mark I tank, Little Willie and HMLS Centipede (HMLS standing for His Majesty's Land Ship) contended to become the production model in January 1916. HMLS Centipede was renamed 'Mother' and 150 Mark Is were built. They were initially termed "land ships" by The Admiralty, but to preserve secrecy the initial vehicles were referred to as "Water-carriers". The workers of William Foster & Co. Ltd in Lincoln were given the impression that they were building "Water-carriers for Mesopotamia"; hence the name Tank. Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Historical stubs ... Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of defense. ... A Mark I tank on 26 September 1916 (moving left to right). ... Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-11, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... A Mark I tank on 26 September 1916 (moving left to right). ... William Foster & Co Ltd was an agricultural machinery company based at Lincoln, UK and usually just called Fosters of Lincoln. The company was known for producing threshing machines, regarded as among the best available. ... Lincoln (pronounced //) is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England. ... Mesopotamia was a cradle of civilization geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq. ...

While the British took the lead in tank development, the French were not far behind and fielded their first tanks, the Schneider CA and St Chamond, in 1917. The Germans on the other hand were slower with tank development, concentrating on anti-tank weapons rather than tanks. The Schneider CA1 (originally named the Schneider CA) was the first French tank. ... The St Chamond was the second French heavy tank of the First World War. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ...

Initial results with tanks were mixed, with problems in reliability causing considerable attrition rates when getting the tanks into combat and on the move. The heavily shelled terrain was hard going, and only very mobile tanks such as the Mark I and FT-17 performed reasonably. The Mark I's rhomboid shape meant it could navigate larger obstacles, especially long trenches, better than many modern armoured fighting vehicles. The Renault FT-17 (Automitrailleuse à chenilles Renault FT modèle 1917) was the French light tank. ... These shapes are Rhomboids In geometry, a rhomboid is a parallelogram in which adjacent sides are of unequal lengths and angles are oblique. ... An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, protected by armour and armed with weapons. ...

The tank would eventually make the trench warfare of World War I obsolete, and the thousands of tanks fielded by French and British forces made a significant contribution to the war in the summer of 1918.

Along with the tank, the first self-propelled gun, the first armoured personnel carrier, and the first fully-tracked armoured personnel carrier were also used in WWI (the Mark V tank was built with space inside for a small squad of infantry.) A self-propelled gun is an armored fighting vehicle which primarily based on and serves to transport the gun with which its equipped. ... Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) are armoured fighting vehicles developed to transport infantry on the battlefield. ... In the fire service a Squad is a Engine Company with a compliment of rescue tools. ...

For the characteristics of tanks used in World War I see Comparison of World War I tanks. This table compares the characteristics of tanks used in World War I. Notes * Renault FT production: 3,177 were for France, 517 for allies; later the U.S. made 950 M1917s (FT design) but only 64 before end of war. ...

Between the wars

Main article: Tanks (1919-1939)

Vickers Medium Mark Is on a manoeuvre somewhere in England, 1930

Between the two world wars, with the tank concept now established, several nations designed and built tanks. After World War I, Britain and France had emerged as the intellectual leaders in tank design, with other countries generally following and adopting their designs. This early lead would be gradually lost during the course of the 1920s and 1930s to Germany and Russia. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 382 pixel Image in higher resolution (1176 × 562 pixel, file size: 126 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): History of the... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 382 pixel Image in higher resolution (1176 × 562 pixel, file size: 126 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): History of the... The Vickers Medium Mark I was a British tank of the period between the two World Wars built by Vickers. ... The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the World Depression. ...

The final tank designs of 1918 showed a number of trends. The British produced the Mark VIII with the Americans. The pinnacle of the rhomboid design, the 34 ft long, 37 ton machine was powered by a 300 hp (224 kW) V-12 engine and capable of 7 mph (11 km/h) cross-country. It was clear from the designs of other nations that the rhomboidal shape was not going to dominate future development: tanks with lower track profiles, more compact hulls and turrets were produced by the Italians, French and Germans. General characteristics Length 34 ft 2 in / 10. ...

Worldwide, many sizes of tank were considered, and a lot of development effort went into light tanks that would be useful primarily against infantry or for colonial police-type work. The worldwide economic difficulties of the 1920s and 1930s led to an increased emphasis on light tanks also, since they were so much cheaper than medium or heavy tanks. However, the Spanish Civil War showed that tank-versus-tank engagements and tank-versus-towed antitank gun engagements would now be a major consideration. It became clear that future tanks would need to be heavily armoured and carry larger guns. Tank shape, previously guided purely by considerations of obstacle clearance, now became a trade-off, with a low profile desirable for stealth and weight savings. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ...

Beyond the designs tanks became a political issue. In Britain, military opinion was divided on the future of tank warfare. J.F.C. Fuller was convinced that only the tank had a future on the battlefield. Basil Liddell Hart foresaw a war where all arms, infantry, tanks and artillery, would be mechanised, resembling fleets of 'land ships', and experiments in these fields did take place but were not adopted. Major-General John Frederick Charles Fuller, CB, CBE, DSO, commonly J.F.C. Fuller, (September 1, 1878–February 10, 1966), was a British major-general, military historian and strategist, notable as an early theorist of modern armoured warfare, including categorising principles of warfare. ... Basil Henry Liddell Hart (October 31, 1895 _ January 29, 1970) was a military historian and is considered among the great military strategists of the 20th century. ...

World War II

Main article: Tanks in World War II

At the start of the war, the Soviet T-34 was easily the most capable tank in the world.

During World War II, the tank reached new heights of capability and sophistication. The early tanks of Nazi Germany were technologically inferior to many of their opponents' tanks in the areas of armour and firepower. It was in their tactical employment that German tanks dominated all rivals early in the war. The Germans blended the concept of armoured motorised combined-arms and air support with older strategies such as concentration of force (schwerpunkt), deep penetration, encirclements, independent decision making and above all fast movement. This led to a need for armoured troop carriers, motorised assault guns and all other support arms to become mobile in order to keep up with and support the tanks. These tactics were dependent on the use of radio (wireless) communication between tanks, providing unmatched command and control. In contrast, almost all light French tanks lacked radios, essentially because their armoured doctrine was based on a more slow-paced, deliberate conformance to planned movements, which required fewer radios at all levels. French tanks generally outclassed German tanks in firepower and armor in the 1940 campaign, but poor command and control nullified these advantages. This article deals with the history of the tank in World War II. // At the start of the war, the Soviet T-34 was easily the most capable tank in the world. ... Soviet Tank T-34 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Soviet Tank T-34 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank first produced in 1940. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933&#8211;1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Blitzkrieg relies on close co-operation between infantry and panzers (tanks). ...

Just as in World War I, the major combatants experimented with effective tank sizes. On the heavy side, the United States experimented with the T-28 at 95 tons and Nazi Germany developed the 188-metric ton Maus, though neither entered service. The trend towards heavier tanks was unmistakable as the war proceeded. In 1939, most tanks had maximum armor of 30 mm or less, with guns no heavier than 37-47 mm. Medium tanks of 1939 weighed around 20 tons. By 1945, typical medium tanks had maximum armor over 100 mm thick, with guns in the 75-85 mm range and weights of 30 to 45 tons. Light tanks, which dominated most Armies early in the war, gradually declined in importance and were used only in very limited roles. The T-28, later redesignated as the T-95 Gun Motor Carriage or the T-28 Super Heavy Tank, is the largest tank ever designed for the US Military during World War Two. ... The short ton is a unit of mass equal to 907. ... A tonne (also called metric ton) is a non-SI unit of mass, accepted for use with SI, defined as: 1 tonne = 103 kg (= 106 g). ... side view of the Maus The Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus (Sd. ...

Turrets, which had always been considered, but were not previously a universal feature on tanks, were recognised as essential. It was appreciated that if the tank's gun was to be used to engage armoured targets, then it needed to be as large and powerful as possible, making one large gun with an all-round field of fire vital. Also, mounting the gun in a turret ensured that the tank could fire from behind some cover. Hull-mounted guns required that most of the vehicle be exposed to enemy fire. Multiple-turreted or multi-gun designs such as the Soviet T-35, US M3 Lee, French Char B or British A-9 Cruiser slowly became less common during World War II. It was recognized that the fire of several weapons could not effectively be controlled by a tank crew; also, newer dual-purpose guns eliminated the need for multiple weapons. Most tanks still retained a hull machine gun, and usually one or more machineguns in the turret, to protect them from infantry and provide suppressive fire for friendly infantry. Corbelled corner turrets at Newark Castle, Port Glasgow. ... The T-35 was a Soviet multi-turreted heavy tank of the interwar period and early Second World War that saw limited production and service with the Red Army. ... The Medium Tank M3 was an American tank used during World War II. In Britain the tank was called General Lee named after General Robert E. Lee, and its modified version built to British specification, with a new turret, was called General Grant named after General Ulysses S. Grant. ... The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before the Second World War. ... It has been suggested that Spray and pray be merged into this article or section. ...

It was during this war that tanks began to be normally equipped with radios, vastly improving their command and control. By 1943, two-way radio was nearly universal. Tanks were adapted to a wide range of military jobs, including mine clearance and engineering tasks. Specialized models, such as flame-thrower tanks, recovery tanks for towing disabled tanks, and command tanks with extra radios and dummy turrets were also used. Some of these tank variants live on as other classes of armoured fighting vehicle, no longer called "tanks". All major combatant powers also developed tank destroyers and assault guns - armoured vehicles carrying large calibre guns, but often no turrets. Turreted vehicles are expensive to manufacture compared to nonturreted vehicles. One trend seen in WW2 was the usage of older, lighter tank chassis to mount larger weapons in fixed casemates as tank destroyers or assault guns. For example, the Soviet T-34 could mount an 85 mm gun in the turret, but the same chassis could carry the much more effective 100 mm gun in a fixed casemate as the SU-100. Likewise, the obsolete German Panzer II light tank was modified to take a powerful 75 mm PAK-40 gun in an open-topped, fixed casement as the Marder II. In the military: The exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission. ... “Minefield” redirects here. ... Combat engineers place satchel charges and detonating cord, preparatory to blowing up a railway bridge during the Korean War, 30 July 1950 Combat engineering is the practice of using the knowledge, tools and techniques of engineering in combat. ... German troops use a flamethrower on the Eastern Front during the Second World War A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to throw flames or, more correctly, project an ignited stream of liquid. ... An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, protected by armour and armed with weapons. ... A self-propelled anti-tank gun, or tank destroyer, is a type of armoured fighting vehicle. ... German StuG III with high-velocity 75 mm gun, 1943 An assault gun is a gun or howitzer mounted on a motor vehicle or armored chassis, designed for use in the direct fire role in support of infantry when attacking other infantry or fortified positions. ... The Panzer II was a German tank used in World War II. Designed as a stopgap while other tanks were developed, it played an important role in the early years of World War II, during the Polish and French campaigns. ... The Marder II was a German tank destroyer of World War II based on the Panzer II chassis. ...

The Cold War

Main article: Tanks in the Cold War

The U.S. M551 Sheridan was an air-mobile light tank with a 152 mm gun/missile launcher.

In the Cold War, the two opposing forces in Europe were the Warsaw Pact countries on the one side, and the NATO countries on the other side. The Warsaw Pact was seen by the West as having an aggressive force outnumbering the NATO forces. This article is about the history of Tanks in the Cold War Georgian T-72, covered in reactive armour. ... M551 Sheridan tank, public domain image from army. ... M551 Sheridan tank, public domain image from army. ... The M551 Sheridan was an Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault vehicle, developed by the United States, and named after Civil War General Philip Sheridan. ... Not to be confused with the Warsaw Convention, which is an agreement about airlines financial liability and the Treaty of Warsaw (1970) between West Germany and the Peoples Republic of Poland. ... This article is about the military alliance. ...

Soviet domination of the Warsaw Pact led to effective standardization on a few tank designs. In comparison, NATO adopted a defensive posture. The major contributing nations, France, Germany, the USA, and the UK developed their own tank designs, with little in common.

After World War II, tank development continued largely as it had been because of the Cold War. Tanks would not only continue to be produced in huge numbers, but the technology advanced dramatically as well. Tanks became larger and their armour became thicker and much more effective. Aspects of gun technology changed significantly as well, with big advances in shell design and terminal effectiveness. However, nowadays most tanks in service still have manually breech-loaded guns, a trait of the earliest tanks which is shared with most self-propelled and field guns.

Many of the changes in tank design have been refinements to targeting and ranging (fire control), gun stabilization, communications and crew comfort. Armour has evolved to keep pace with improvements in weaponry, and guns have gotten bigger. There have been no fundamental changes. A fire-control system is a computer, often mechanical, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. ...

Entering the twenty-first century

The ongoing development of the tank is covered in more detail in the Tank research and development article. Tank research and development continues in many industrial countries despite the end of the Cold war. ...

FCS concept vehicle

Expeditionary Tank Prototype

With the end of the Cold War in 1991, questions once again started sprouting concerning the relevance of the traditional tank. Over the years, many nations cut back the number of their tanks or replaced most of them with lightweight armoured fighting vehicles with only minimal armour protection. A public domain image of FVS vehicle from a goverment website. ... A public domain image of FVS vehicle from a goverment website. ... This image was created by the US goverment and released to the public domain. ... This image was created by the US goverment and released to the public domain. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, protected by armour and armed with weapons. ...

This period also brought an end to the superpower blocs, and the military industries of Russia and Ukraine are now vying to sell tanks worldwide. India and Pakistan have upgraded old tanks and bought new T-84s and T-90s from the former Soviet states. Both have demonstrated prototypes that the respective countries are not adopting for their own use, but are designed exclusively to compete with the latest western offerings on the open market. The T-84 Main Battle Tank is a Ukrainian development of the Soviet T-80 main battle tank, first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1999. ... This article is about the Russian tank. ...

Ukraine has developed the T-84-120 Oplot, which can fire both NATO 120 mm ammunition and ATGMs through the gun barrel. It has a new turret with auto-loader, but imitates western designs with an armoured ammunition compartment to improve crew survivability. The term auto-loader is used, in this article to specify a mechanical aid or replacement for a loader in case of gun-based crew-served weapons, such as as tanks and artillery. ...

The Russian Chyorny Oryol ("Black Eagle") is based on a lengthened T-80 hull. An early mock-up, shown for the first time at the second VTTV-Omsk-97 International Exhibition of Armaments in 1997, appears to have dramatically heavier armour, and a completely new modern turret separating crew and ammunition. The prototype has a 125 mm tank gun, but is said to be able to mount a new 152 mm gun. Russia is also rumoured to be developing the Obiekt 775 MBT, sometimes called T-95, with a remote-controlled turret, for domestic service. The Object 640 (Объект 640) Black Eagle tank (Russian: ) is a prototype main battle tank produced in the Russian Federation. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... A M1 Abrams firing. ... The T-94 or T-95 is a prototype main battle tank, currently in development in the Russian Federation. ...

The Italian C1 Ariete MBT was among the latest all-new MBTs to be fielded, with deliveries running from 1995 to 2002. The tank is nearly the same size of the very first tank, both being 8 feet (2.5 m) high. The Mark I had a ~9.9 m long (hull) and the Ariete as a 7.6/9.52 m long (hull/hull+gun). However, the Ariete weighs over double and can travel ten times faster, 54,000 kg vs. 25,401 kg and 40 mph vs. 4 mph (60 v 6 km/h). This article is about the tank. ...

A number of armies have considered eliminating tanks completely, reverting to a mix of wheeled anti-tank guns and IFVs, though in general there is a great deal of resistance because all of the great powers still maintain large numbers of them, in active forces or in ready reserve. There has been no proven alternative, and tanks have had a relatively good track record in recent conflicts.

The tank continues to be vulnerable to many kinds of anti-tank weapons and is more logistically demanding than lighter vehicles, but these were traits that were true for the first tanks as well. In direct fire combat they offer an unmatched combination of higher survivability and firepower among ground-based warfare systems. Whether this combination is particularly useful in proportion to their cost is matter of debate, as there also exist very effective anti-tank systems, infantry fighting vehicles, and competition from air-based ground attack systems.

Possibly one of the main evolution sources for tanks in this century are the active protection systems. Until 15 years ago, armor (reactive or passive) was the only effective measure against anti-tank assets. The most recent active protection systems (including Israeli TROPHY and Iron Fist and Russian Arena) offer high survaivability even against volleys of RPG and missiles. If this kind of systems evolve further and are integrated in contemporary tank and armored vehicle fleets, the armor-antitank equation will change completely; therefore, 21st century tanks would experience a total revival in terms of operational capabilities. An active protection system, or APS, protects a tank or other armoured fighting vehicle from incoming fire before it hits the vehicles armour. ... This article or section should include material from Explosive reactive armour Reactive armor or explosive reactive armour (ERA), is a type of armour used primarily on tanks to lessen the damage from explosions caused from missile warheads, exploding shells, grenades, or dropped bombs. ... Passive armour is a modern military term which describes shielding that is chemically inert (unlike reactive armour) and does not require electricity or active sensors to operate. ... TROPHY (IDF designation מעיל רוח, lit. ... Iron Fist is an active protection system (APS) for medium and light weight armoured fighting vehicles, developed by Israel Military Industries (IMI). ... The Arena Active Protection System (APS) is an active countermeasure system developed at Russias Kolomna-based Engineering Design Bureau to provide anti-missile defense for T-90 tanks. ... An RPG-7 captured by the US Army RPG, or Rocket propelled grenade is a loose term describing hand-held, shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons capable of firing an unguided rocket equipped with an explosive warhead. ... 9K115 Metys ATGM of the Polish Army Chinese HJ-8 ATGM on a Chinese armoured vehicle. ...

Media

See also

• Tank
• Tank classification

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

References

• Kenneth Macksey and John H. Batchelor, Tank: A History of the Armoured Fighting Vehicle. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970
• Steven J. Zaloga and James Grandsen, Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1984. ISBN 0-85368-606-8

External links

• Achtung Panzer - The history of tanks and people of the Panzertruppe.
• OnWar's Second World War Armour
• Peter Wollen: Tankishness London Review of Books Vol. 22 No. 22, 16 November 2000. (A review of the book Tank: The Progress of a Monstrous War Machine by Patrick Wright, covering in detail some topics like the development of the first tank in Britain or the influence of the tank in culture)