Main Battle Tank

Category: Term of the day

Originally, the battle tanks were divided into three groups – heavy, medium, and light. However, in the post-war period, with the medium tanks having almost reached the capabilities of heavy tanks while remaining in the same weight class, the medium and heavy tanks were united into one group – main battle tanks (MBT).

The best MBTs of the world nowadays include (left to right on the geographic map according to the location of the manufacturer) M1A2 Abrams SEP (USA), Challenger-2E (UK), Leclerc (France), Ariete (Italy), Leopard-2A6 (Germany), T-84 (Ukraine), Merkava Mk4 (Israel), T-90S (Russia), Type 98 (China), Type 90 (Japan).

Information about how many MBTs of different types are in service with various countries can be seen on-line at this site or at the World Defence Almanac published by the Monch Publishing Group (Germany).

Recommended reading: Tanks of the World by Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Bonn, Germany.

Sergyi Way
21.07.2006

www.army-guide.com

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Type 90 (Main battle tank)

Leclerc (Main battle tank)

C1 Ariete (Main battle tank)

M1A2 Abrams (Main battle tank)

Type 90 (Infantry fighting vehicle)

Type 90 (Main battle tank)

Challenger 2E (Main battle tank)

Leclerc (Repair and recovery vehicle)

Leopard 2A6 (Main battle tank)

Type 98 (Main battle tank)

M1A2 Abrams (Modernization of the vehicle)

M1A2 SEP Abrams (Modernization of the vehicle)

Type 90 (Multiple rocket launcher)

Leclerc EPG (Engineer vehicle)

Leclerc AZUR (Modernization of the vehicle)

Type 90 (Repair and recovery vehicle)

Leclerc PTG (Engineer vehicle)

M1A2 TUSK Abrams (Modernization of the vehicle)

Type 90 (Anti-aircraft system)

Leclerc DCL (Repair and recovery vehicle)

Leclerc Renove/R/XLR (Modernization of the vehicle)

C1 Ariete AMV (Modernization of the vehicle)