Modern Tanks
What one might see when perusing the modern battlefield.

1 Challenger 2 (FV4034) The Challenger 2 represents the British answer to next generation main battle tank technology. The formidable system combines crew survivability, firepower and performance into a complete system worthy of attention by any ene... 1994

2 CM-11 Brave Tiger (M48H) The CM-11 was a Taiwanese creation that evolved the American-made M48 Patton series (in particular the M48H production model) of main battle tanks even further. The M48 has her origins in a 1951 requirement, seeing production... 1990

3 DIO Zulfiqar The Iranian designed and built Zulfiqar main battle tank is said to be an upgraded version of the Soviet-built T-55 main battle tank. The difference being that the Zulfiqar features an updated powerplant, a computerized fire ... 1999

4 DRDO Arjun (Lion) The Arjun (named after the Indian mythological hero "Arjuna") represents the first indigenous Indian tank design. Having received priceless experience in the local license production of the Vijayanta (essentially the British ... 1996

5 Duro Dakovic M95 Degman The Croatian Duro Dakovic M95 Degman Main Battle Tank is a locally-produced weapon system that shares many similarities with its Russian counterpart, the T-72 Main Battle Tank, although the M95 features a vast amount of impro... 1995

6 General Dynamics M1 Abrams The M1 Abrams was designed by Chrysler Defense and produced under the General Dynamics brand. The tank was introduced in 1979, entered service in 1980 and is still undergoing production. The system has been featured in the 19... 1981

7 GIAT Leclerc The introduction of the Leclerc main battle tank into French Army ranks brought the much outdated armored units on par with global forces. The system featured state-of-the-art systems allowing for excellent off-road performan... 1992

8 HIT Al Khalid / Type 90-II / MBT 2000 The Al-Khalid is essentially a hybrid tank design with systems, armament and subsystems originating from a variety of global sources though the tank system itself, as a whole, is a locally-produced product native to Pakistan.... 2000

9 Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 1 A classic post-war German tank design, the Leopard 1 would feature some resemblance to German tank design and engineering from World War 2, with the jagged skirting and turret-forward placement. The Leopard 1 entered servi... 1965

10 Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 The Leopard 2 design stemmed from the cancellation of the collaborative MBT-70 design effort that included the United States of America. The result was a major upgrade to German frontline defense that replaced the aging Leopa... 1979

11 Merkava (Chariot) The Merkava series of main battle tank represents the backbone of Israeli armor elements. The system was the result of extensive experience in the field of armored warfare done exclusively with foreign equipment, mostly US pr... 1979

12 PT-91 Twardy (Tough) The PT-91 Twardy (roughly translated to "Tough") is a further development of the Soviet T-72 series of main battle tank, though produced in Poland under license from the T-72M1 series. The system features a powerful 125mm mai... 1994

13 ROTEM K1 (88 Tank) The South Korean military has used tanks developed and produced in the United States from the time of the Korean War. In the 1970’s the Korean Government was concerned with its aging American family of tanks made up of the ... 1986

14 ROTEM K2 (Black Panther) The ROK (Republic of Korea - i.e. "South Korea") Military has four branch divisions - the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines. The largest contingent is the Army with an average of about 550,000 draftees in service at any give... 2011

15 T-54 The T-54 series of Soviet main battle tanks came about with development after World War 2, ending with the system becoming operationally available by 1949. It can be said that no other Cold War or post-Cold War tank has seen ... 1949

16 T-55 The T-55 Medium Tank is probably the most internationally prolific piece of tracked armor as it can be found in dozens of military inventories across the globe. It has seen military frontline service from the invasion of Hung... 1958

17 T-62 The T-62 tank represented an update to the T-54/55 series of Soviet-produced main battle tanks. Conventional systems include a 115mm main gun, self-defense machine guns from aircraft (12.7mm machine gun) and enemy infantry an... 1961

18 T-64 The T-64 main battle tank looks very similar to the T-72 that followed it. The design was intended to provide Soviet forces with a new type of tank to field in number though reliability issues with mechanical components limit... 1970

19 T-72 The Soviet-era T-72 Main Battle Tank is closely related to the T-64. The T-72 features a low-profile and is arguable one of the most recognizable of the Soviet-post war designs ever made. The weapon system as a whole is also ... 1974

20 T-80 Featuring a modified turret and ceramic armor, the T-80 Main Battle Tank holds the distinction of being the first Russian tank to be powered by gas turbines. It maintains the low profile of earlier Soviet tank designs and can... 1979

21 T-90 The T-90 Main Battle Tank was designed as a direct descendent of the earlier T-72 Main Battle Tank, maintaining many of those original features and systems. Many view the T-72 as the best of the entire T-series of tanks, maki... 1999

22 Type 90 The Japanese-produced Type 90 Main Battle Tank is in service with the Japanese Self-Defense Force and features the German-designed Rheinmetall 120mm smooth-bore main gun (produced in Japan by Japan Steel Works under license) ... 1992

23 Type 99 (Type 98G) The Type 99 is a considerable and formidable addition to the armor line up of the People's Liberation Army of China. The Type 99 first appeared in service in 1998 and paraded in public in 1999. Though it is in relatively smal... 1998