Main battle tank facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Main battle tank |
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German Leopard 2A5 main battle tank.
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| Type | Tank |
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| In service | Cold War-now |
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Main
armament |
Tank cannon |
A main battle tank (often called an MBT) is a very strong military vehicle. It is the most powerful type of tank used by armies today. MBTs were created to replace the different kinds of tanks used in World War II, like light, medium, and heavy tanks. The idea was to have one tank that could do everything.
Modern MBTs are the main force in ground battles. They work with other combat vehicles and soldiers who ride in infantry combat vehicles. They also get help from planes that watch from above (observation aircraft) or planes that attack (attack aircraft).
Contents
The History of Main Battle Tanks
How Main Battle Tanks Started
The first main battle tanks were actually Medium tanks. These medium tanks became so powerful that their guns could defeat even heavy tanks. Heavy tanks, on the other hand, could not carry enough armor to protect themselves from the new medium tank guns. This meant that one type of tank could do the job of many.
Tanks in the Cold War
During the Cold War, new threats appeared, like nuclear weapons and better anti-tank weapons. This made countries want tanks with much stronger protection. At the same time, weapon designers made more powerful cannons to break through this new armor.
The British Centurion tank is often seen as the world's first true main battle tank. It started being used a long time before the term "main battle tank" became popular. Britain later made the Chieftain main battle tank in 1966. The first Soviet main battle tank was the T-64, and the first American MBT was the M60 Patton. By the late 1970s, many countries were making MBTs, including France, West Germany, Britain, India, Japan, the USSR, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
The Soviet Union built MBTs very quickly. They made their tanks better by replacing the crew member who loaded the cannon with an automatic autoloader. This made the tank's top part (the turret) smaller, which made the tank harder to see or hit. The Soviet Union also made missiles that could be fired much farther than regular tank shells.
Main Battle Tanks in the Gulf War
After the Cold War, American tanks easily defeated Iraqi tanks during the Gulf War. However, even with their success, American MBTs were still not as good as attack helicopters at destroying enemy tanks. Some people wondered if MBTs could still stop a large enemy attack on their own.
Images for kids
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German Army Leopard 2A5 main battle tanks in August 2010
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Early model Mark I tank at the Battle of Somme, 1916
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Abandoned French Hotchkiss H-39 light cavalry tank, Battle of France, 1940
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New Panther tanks being loaded for transport to the Eastern Front
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Centurion Mk 3
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Soviet T-64 undergoing decontamination.
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A very early model M60 with M48 turret and 105mm cannon.
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A German Leopard 2 in the PSO-version, prepared for asymmetric warfare.
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The Challenger 2 is equipped with Chobham armour, an advanced composite armour.
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The Russian T-14 Armata has a three-tier protection system, with the Afghanit APS, the Malachit ERA, and composite armour.
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Merkava Mk 3d BAZ of the Israel Defense Forces firing its main gun.
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French Leclerc
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Circular review system of the company LimpidArmor
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Ukrainian BM Oplot, produced by the KMDB guided onto a tank transporter.
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A former British Army Challenger 1
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The Italian Ariete. Its relatively low weight (54 tonnes) facilitates mobility, especially while crossing bridges.
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U.S. Marines during the Iraq War ride on an M1A1 Abrams tank in April 2003.
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See also
In Spanish: Carro de combate principal para niños
