Main battle tank

Main battle tank

A main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development...

s are often classified as belonging to a particular generation, although the actual definition and membership in these generations is not clearly defined. Soviet and Russian military planners organize tanks into a generation of tanks up to 1945, and four generations of main battle tanks, while Canadian strategists organize main battle tanks into three generations. The military of the People's Republic of China also recognizes three generations of its own tanks.

In 1983 Rolf Hilmes saw three tank generations and three "intermediate generations", which consisted mainly of upgraded vehicles. The first generation of main battle tanks were based on or influenced by designs of the Second World War, most notably the T-34

T-34

The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...

 and the Panther tank

Panther tank

Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...

. The second generation was equipped with NBC protection

Weapons of mass destruction

A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...

 (only sometimes), IR night vision devices, a stabilized main gun and at least a mechanical fire control system. The third generation is determined by the usage of thermal imagers, digital fire control systems and special (composite) armour.

First Generation

The first generation consists of the medium tanks designed and produced directly after World War II that were later repurposed as main battle tanks.
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Centurion Centurion tank The Centurion, introduced in 1945, was the primary British main battle tank of the post-World War II period. It was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades...	1945		Culmination of the WWII cruiser tanks
AMX-50	-		Project cancelled at prototype stage
M46 Patton M46 Patton The M46 was a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the first tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S...	1950		Improved M26 Pershing M26 Pershing The Heavy Tank M26 Pershing was an American heavy tank briefly used in World War II and in the Korean War. It was named after General John Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force in Europe in World War I....
M47 Patton M47 Patton The M47 Patton is an American medium tank, the second tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates of tanks in battle. It was a further development of the M46 Patton tank.-History:The M47 was the U.S...	1952		Further development of the M46
M48 Patton M48 Patton The M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...	1953
T-44 T-44 The T-44 was a medium tank first produced towards the end of the Second World War by the Soviet Union. It was the successor to the famous T-34...	1944		Derived from the T-34 T-34 The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
T-54	1950
T-55 T-55 The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...	1958		Improved T-54
TM-800			Developed from T-54/55 tanks
Type 59 Type 59 The Type 59 main battle tank is a Chinese produced version of the Soviet T-54A tank, an improvement over the ubiquitous T-54/55. The first vehicles were produced in 1958 and it was accepted into service in 1959, with serial production beginning in 1963...	1959		Licenced copy of the T-54A
Type 61 Type 61 The Type 61 was a main battle tank developed and used by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force , built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries....	1961
Type 69/79 Type 69/79 The Type 69 and Type 79 are two models of Chinese main battle tanks. Both developments of the Type 59 , they were the first independently-developed main battle tanks by China. Their lineage can be seen through the distinct gap between the first and second roadwheels...	1983		Based on the Type 59

Second Generation

The second generation had enhanced night-fighting capabilities and in most cases NBC protection. Most western tanks of this generation were armed with the 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7

Royal Ordnance L7

The Royal Ordnance L7 is the basic model of Britain's most successful tank gun. The L7 was a 105 mm L/52 rifled design intended for use in armoured fighting vehicles...

 tank gun.
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AMX 30 AMX 30 The AMX-30 is a main battle tank designed by GIAT, first delivered to the French Army in 1966. The first five tanks were issued to the 501st Régiment de Chars de Combat in August of that year. The production version of the AMX-30 weighed , and sacrificed protection for increased mobility...	1966
Ch'onma-ho Ch'onma-ho The Ch'ŏnma-ho or spelled as Chonma-ho , which means "Sky Horse" or Pegasus, is one of North Korea's secretive indigenous main battle tank designs. The tank is also known by the name of 천리마 전차 （千里馬 or the "Chollima Tank". The original Ch'ŏnma-ho is based on the Soviet T-62. There are at least five...	1980s	and	Licenced copy of the T-62. Later versions include upgrades.
FV 4201 Chieftain Chieftain tank The FV 4201 Chieftain was the main battle tank of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s. It was one of the most advanced tanks of its era, and at the time of its introduction in 1966 had the most powerful main gun and heaviest armour of any tank in the world...	1966		Armed with the British 120 mm Royal Ordnance L11A5 Royal Ordnance L11A5 The Royal Ordnance L11A5 is a 120 mm L/55 rifled tank gun design. It was the first of NATO's 120mm tank guns which became the standard calibre for Western tanks in the later period of the Cold War...  gun
Leopard 1	1965
M60 Patton M60 Patton The 105 mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tank, M60, also known unofficially as the M60 Patton, is a first-generation main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today...	1961
M-84 M-84 The M-84 is a Yugoslav 2nd generation main battle tank. The M-84 is in service in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kuwait, Slovenia and Serbia.-Development and production:...	1984
Merkava Mark I/II Merkava The Merkava is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces. The tank began development in 1974 and was first introduced in 1978. Four main versions of the tank have been deployed. It was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War...	1978
Panzer 61 Panzer 61 The Panzer 61 was a Swiss Cold War era medium tank. The tank had a weight of 36.5 tons and was powered by a 630hp diesel engine which gave it a top road speed of 31 mph...	1965	Switzerland
Stridsvagn 103 Stridsvagn 103 The Stridsvagn 103 , or S-Tank , was a Swedish post-war main battle tank. It was known for its unconventional turret-less design, with a fixed gun traversed by engaging the tracks and elevated by adjusting the hull suspension...	1968
T-62 T-62 The T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank, a further development of the T-55. Its 115 mm gun was the first smoothbore tank gun in use.The T-62 was produced between 1961 and 1975. It became a standard tank in the Soviet arsenal, partly replacing the T-55, although that tank continued to be...	1961		Based on the T-55
T-64 T-64 The T-64 is a Soviet main battle tank, introduced in the early 1960s. It was used solely by the Soviet Army in its front-line divisions and was a more advanced counterpart to the T-62...	1966		Sometimes seen as 2.5th generation tank. Hilmes puts the T-64 in the first intermediate generation.
T-72 T-72 The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...	1973		Sometimes seen as 2.5th generation tank. Hilmes puts the T-72 in the first intermediate generation.
Tanque Argentino Mediano TAM (tank) The Tanque Argentino Mediano , or TAM, is the main battle tank in service with the Argentine Army. Lacking the experience and resources to design a tank, the Argentine Ministry of Defense contracted German company Thyssen-Henschel...	1983
Type 74 Type 74 The is a main battle tank of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force . It was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a replacement for the earlier Type 61. It was based on the best features of a number of contemporary designs, placing it in the same class as the US M60 or German Leopard 1. Like...	1975
Lion of Babylon	1980	Ba'athist Iraq Ba'athist Iraq The History of Iraq , referred to as Ba'athist Iraq, covers the period of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party's rule over Iraq. Ba'athist rule in Iraq first occurred briefly in 1963 under Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr until overthrown that same year. Ba'athism was restored to power five years later after...	Variant of T-72 T-72 The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
Type 80
Type 85
Type 88 Type 88 (tank) The Type 88 is a series of second-generation main battle tanks from China. Based on the Type 79 design, the Type 88 entered service with the People's Liberation Army in the 1980s. As of 2003, an estimated 500 Type 88 MBTs are currently in service with the PLA...
Vickers MBT Vickers MBT The Vickers MBT was a series of main battle tanks developed as a private venture by Vickers-Armstrongs for export. The design makes use of proven components such as the L7 gun of the Centurion, and the Leyland L60 multi-fuel engine, transmission and fire control system of the Chieftain...	1967		British private venture design, license built as the Vijayanta Vijayanta The Vijayanta main battle tank was built in India based on a licensed design of the Vickers Mk.1. The Vijayanta was the first indigenous tank of the Indian army. The prototype was completed in 1963 and the tank entered service in 1965. The first 90 vehicles were built by Vickers in the UK...  for India

Third Generation

The third post-war generation of main battle tanks has improved digital computerized fire control systems and more advanced composite armour.
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Al-Khalid (MBT-2000)	2001	/	Joint development between China and Pakistan
AMX-56 Leclerc Leclerc The AMX-56 Leclerc, commonly known as the Leclerc, is a main battle tank built by Nexter of France. It was named in honour of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque who led the French element of the drive towards Paris while in command of the Free French 2nd Armoured Division in World War...	1992
Arjun MBT	2004
Arjun Mark II Arjun Mark II -Arjun Mk-II:DRDO chief VK Saraswat said the German engine on the current version of the tank would be replaced by an Indian power plant and the new variant would have 90% indigenous component...	2012		Army trials scheduled for January and June 2012
C1 Ariete Ariete The C1 Ariete is the main battle tank of the Italian Army, developed by a consortium formed by Iveco-Fiat and Oto Melara . The chassis and engine were produced by Iveco, while the turret and fire-control system were produced by Oto Melara...	1995
FV4030/4 Challenger 1	1983
FV4034 Challenger 2	1998
K1	1987
K2 Black Panther	2010
Leopard 2 Leopard 2 The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve...	1979
M1 Abrams M1 Abrams The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...	1980
Merkava III	1989
Merkava IV	2004
PT-91 Twardy	1995
T-72M4CZ	2003
T-80 T-80 The T-80 is a main battle tank designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union. A development of the T-64, it entered service in 1976 and was the first production tank to be equipped with a gas turbine engine for main propulsion.the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 of 1971 used a gas turbine alongside...	1976
T-84 T-84 The T-84 is a Ukrainian main battle tank, a development of the Soviet T-80 main battle tank. It was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1999. The T-84 is based on the diesel-engined T-80 version, the T-80UD...	1999
T-90 T-90 The T-90 is a Russian third-generation main battle tank that is a modernisation of the T-72 . It is currently the most modern tank in service with the Russian Ground Forces and Naval Infantry...	1996
Type 90 Kyū-maru	1990
Type 10 Type 10 The is an advanced Japanese main battle tank.-Overview:The TK-X project aims to produce the new Type 10 main battle tank, to replace or complement the existing Type 74 and Type 90 main battle tanks that are currently in service with the Japan Ground Self Defense Force. Development began in the...	2011
Type 96 Type 96 The Type 96 is the latest Chinese third-generation main battle tank . Based on the Type 85-III design, the Type 96 entered service with the People's Liberation Army in 1997. As of 2005, an estimated 1,500 Type 96 tanks are currently in service with the PLA.Generally speaking, PLA's tank...	1997
Type 98/99 Type 99 The Type 99, also known as ZTZ-99 and WZ-123, developed from the Type 98G , is a third generation main battle tank fielded by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. It is made to compete with other modern tanks...	2001

Fourth generation

The fourth-generation main battle tanks are currently in development and not yet in service.

• CSU-152 (People's Republic of China) (Prototypes in testing)
• Al-Khalid-II (Pakistan
  Pakistan
  Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
  
  ) Introduction planned for 2012
• MBT Arjun Mk-II (India)
• M1A3 Abrams (United States)
• MİTÜP Altay (Turkey
  Turkey
  Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
  
  )
• M-95 Degman
  M-95 Degman
  M-95 Degman is a prototype Croatian main battle tank, developed in the factory Đuro Đaković specijalna vozila d.d., located in Slavonski Brod, Croatia. It is also known as the RH-ALAN Degman. The Đuro Đaković factory is best known for its principal role in the production of M-84, a Yugoslav version...
  
   (Croatia
  Croatia
  Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
  
  )
• Type 99KM (People's Republic of China) (Prototypes in testing)
• Leopard 2A7+ (Germany) - planned upgrade for existing Leopard 2
• T-95
  T-95
  T-95 is the common informal designation of a Russian fifth generation tank that was under development at Uralvagonzavod before being cancelled in May 2011.-History:...
  
   (Russia
  Russia
  Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
  
  ) - Developed without government support - Cancelled
• T-99
  Universal Combat Platform T-99
  The T-99 "Armata" Universal Combat Platform is a Russian fourth-generation main battle tank. The ammunition storage will be separated from the crew, increasing operational safety. Additionally the engine will be more powerful and the armor, main gun and autoloader will be improved. It apparently...
  
   - Introduction planned for 2015