Main battle tank

"Battle Tank" redirects here. For the video game, see Battle Tank (video game).

German Army Leopard 2A5 main battle tanks in 1996

A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank,[1] is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension systems and lighter composite armour allowed for the design of a tank that had the firepower of a super-heavy tank, the armour protection of a heavy tank, and the mobility of a light tank, in a package with the weight of a medium tank. The first designated MBT was the British Chieftain tank, which during its development in the 1950s was re-designed as an MBT.[a] Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the MBT replaced almost all other types of tanks, leaving only some specialist roles to be filled by lighter designs or other types of armoured fighting vehicles.

Main battle tanks are a key component of modern armies.[3] Modern MBTs seldom operate alone, as they are organized into armoured units that include the support of infantry, who may accompany the tanks in infantry fighting vehicles. They are also often supported by surveillance or ground-attack aircraft.[4] The average weight of MBTs varies from country to country. The average weight of Western MBTs is usually greater than that of Russian or Chinese MBTs.

  1. ^ Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222
  2. ^ Forty, George (1979). Chieftain. London: I. Allan. p. 16. ISBN 0-7110-0943-0. OCLC 16495641.
  3. ^ House (1984), Toward Combined Arms Warfare: A Survey of 20th-Century Tactics, Doctrine, and Organization [full citation needed]
  4. ^ Tranquiler, Roger, Modern Warfare. A French View of Counterinsurgency trans. Daniel Lee, Pitting a traditional combined armed force trained and equipped to defeat similar military organisations against insurgents reminds one of a pile driver attempting to crush a fly, indefatigably persisting in repeating its efforts.[full citation needed]


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