How It Works-Amazing Vehicles

© WIKI; Thin k stock; Illustration by Nicholas Forder

A

ncient Greek hoplites joined their shields

and advanced in unison. Hannibal’s

Carthaginians mounted war elephants.

The v isionar y Leonardo da Vinci rendered an

image of an armoured fi ghting vehicle in 1487.

While the concept of the tank - an armoured unit

that could dominate the battlefi eld - has existed

for almost as long as mankind has waged war, it

became workable and developed to devastating

capabilit y 100 years ago.

Since the creak y bathtubs of World War I, the

tank has existed to prov ide an operational edge

during combat. Its varied roles range from the

hammer blow of the mailed fi st to break through

enemy lines, to the rapid exploitation of the

breach and the destruction of other vehicles and

fortifi cations, as well as reconnaissance and fi re

support as mobile artiller y.

To successfully complete the assigned

mission, tanks require three key design

elements: fi repower, mobility and protection.

Concentrated fi repower punches a hole through

enemy lines, while being able to tackle any t y pe

of terrain at speed enables them to travel over

enemy trenches, and heav y armour shields the

crew that supplies the expertise, effi ciency, and

courage to go in harm’s way.

When the tank entered combat for the fi rst

time, hopes were high that the horrifi c stalemate

of trench warfare would be broken. While the

tank matured as an armament system, it

became a weapon of dominance and decision.

Today, the tank is perceived both as a potential

war w inner and a costly machine that may be

past its prime. Regardless, the technological

advancements and its impact on warfare are

nothing short of astonishing.

Without question, the mere existence of the

tank continues to infl uence any decision to wage

war and any effective defence against an

attacker on land. The tank, therefore, remains a

prime shaper of military strategy and will

continue to be into the foreseeable future.

DID YOU KNOW? The tank made its combat debut with British troops during World War I at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette in 1916

Mark V (Male)

Country of origin:

United Kingdom

First produced: 1917

Still in service? No

Char B1 bis

Country of origin:

France

First produced: 1937

Still in service? No

Centurion

Country of origin:

United Kingdom

First produced: 1945

Still in service?: No

M60

Country of origin:

United States

First produced: 1959

Still in service? Yes

PT-76

Country of origin:

Soviet Union

First produced: 1950

Still in service? Yes

T-54

Country of

origin: Soviet Union

First produced: 1948

Still in service? Yes

T-72

Country of

origin: Soviet Union

First produced: 1971

Still in service? Yes

Leopard 2

Country of origin:

Germany

First produced: 1979

Still in service? Yes

M1A1 Abrams

Country of origin:

United States

First produced: 1979

Still in service? Yes

Challenger 2

Country of origin:

United Kingdom

First produced: 1993

Still in service? Yes

Arjun

Country of

origin: India

First produced: 2004

Still in service? Yes

K2 Black Panther

Country of origin:

South Korea

First produced: 2013

Still in service? Yes

T-90

Country of

origin: Russia

First produced: 1993

Still in service? Yes

Challenger 2 is equipped

with a highly accurate

fi re control system

Tanks through time

Over decades of warfare, technology has

shaped tanks into weapons of awesome power

The T-72 tank has

been exported to over

30 countries