Best modern tank

[Hamelkart]

M1A2 Abrams or Leopard 2A6 for me... I can't deside.

[DougyM]

Challenger Mk2.

Best armour in the world.

Though basicly with all the top tanks in the world you wont get one clear winner.

[sponge_bob]

i go for the leopard 2

[Alexander Beats Hannibal]

Challenger 2 or the M1A2 SEP's.

[Rapax]

In one study a while back I think they claimed the Leopard 2 to be the best overall tank, though it's a pretty close race with western tanks. Must be a reason why the Abrams are using german guns.

[OTZ]

T-95 - at least best on paper

[dgoodman]

Merkava is a great tank, It's Israeli. Abrams might beat it but is an astounding tank for such a small nation to make.

[EliteSpartan]

The M1A2 is an awesome tank...as Ive seen them in action.Yes its true it uses a german gun and it also has british designed armor.The new leopard has an extra meter of barrel length to help it keep up with the M1.(because the M1 use depleted uranium rounds) It also been said that the leopard is easier to maintain cause of its engine mechanics.Which I could believe cause germans do build good engines.(leopard=desiel M1=gas turbine)Ive seen where there were competitions between all sorts of tanks within NATO and ive seen both win a number of times but there would only be one true way to test them.Not to mention that the tank means little compared to the crew thats within.Anyway either one could be considered the best as they leave the others behind in the dust in most fields.

[Carsomyr]

Judging from what I've seen, I'd say the Abrams. Second runner-up would be the Challenger.

Makes me wonder what the US military is cooking up now... Generally after 10 - 20 years they develop a new MBT....

[Rapax]

Originally posted by Carsomyr@Mar 27 2005, 08:08 PM
Makes me wonder what the US military is cooking up now... Generally after 10 - 20 years they develop a new MBT....

I think modernizing the Abrams will do for some time to come, it's really not like the US armed forces needed a better MBT.

[Alexander Beats Hannibal]

Makes me wonder what the US military is cooking up now... Generally after 10 - 20 years they develop a new MBT....

You don't have to wonder:

http://globalsecurity.org/military/s...ground/fcs.htm

America's entire infantry force is going to become light, highly mobile, easily transportable, and well connected.

[Pra]

Though Challenger II, has a pretty nifty hunter-killer system, I voted for the M1A2 Abrams... Yeah BABY!!!

[SbSdude]

The western battle tanks are all pretty similar in armament, design and protection, so I guess it would come down to battlefield factors such as skill of crew, terrain and fog of war etc. Voted Challenger out of patriotic ignorance, but at a push I think the Abrams just shades the Challenger 2 and Leopard 2.

[Sidus Preclarum]

I'd like to have more info on some of the more obscure models, such as the Ariete, or the asiatic stuff ...
What's the olifant ?
and where's the Pakistanian Al-Khalid MBT on this poll ?

[Alexander Beats Hannibal]

I'd like to have more info on some of the more obscure models, such as the Ariete, or the asiatic stuff ...
What's the olifant ?
and where's the Pakistanian Al-Khalid MBT on this poll ?

There are probably too many tanks on the list already. Nothing made by Pakistan could be called the best tank. The best stuff in the East is either the Chinese T-98, or Rusisan T-95's.

[Rapax]

Originally posted by Sidus Preclarum@Mar 28 2005, 01:07 AM
I'd like to have more info on some of the more obscure models, such as the Ariete, or the asiatic stuff ...
What's the olifant ?

The Ariete is Italy's main battle tank and the Olifant 2 is the south african model. In any case you'll find further information here:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/index.html

[Sidus Preclarum]

I thought SA only producced turrets ...
*edit* hmmm... apparently the Oliphants are Centurions with lots of upgrade , and mainly a new turret on it ...
as to "Nothing made by Pakistan could be called the best tank", well, the oliphant is nonetheless on the list and it hardly qualifies as best tank material from what I'm reading

[Gadger]

The challenger II has the longest recorded "kill" (5,200 yards) http://www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/staging...gramme_2499.php

The chinese T-8-7 has the highest fire rate at 16 - shells a minute with an amutomated gunner (Only serviceable tank with automated gunner). (4x faster than the M1A1)

The M1A2 has the "deepest" and "densest" armour (weighing in at almost 50kilo's per square foot (deepleted uranium (some argue this is imoral and poses a threat to the crew)) Gulf war syndrome anyone (Challenger uses depleted uranium on turret to stop heat loss, not for armounent purposes as the Abrams does)?

Whilst the Russian T-94uv has the longest range air kill (Grozny 2nd invasion 1996(strela mk3 against a 1977 cessna "blue bird" @ 4.3 miles) This is highly debatlabe as even the main-stream use of this tank was denied by the Russian government in 2002, although there have been many photographs of this "prototype" "in action" http://www.nemo.nu/ibisportal/5pansar/index.htm It has even been sugested that this project was scrapped in favour of the more mauverable, faster to produce and less cumbersome "Black Eagle" in 1997.

The T72 was a prototype in 1974, as the T80 was in 1982, these tanks designs are two decades old and have been almost entirely replaced by the early T-90 designs and more recently the black eagle.



The age of MBT's is coming to a close, The M2A3/BDRM2/BMP3/Saracen are becoming more important with the passing of each major conflict, speed is being valued above power by today's miliatary strategists.

Caporal G. Céch FFL

ps. Sry for my poor English

[Sidus Preclarum]

Originally posted by Gadger@Mar 27 2005, 08:40 PM
(Only serviceable tank with automated gunner).

? :blink

[MadBurgerMaker]

Hm...the newest Leopards, Challengers and Abrams are all fantastic MBTs, not to mention the Merkava, and...hell...probably most (if not all) of the rest. None of these have really been used in combat vs. another MBT of similar abilities, so we cant say which is "better."

Basically all of these votes are going to be either a) guesses based on stats they find online, or b) votes based on preference for the MBT of the voters home country, or a combination of both. *shrug* I guess Ill vote for the M1A2, since its up there with the best of them, AND is a US tank. *wink*