Tank Encyclopedia's Archives
A sub of Tank Encyclopedia. This is the new archive section, with all former entries, and a search engine. ➀ All single vehicles are accessible by nations and eras in a more consistent and logical way than previously. ADS are needed due to finance better server performances as audience grows. But you can support also it through merchandise here.
➁ New posts weekly. These are mere "entry into matter", for vehicles scheduled on tank-encyclopedia.com, that will be seen in the latter in much more detail. A link from the archive entry will point to the new article when up. There are still circa 2,000 serial armored vehicles to be treated over the years excluding prototypes and paper projects, so tank-afv.com will continue to run until all are treated, and follow the news of armoured vehicles around the world.
☄ About the site name: If a "Tank" is obvious to anyone in this context, "AFV" is an acronym which stands for "Armoured Fighting Vehicle". It is a catch-all definition for all military vehicles armoured (and armed), tracked or wheeled. For soft-skinned vehicles please visit truck-encyclopedia.com. See also The 2015 archive.
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♆ 18/12/2024
M163 VADS (1968)
The M163 VADS was a cold war mass produced self propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the M113 armored personal carrier. It entered service in the Vietnam war and stayed in service until the 1991 Gulf War, gradually replaced by the M2 Bradley and other systems. Called officially the Gun, Air Defense Artillery, Self-Propelled 20-mm, M163, was developed by Vulcan and primarily used by the United States Army, replacing the M42 Duster, it was declined into three variants and also used by Chile, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Tunisia.
♆ 11/12/2024
GTK Boxer RCH-155 (2014)
The RCH 155 (Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 mm) is a wheeled self-propelled howitzer developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (now KNDS Deutschland). This is a Module fitting the PzH 2000's 155 mm L/52 ordnance but fully automated and remotely controlled. This new system of artillery automation on a much faster base as the tracked, and now old PzH 2000 is not only provided wheeled mobility but was designed to be compatible with the regular GTK Boxer platform, and said to be capable of firing on the move. Produced since 2022 so far UK uses it, Switzerland adopted it as well as Ukraine, with Germany evaluating it as par of the ZukSysIndF mRw program.
♆ 04/12/2024
URO Vamtac
The URO Vamtac (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico) is a family of high-mobility tactical vehicles designed and produced by the Spanish company URO Vehículos Especiales (UROVESA). These vehicles are intended primarily for military and law enforcement applications, with the Vamtac series being versatile and highly adaptable for different operational needs. Inspired by the Humvee, c4500 had been manufactured from 1998, exported to 12 countries, declined into more than twenty variants.
WW1 Tanks & Armored Cars
Born in the Trenches, when the front became static, the idea of the tank was a resurgence of ...science fiction, when some looked at HG Wells' "land battleships" novel. In UK, development was stirred by Wintson Churchill and the Navy. In France, by an artillery officer, J.B. Estienne. And soon the world took notice. Tanks were rare and few in between still, with grand plans in 1918 that never were realized. When the front was not static, armored cars reigned supreme.
WW2 Tanks & Armored Cars
In 1939, thanks had nearly two decades to evolve at peacetime rate, though the boiling of new ideas of tactics and combined arms, with some armies more acute of these than any others. Ground combat proved absolute masters of these new ideas, the Wehrmacht, with luck and opposite incompetence. After moving to USSR, the fight moved to Africa, then to Italy and back to Western Europe at large, driving fast-paced innovation in a deadly food chain contest.
Cold War Armoured Fighting Vehicles
The atomic age started with the opposition of two superpowers, which developed deterrence but at the same time, always considered conventional warfare. Far from peaceful, this second half century, until 1991, saw gradual improvement, with a gap of twenty years before generations, towards 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation main battle tanks and a cohort of armoured personal carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and many specialized variants, wheeled and tracked.
Modern Armoured Fighting Vehicles
As the recent conflict in Ukraine shows us, the tank is still useful in the frame of a conventional war. However drones unexpectedly showed deadlier as well as artillery. Between 1991 and 2024are we really seeing a radical transformation of ground warfare ? One thing is sure through for all generals: The main battle tank is still king of the battlefield, when well used and accompanied. From city scapes to desert, steppe, rolly hills and mountains, even coming from the sea, the tank adapted and is there to stay.
Upcoming:
South Africa: Bosvark, MRAP Samil-50 Kwevoel RV, Ribbok, Hippo
Israel: Merkava II, III, IV, M109A5 Doher/Rochev, Magach 5 Golan, M113 Golan/Zelda Toga (IDF service), MAR 290/90, M3 HT in IDF service, M50 AGM launcher, Haviv MLR, Eshel HaYarden , M2310 shilem
Britain: FV 433/438 swingfire, Lloyd carrier, Vickers Mk.I MBT, Centurion AVRE, Light Mk.IV Colonial Pattern, Light Tank Mk.II, Wasp Carrier, Bren Carrier (update), FV430 Bulldog, FV105 Sultan, FV103 Spartan
USA: M548, M728 CRV, M40 155mm HMC, T12E1 CGMC, M15 Combination GMC, M13 MGMC, M12 155mm SPG, M14 MGMC, M17 MGMC, M39 Carrier, T1 Cunningham, M22 Locust, M3 HMC-75mm, M4 sherman flail, Marmon CTLS, Sherman-MkV-Crocodile, M136 VADS, M108 SPG, LAV-300, M113 FIST, M106 MortarCarrier, M577 Command, M730 MIM-72 Chaparral, M103, M110 howitzer
USSR/Russia: 2S7M Malka, 9M317 BUK-M2, 9K330 Tor, 1S91-kvardat, 9K37M1 buk-M (SA-17-Grizzly), 2S35 Koalitsiya, Kamaz Typhoon, 9P148, BTT-1, MT-55, 9P157-2_Khrizantema-S, 9P163M-1-Kornet, 2S23-Nona-SVK, 9P148-Konkurs, 9K31-Strela-10, BMO-T, BMP-2M, BPM-97-Vystrel, BTR-T, Ural Typhoon, VPK7829 Bumerang, R-381T-Taran, R-145BM, PTS-II, STZ-5 tractor/BM-13-16(Ni tank), Pioneer(Komomolets), T26T/BNSP reco vehicle/TP26, Ya12 tractor(T60/70), GT-MU soviet airborne APC, GAZ-2330 Tigr
China: Type 63G mod. light tank, VT4, Yitian-SPAAML, PLZ-07, PLZ-52, PGZ-07, PTL-02, Type 63C APC amphib Ukraine ready: BMP-1U, Varta MRAP, BTR-60M Khorunzhy APC , BTR4 MV1, 2S22 Bohdana
And also: TAB-77, LAV-6, GAZ-3937 'Vodnik', M120 Rak (base Rosomak), ShKH vz. 77 DANA, RCH-155, AHS Krab, ShKH Zuzana, Archer, T-155 Fırtına RODEF-4, Pereh-tank-destroyer, T34-D30-SPH, Iranian Rakhsh-APC, Patria II AMV, Light Tank Mark II, Mark III, Spanish AFVs interwar, TAB 77+ B33 Zimbru, Ford Lynx, Rhodesian Crocodile, Serge CDS, Jordan Khalid MBT, Jordan Al Hussein, Leonardo-M60 , wasserwerfer-SK2, BTR-152 vz53 SPAAG, MT-55, BTS-4A, BTS-2, M47M_AVLB, Renault FT command, 370-Recoiless-GunsSPG, TC5000XYB
XMas Special !
Fill your basket, offer and delight your friends/family with brand new posters* of iconic tanks of WW2 to this day:
First of this new serie: All Tiger tanks liveries. See the free web version (10x smaller) and the Panther poster available here
More to come soon !
*Also available: Photo print, metal and canvas prints, postcards, mugs, bucket or dad hats, desk mat, baseball cap, t-shirts, tops, latptop or ipad/iphone skin, sleeves, cases, snap cases, but also acrylic blocks and wood mounted prints, taperstry, clocks, coasters, comforter, duvet, shower curtain, throw blanket, pillow, drawstring bag, tote or duffle bag, backpack, pin, scarf, socks, zipper pouch, hardcover journal and spiral notebook, apron and this Xmas 2023 novelty: A Jigsaw puzzle...
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Centennial.
Hundreds of pages, for free
The full catalog: All AFVs of the world by country and eras, 2017 Edition.
Armored Trains.
The New section in development
The same database as for tanks: Railroad networks developed in the XIXth soon found a military use. Before even WWI, train attacks led to armed and armored trains. This had going on for more than a century now. This will cover all WW1, WW2, but also cold war and even recent armoured trains on the long run.
23/11/2024 
Littorina Blindata (Libli) M42/43 (1942)
The Littorina Blindata or "LiBli" M42 was an armored railcar used in Italy and the Balkans from late 1942. It was based on the diesel-powered ALn.56, completely modified Ansaldo-Fossati workshops in Genoa. Shortened and armoured, the first eight of the M42 sported two M13/40 tank turrets, six MGs, two mortars and two flamethrowers, whereas the M43 (eight built) had two M15/42 turrets, a 20 mm Breda 35 AA, and four MGs. Their crew could reach 15 men, and they were deployed in independent units mostly for anti-partisan warfare in Yugoslavia. Two were destroyed in combat before the 1943 armistice, and the rest were used by the Wehrmacht until 1945.
Trucks.
Military Trucks and staff cars.
A dedicated section for softskin vehicles, from WWI to this day: Trucks, staff cars, reconnaissance vehicles, and artillery tractors: Truck-Encyclopedia.com.
ZIL-131
15.12.2024 The ZIL-131 is a robust 6x6 3.5 tons standard medium military truck produced by the Soviet Union between 1966 and 2015 and designed for a variety of purposes. Known for its ruggedness and reliability it was adopted by more than fifty countries and declined into at least ive main variants. Zavod Imeni Likhachova (ZIL) made this vehicle powered by a V8 gasoline engine, 6.0 liters rated for 150 hp and with a manual, 5-speed gearbox with a 2-speed transfer case. The vehicle measured 7.04 m by 2.49 m wide and 2.98 m tall and unarmed. Road payload is 5 tons and 3.5t off-road, towing capacity 6 tons, twin fuel tanks 2×170 liters for a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), 800 km road range and capable of climbing a 58% incline. It featured naturally a central tire inflation system ahd had a 330 mm ground clearance. I saw a lot of combat worldwide and is still part of the inventory of most countries, and also widely spread in the civilian market after replacement by the ZIL-4334.
Older Entries:
Faun L900 D567 (1937) * Mack NJU 5-ton 4x4 * KrAZ-6322 * BM-30 Smerch * Isuzu Type 97 * FSC Lublin 51 (1951) * Ford G8T (1942) * SU-12 * Mercedes Benz 250 GD & G class (1978) *
8.8 cm PAK 43
