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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M47M AVLB (1968)
♆ 02.10.2025 The M47M was a 1960s improved Patton variant that was proposed to modernize parks for countries already equipped with it, with mixed success, notably some features from the M60 MBT. Pakistan already lost many M47s in the war of 1965 with India, and started to withdraw them from frontline service to acquire M48s. However, many were converted into utility vehicles, such as the M47 AVLB bridgelayer variant.
Merkava Mark 3 (1989)
♆ 25.09.2025 The Merkava Mark 3 was the last evolution of the cold war Merkava, the iconic Israeli Main Battle Tank. It was developed by MANTAK from 1984 to 1989, world's first with a modular, composite armour, with 780 delivered and about ten variants produced, the firts major one in 1995. Almthough replaced in 2008-2010 by the Merkav 4, the 700+ in depot were restored to combat condition after the war in Gaza. Initially Morocco was interested to purchase 200 of these. Despite is similarities, the Merkava shares only its gearbox with the Mark 2. It is a completely new animal, improved in many ways but criticized by its unfavourable power to weight ratio, which was improved on the Mark 4.
K2GF (2022)
♆ 19.09.2025 The Polish MoD prospected in 2018 for a new main battle tank that could be purchased and produced in Poland quickly. From 2020. Hyundai Rotem signed a MoU followed by firm orders for a total of 1,000 K2 Main Battle Tanks, tailored to the Polish Needs. This became the K2GF program by 2022. This is the largest delivery of any asian tank to Europe and a precedent. 180 are currently provided from 2022, the last expected for 2026, and the remainder 820 produced in Poland on new facilities from 2026, along with training, maintenance, ammunition, and associated recovery tanks on the same chassis. This is currently the largest land procurement program in Europe, aiming at an objective of 1,500 tanks by 2030, with the Russian threat in the background.
Chinese PLAGF PTL-02 (2002)
♆ 10.09.2025 The PTL-02 Assault Gun debuted in 2001, as self-propelled assault gun (tank destroyer) based on the WZ-551 chassis. Equipped with the Type 86 100 mm high velocity smoothbore cannon with a muzzle brake, around 250 were delivered for the Chinese mechanised infantry formations. The 6x6 vehicle is no different from the base APC apart the turret, with slightly inferior performances, albeit the high pressure cannon could fire a range of APFSDS, APDS and other rounds against tanks. I attracted attention, leading to the design of the export model WMA-301, with a new turret and 105 mm cannon, NATO-compatible, widely sold in Africa, but with Myanmar as the second largest user after china.
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 2025are 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.
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.
16/09/2025 
Panzerjäger-Triebwagen (1943)
The Panzerjäger-Triebwagen (Pz. Jg. Tr. Wg. for short) was a German armored railcar from World War II. Inspired by captured Soviet D-2 armored railcars, the Wehrmacht High Command wanted to develop better vehicles. On June 3, 1943, the Chief of Army Armaments and Commander of the Railways issued a request to have five armored railcars built. These were to be equipped, like the Soviet models, with two 7.62 cm 259/1 (r) field guns each initially. Five existing Siemens-Schuckert diesel railcar would be the base, but June 20, the request was modified to fit them two 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank guns each, with Panzer IV turrets. This is the story of the most fearsome German Draisines of WW2, a "tiger on rails"...
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.
Toyota JF-45 (1960-80)
05.10.2025 Toyota disrupted the 4x4 market internationally with the J2/J3, a derivative of the 1950s "Japanese Jeep" from a US Army demand in the context of the Korean war. However a gradual redesign process resulted in an iconic and memorable look, defining the "Land Cruiser" for the next two decades. The J4 had a longer wheelbase, new cabin, new engine and innovated in many ways. By the end of its production run, there were four wheelbase lengths in the J4 family. It was amazingly popular in rural areas throughout Africa, Australia, Americas and Asia, for camping, public transportation and utility transport in inaccessible areas. The J45 was a development of that lineage, used by many armies and some used as portee for various ordnances, like the Polisario front.
Older Entries:
BMW R75 (1940) * Mazur D-350 (1958) * Renault AH series (1941) * Bedford QL * GAZ 66 (1964) * Ford V3000S * Mack NR (1942) * TAM-110 (1976) * Land Rover Serie II FC * UAZ 469 (1972) * Type 95 Mini Truck * FAP-13 (1962) *
The Antitank-Encyclopedia.
All the means to destroy a Tank.
From early antitank cannons and rifles to missiles, mines and RPGs.
10 cm horská houfnice vz. 16/19
➾ gun produced 1914-1918
Author's rendition of the Skoda Vz.19 Mountain Gun
A Czech field gun also used by Germany from 1939 as the 10 cm GebH 16/19(t) and 10.5 cm GebH(t), passed onto Hungary and Slovakia. Italian modifications were interesting. The "100/17 Mod. 14 mont" and "100/17 Mod. 16 mont" were born after a series of modifications carried out at the Naples Military Arsenal. The carriage had pneumatic wheels and was transported in two loads. It was used in Somalia with the Italian Security Corps and in WW2 the Balkans, North Africa, East Africa and on the Eastern front, and until 1975 after the 1950s "100/17 Mod. 14/16/50" mount. and "100/17 Mod. 14/50" adapted for fast towing and with a circular firing platform. It was of some use against tanks in 1939 with the EP armor-piercing ready to fire with hollow charge and EPS (special).
Upcoming:
South Africa: Bosvark, MRAP Samil-50 Kwevoel RV, Ribbok, Hippo
Israel: Merkava, 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: 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, M108 SPG, LAV-300, M113 FIST, M106 MortarCarrier, M577 Command, M103, M110 howitzer
USSR/Russia: 9M317 BUK-M2, 9K330 Tor, 1S91-kvardat, 9K37M1 buk-M (SA-17-Grizzly), 2S35 Koalitsiya, BTT-1, MT-55, 9P157-2 Khrizantema-S, 9P163M-1-Kornet, 2S23 Nona SVK, BMO-T, BMP-2M, BMP-97 Vystrel, BTR-T, Ural Typhoon, R-381T-Taran, R-145BM, 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: BTR-60M Khorunzhy APC , BTR4 MV1
And also: LAV-6, M120 Rak, Archer, RODEF-4, Pereh-tank-destroyer, T34-D30-SPH, Iranian Rakhsh-APC, Patria II AMV, Light Tank Mark II, Mark III, Spanish AFVs interwar, TAB 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, 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...
