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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♆ 14/03/2025
Luftvarnsvarnskanonvagn M/43 (1947)
The Lvkv m/43 (Luftvärnsvärnskanonvagn modell 1943) or "Anti-Aircraft Gun Carriage Model 1943" is a Swedish self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon developed by AB Landsverk and Bofors in 1943 out of the need for a tracked anti-aircraft vehicle to protect armored columns from air attack. Based on an elongated version of the hull of a Landsverk L-60 tank and mounting dual Bofors 40 mm L/60 guns, the vehicle was adopted into service with the Swedish Army in 1947.
♆ 11/03/2024
BA-30
To bounce on the recent BA-60 truck on truck encyclopedia (see below), here is the armoured car derived from its track system, the BA-30. It was created on the base of the same NATI 3 chassis, but with a brand new hull assembled at the Vyksa plant, mixing elements of the BA-20 and FAI armoured cars. The vehicle was designed from 1936 by NATI, tested heavily in 1937 but not authorized for production, despite rumors of more vehicles field tested in the winter war of 1940 with Finland, it remains undocumented.
♆ 05/03/2025
BMM-4C
First aid and evacuation vehicle based on the BTR-4. The official name is "Retrieving And Medical Vehicle". It was developed for export as the BSEM-4K, with only a few delivered to Iraq, after the order was almost cancelled ion 2009. As a specialized medical evacuation vehicle the BMM-4C "Ambutank" was further developed to cover the needs of the Ukrainian Army as the BMM-4C, with a production running from 2014 to 2016 for c10-12 delivered, with four lost so far in the current war in Ukraine (Oryx).
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.
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: BMP-1U, Varta MRAP, BTR-60M Khorunzhy APC , BTR4 MV1, 2S22 Bohdana
And also: TAB-77, LAV-6, M120 Rak, 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
2025 Announcement
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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.
14/02/2025 
Panzerträgerwagen ATG-7 des BP42/42 (1942)
The Panzerträgerwagen ATG-7 was an armoured flatcar designed for the tail end of a BP 42 or BP 44 class German broad gauge standard armoured train. It was housing generally a Panzer 38(t) as the only mobile component of the armoured train, outside the schienenpanzer that remained on tracks. The system was also used to carry Somua S35 tanks and a prototype self propelled gun on Lorraine chassis. The BP 44 kept the Panzer 38(t) as standard as it was good enough to combat partisans.
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.
GAZ-60 (1938)
09.03.2025 Given the climatic and road conditions in USSR it's surprising the Red Army never fielded half-tracks in alternative to its trucks already in the mid-1930s. In 1936 there was still no cross-country transport available en masse from both ZIL and GAZ despite the Kegresse concept was already known. Simple 4x4 and 6x6 trucks derived from US patterns, Ford in particular were mass produced and had to make due to existing conditions and bad roads. Still, from 1936-37 tests were made at NATI, leading to the first Soviet half-tracks trucks in serial production, albeit they gained in traction what they lost in speed and range, being also unreliable as shown by the winter war with Finland. Along with the ZiS-22(M) and ZiS-42, they never were a success.
Older Entries:
Land Rover Perentie * 2S43 Malva * Laffly S15 T * MAN SX * BM-21 Grad * M87 Orkan * Albion WD FT15 * Pacific M25 Tank Transporter "Dragon Wagon" * C2P Tractor (1936) * Autocarro Unificato Pesante O.M. URSUS (1939) * ZIL-131 * 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) *
The Antitank-Encyclopedia.
All the means to destroy a Tank.
From early antitank cannons and rifles to missiles, mines and RPGs.
Obice da 75/18 M34
➾ Howitzer produced in c600 units
The Obice da 75/18 M34 was a mountain gun studied in 1933 at Ansaldo and adopted the next year. It could be split-up in eight parts for transport by mules or light trucks. It was declined for standardization later to the conventional, unitary M35 (which was exported to Portugal in 1940). This howitzer had no anti-tank capability as designed, however a shell was developed for it, and notably for the Semovente 75/18 self-propelled gun using it. It was the "Effetto Pronto" (HEAT) ammunition. It was reused also for the Cannone da 75/32 modello 37, a field gun which much better velocity (only 177 made).
