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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♆ 12/10/2024
K9 Thunder (1999)
The K9 Thunder is a South Korean 155 mm self-propelled howitzer designed and developed by the Agency for Defense Development and private corporations such as Dongmyeong, Kia, Poongsan and Samsung for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces (ROKAF) and later manufactured by Hanwha Aerospace. The K9 howitzer was introduced in 1999 and the K9A1 in 2018, operating organically with the K10 Ammunition Resupply Vehicle variant. The K9A2 tested for production. It was also incredibly successful at export, by 2022, with a 52% global marjet share in this category: Egypt (K9A1/K10EGY), Poland (AHS Krab), Estonia (K9EST Kõu), Finland (K9FIN Moukari), India (K9 Vajra-T), Norway (K9/10 VIDAR), and Turkey (T-155 Fırtına I).
♆ 04/10/2024
PTS-2 (1985)
The Soviet PTS-2 is a tracked amphibious transport vehicle developed during the Cold War by the Soviet Union. It's a versatile military vehicle designed to carry troops, equipment, and supplies over water and rough terrain. The PTS-2 was an upgrade to the earlier PTS-M series, only used now by Russia (16 lost) and Ukraine. The PTS-2 like its precedessor is capable of traversing rivers, lakes, and marshy terrain with up to 12 tons cargo. In addition to 6-10 tons trucks it could carry up to 75 soldiers with full gear. Only a few were produced until the fall of USSR. Its current replacement is the PTS-4 accepted in 2011, based on the T-80 MBT drivetrain with T-72 components.
♆ 27/09/2024
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
2024 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.
18/09/2024 Kozma Minin, PL-4 AA/Artillery Railcar (1942)
Kozma Minin was a World War II armored train, named for a Russian merchant who helped Prince Dmitri Pozharsky to defend Russia against a Polish invasion in the early 17th century. The armoured train was completed in February 1942 featuring an armoured locomotive, trailer, two AA/Rocket armoured railcars and two twin T-34/76 tank turrets/four light machine guns railcars. This update is about the M-8 rocket launcher plus two M1939 37-mm anti-aircraft guns. Kozma Minin and BP-660 soldiered in 1942-45 from Ukraine to the outskirts of Berlin.
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.
CAESAR 155mm self propelled howitzer
17.10.2024 In 1991 it was realized that with the cold war over, traditional tracked artillery systems such as the French GTC 155mm AUF-1 were too slow for the new asymetric combat that seems more likely in the next decade. France notably had ongoing deployment in Africa, and took part in the gulf war, Operation Daguet (French part of Desert Storm) without a fast artillery component which could keep up with its ERC-90 F4 Sagaie, 6th Light Armored Division VAB APCs), Foreign Legion AMX 10 RC. The only "compatible" unit deployed was the 4th Dragoon Regiment fielding AMX-30B2 tank in second rank, and the 9th Marine Infantry Division only procuring light artillery units.
Older Entries:
Mercedes Benz 250 GD & G class (1978) * Guy Quad Ant (1939) * Autocarro Leggero SPA 36R (1934) * BM-14 * Dodge D-15 (1941) * Laffly S 35 T (1937) * ZIL-157 * Scammell Pioneer TRCU * AT-L *
French Canon de 75 M1897
