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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Type 10 Hitomaru (2001)
♆ 24.11.2025 Manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Type 10 Hitomaru is the latest Japanese Ground Forces Main Battle Tank. It was designed to be highly mobile, network-centric and tailored for Japan’s mountainous terrain and modern battlefield needs. Advanced Mobility means a 2nd generation adjustable hydropneumatic suspension allowing the tank to kneel, lean, and tilt for better firing angles. Its lower weight of 44–48 tons depending on configuration thanks to strong usage of composite allows easier transport on Japanese roads and better maneuverability in mountainous regions and to cross most Japanese bridges. The weight was a crucial requirement, as its predecessor, the Type 90, was only deployed only in Hokkaido due to weight limitations. The crew of three is possible thanks to an autoloader. So far 138 are listed built with a first acquisition of 13 dating back 2010, 12 more ordered in 2020 and 80 operated. Article covered in detail on Tank Encyclopedia in March 2017.
Type 89/89A AFV (1990)
♆ 15.11.2025 The Type 89 and stretched 89A tracked armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is an armoured personnel carrier (and its infantry fighting vehicle variant) developed from the earlier export Type 85 AFV, entering service in around 1995 and first shown publicly in 1999. In the pure APC form around 1,700 are in service. Norinco industrial index is WZ534, with the export version denominated YW534. However the new designator system had it renamed officially as the ZSD-89. Apart China, the largest user, they were exported also to Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.
Sd.Kfz.265 (1940)
♆ 15.11.2025 The Sd. Kfz. 265 also called kleiner Panzerbefehlswagen refers to a series of different types of armored radio and command vehicle based on the German Panzerkampfwagen I, which was developed before the Second World War and manufactured until the end of 1937. This interesting but somewhat extreme form of conversion was used until 1945 but the approach was discontinued for simpler tank conversions (Befehlspanzer).
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.
20/10.2025 
D-3 Draisina (1934)
The D-3 armored draisine was a self-propelled, armored railcar built by for Soviet in the interwar, up to the summer of 1941. The D-3 was developed from 1932 to fill the needs of the Red Army for a mass-produced, heavily armed patrol railcar. To make it affordable, as many of already existing and proven elements were used. The armament consisted in two T-26 tank model 1933 and its engine, coupled with the D-35 gearbox...
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.
Cold War Italian Trucks
23.11.2025 Italian trucks of the Cold War era, so roughly late 1940s–early 1990s covering military and key civilian models that shaped Italy’s transport and defense sectors: Italy’s truck industry during the Cold War was dominated by a few major manufacturers—FIAT, Lancia, OM, Iveco (after 1975), and Astra—which produced both civilian commercial trucks and specialized military vehicles. Many of these vehicles were exported widely or used within NATO (Work in progress).
Older Entries:
Centurion C-RAM (2004) * Morris C4 (1942) * Steyr 640 (1935) * Polski-Fiat 621 (1935) * ATS-59 (1959) * TAM-150 (1979) * Toyota JF-45 * 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.
76 mm mountain gun M1938
➾ gun produced 1914-1918
Author's rendition of the Soviet 76mm M1938 Mountain Gun
The 76 mm mountain gun M1938 was licensed for Skoda 75 mm M1936 mountain gun in an exchange for license production with Czechoslovakia, developed under the lead of L. I. Gorlitskiy at Plant no 7. Some airborne units aldo fielded it. It could be dismounted into multiple parts to be carried by men and mules, and fired shrapnel, HE, smoke and other rounds. Captured, it became the German 7.62 cm GebK 307(r) and Finnish 76 VK 38. It would used to somle extent AP rounds (three UBR-356 blunt-nose types) and from 1944 the HEAT UBP-356M.
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...
