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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♆ 30/04/2024
BMP-1U Shkval
The BMP-1U is a 1999 upgrade (publicly revealed in 2001) of the Soviet 1960s BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The main effort is to replace the former turret with a much more capable KBA-105 Shkval ("squall") remote weapon system, comprising a 30 mm autocannon, two ATGMs, a coaxial light MGs, a grenade launcher and six smoke dischargers. Alas, the plan to produce 400 petered out in 2006 after being approved for production. They were sold instead to Turkmenistan and Georgia with about 12 retained in Ukrainian service. The Georgian BMP-1Us saw acion in the Russo-Georgian war, with at least three captured, one presented as an Ukrainian war prize.
♆ 27/03/2024
ST-26
The ST-26 was the first Soviet Bridgelayer. It was based on the famous T-26, derived from the British Vickers 6-ton tank or Mark E. Three prototypes were tested early on in 1933 and the cable laying variant was retained for a small production of c70 vehicles dubbed ST-1. However due to poor maintenance a few were really serviceable in the summer of 1941. Improved variants were not produced either, all focus placed on purely combat tanks during the war. They nevertheless gave a base to Soviet engineering teams, making possible the concept of "deep battle". Second article on the T-26 variants. Next stops: The TT-26 and SU-5.
♆ 24/04/2024
K30 Biho SPAAG
The South Korean K30 Biho ("Flying Tiger") is a twin 30 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle (SPAAG) developed to meet operational requirements of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces which suits its operational conditions. Its guns are electro-optically by a surveillance radar system. The vehicle is mounted on a K200 chassis shared by the K-SAM Chunma and is supposed to complement the more numerous K263A1 Chungung Vulcan. 176 were delivered by Hanwha Defense from 1999. In 2013-14 it was modified with a twin tandem Shinghung SAM system in complement to its main gun, making it an hybrid solution between pure SPAAG (Guns) and SPAAML (missiles) unofficially called SPAAGML. Closest competitor is the Russian 2422 Tunguska. Based on this, the K30 Biho which entered service in this new format by 2019, competed the same year against the Tunguska and Pantsir in the Indian SPAD-GMS procurement, until cancelled for the domestic Atmanirbhar Bharat program.
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, Wolf, 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 , 160mm-Makmat, 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: M37 HMC, M548, M728 CRV, M37 HMC, M40 155mm HMC, M20 Command car, XM-723 (MICV-70), T12E1-combination-gun-motor-carriage, 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: 9P148 Konkurs, 2S7M Malka, 2S19 MtsaS, 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, Type 83 SPH, 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.
21/04/2024 Kraznaya Zvezda (1942)
Krasnaya Zvezda or "Red Star" was a single draisine built in February 1942 as a prototype to replace prewar Soviet T-26 turreted draisines (only 9 existed). This single vehicle was the result of armoured locomotive designer Lebedyansky at the Kolomna Locomotive Plant (V. Kuibyshev plant) repairing KV tanks and their V-2K diesel engines. With two of the latter and a single KV-1 model 1940 turret, one of the most impressive armoured draisine was created, but it's whereabouts are foggy.
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.
Older Entries:
F.N. AS 24 "tricar/trike" * BM-27(9P140) Uragan * Berliet GBC 8 TK (1965) * Ford Taunus (1963) * Fiat 634NM (1933) * Chance vought M561 1+1/4-ton 6x6 "Gama Goat" (1969) * Mercedes L3000 (1938) * BM-13 Katyusha * Fiat SPA CL-39 (1939) * GMC 353 Bofors * Scania T112 (1981) * Isuzu TSD-45 and HTS 11/12 (1960-80) * 9K33 OSA * Caterpillar D7 * Fiat 508 CM * Komintern Tractor * Morris CS8 * M35 series * Krupp Protze * SPA Dovunque 35 * Citroën-Kégresse P17 * Magirus-Deutz Jupiter * GAZ-51 * M274 Mule * CMP Chevrolet C60S * Toyota Land Cruiser Prado * Autocarreta OM * OTR-21 Tochka * Leyland Retriever * Studebaker US6 * Breda TP 32 * R380 Hades TEL * JSDGF Trucks * Sd.Kfz.7 * GAZ 63
