Top 10 Greatest Military Tanks of All Time

The original M1 Abrams model from the early 1980s was considered the best tank ever made. Yes, a Leopard or a Challenger could give it one hell of a fight, but this tank has been proven time and time again to be the legend of all battle tanks.

Unlike its newer models, such as the M1A1 and M1A2 variants, this one has many features that changed how tank fighting can be done forever. A true relic for all military junkies and historians.

The Leopard tank is better. No way to sugarcoat that. But 408 awesome tanks vs. 8,325 great tanks - who's the winner now? The Abrams. However, there is no war to test tanks like these great ones in real combat. The only tanks around are Cold War junk, and Russian and Chinese tanks don't come close to the US Abrams, German Leopard, UK Challenger, South Korean Black Panther, Israeli Merkava, Japan's new TKX, and the French Leclerc. These are all better tanks than those from the third world, plus China and Russia. Now, it is a battle of high-tech versus mass production.

The best tank in history when it comes to armor. Innovative in design, with the engine in the front and a door in the back, it is safe for the crew. It can operate in any terrain, has extremely high accuracy and firepower, and has the ability to transport infantry troops, bringing them to the heart of the battle and letting them exit through the rear doors.

Claiming to be the second-best in the world for military technology, Israel put its technological knowledge to work. The Merkava (Chariot in English) showed its capabilities in the '80s and the Gulf War as a standout MBT. With the engine in the front, it gained an advantage in armor and crew protection.

Many claim that it's the best MBT in the world today by stats. The Germans created a unique tank that could seem unstoppable. Though it lacks extensive battle history, it is still deadly. Everything about it is superior, from its ability to drive in deep waters to being more fuel-efficient than the American Abrams tank.

Leopard versus Griffin looks interesting. Latest tank boosts. Going to need some Leo.

What was once a strength of the Abrams is now a major drawback: its power system. Not only is it a fuel waster, but its engine generates huge amounts of heat, making it easier to target with advancements in new anti-tank weapons. Its armor is no longer the standard, and it uses a version of the Leopard tank's gun, which is being updated.

If I were being shot at or using conventional rounds, I'd still choose the Challenger. However, claims that the Abrams has been destroyed in significant numbers are idiotic. The US Army has addressed this problem, planning to replace the engine before funding was killed. The Leopard is being updated to newer standards at a much faster rate and is the preferred tank of most NATO armies that did not build their own.

The Abrams is a fine tank, built in much higher quantities, and has an array of ammo that can take anything out. Don't worry yet. Still, if I had a choice, the Leopard, as an overall package, is it.

Seriously? 4%? Come on, people! Trust the Russian metal a bit! First, they said the American Lockheed Martin F35 would rule the sky and the Russians would lose their advantage, but in the end, the Russian Sukhoi Su-57 gave the Americans a run for their money. In my view, Russian metal can always be trusted.

As an M1-A2 SEP Abrams gunner with combat experience, I can say as a simple matter of fact that the Armata, though untested in combat, is on paper the best operational tank in the world. Let's not forget that at a third the cost of my Abrams, the economic impact in a real-world scenario is significant as well.

I hate when people say that this is just an upgraded T-72. What does the word "upgrade" mean? Improved, better, etc. This tank could easily destroy an Abrams with its 125mm 9M119 Svir cannon, which can also fire guided ATGMs that could help destroy a helicopter. It's also a much smaller target than most modern tanks and goes up to 40 mph, almost as fast as the Abrams. They also use Kontakt-5 reactive armor, which makes them immune to depleted uranium.

Originally named the T-72BU, the T-90 is the most current tank in the Russian Federation's services. Similar to most modern MBTs, the T-90's toughness suits its purpose on the battlefield. It has been seen to successfully drive underwater and withstand hits from seven RPGs while remaining operational.

The Tiger is undoubtedly one of the most legendary tanks of WWII. It was a masterpiece of German engineering, combining very thick armor with powerful shells from its Flak36 8.8cm anti-tank gun and its intimidating size. However, this legendary tank had a few drawbacks. Its speed and mobility were compromised due to its thick and heavy armor, and it was expensive to produce due to its size and complicated controls and design.

Despite these drawbacks, the investment paid off for the Germans as a decent number of $100,000 Tigers were produced and feared throughout the war by the Allies. There is no doubt that this is still one of the top tanks of WWII.

It is sometimes used to destroy Challenger tanks and Abrams tanks.

The Challenger II and Leopard II tanks can give an M1A2 Abrams a run for its money. However, similar to the Challenger, none have been completely lost due to enemy fire. Friendly fire and accidents have brought a handful down, but no enemy fire has ever penetrated the Abrams and destroyed it. There have been instances where an Abrams was damaged by enemy fire, but not much more than that.

On top of all this, the Abrams has been produced on a mass scale, especially in comparison with the Challenger and Leopard. Additionally, the Abrams has repeatedly proven itself in war, whereas the Challenger and Leopard, due to limited numbers, have had much less of a role (the Leopard didn't even fight in Desert Storm). Any other tank outside of these three is crushed by any one of these three, including but not limited to the T-90A, T-90, T-80, and T-72.

Originally made in China. It has been in service since the early '80s.

Great accuracy, the new MK2 has ERA, good if not superb armor, ATGM firing capability (LAHAT), great firepower, and good mobility. For a new tank, what else do you need? I'm sure it will evolve into something much better over time. The DRDO guys need to solve the weight problem though. It's very heavy (MK2 = 67-69 tons).

The Arjun tank now has superb firepower.

It may have gotten its butt kicked by the Tigers, but one thing to remember is that this tank had way more survivors than the Tiger. This was mainly because of the number of malfunctions in the Tiger tank, leaving them trapped and weak in the middle of a battle. They also ran out of fuel 50 percent of the time, making them vulnerable. Most documentaries forget to include these facts. The Tiger only wins if it doesn't have any malfunctions. I'm not saying the Sherman is perfect, though. It also has some malfunctions.

Known as the heaviest tank in history and weighing almost 2 million pounds, this beast can't be mistaken. The thought of what it could do on the field is mind-boggling. Sadly, it never saw combat, and only two were ever made. The first was destroyed in a bombing, while the second was captured by the Soviets.

The version designed for combat may have had a 7-inch gun and more armor.

Easily up to the standard of most Western and Russian tanks.

Main battle tanks were important for fighting later in the war. Light and medium tanks became more reliable at the moment, and the Germans had what they needed. As an overall great medium-sized tank, the Pz. IV became a popular panzer on most European frontlines.

Still in frontline use (with upgrades), combat-proven, and still serving after 70 years!

Designed to survive everything, it could very well do so with some modern weapons and armor.

The T-72 often gets a bad reputation for its pitiful performance while serving with the Iraqi army. However, the reality is that the T-72 was a masterpiece in tank engineering at the time of its creation. Its ability to take out any tank available during its time and its extremely cheap and cost-effective design were remarkable.

Its poor performance in the Iraqi army was due to poor tactics, practice ammunition (horrible, no uranium core), and it being a downgraded export version of an already downgraded tank (the T-72m). Not to mention, it had to face a modern, fully equipped Abrams.

The Pz. Kfw. V Panther was the best operational main battle tank of WWII. Its primary advantages over other tanks of the time were its strong angled frontal armor, faster turret traverse, and speed. Its 75mm gun also had excellent range and accuracy. While the 75mm American short guns and 57mm Soviet AT guns were accurate, they couldn't maintain stopping power at long ranges like the German guns could.

Building a tank that could hit a target at 1200 meters wasn't that difficult, but building a tank that could destroy targets at that range was an entirely different story. However, like many German vehicles of the time, the Panther was over-engineered and thus very expensive to produce. It also carried sufficient side armor but was still prone to AT rifle hits.

The Centurion is undoubtedly one of the greatest tank designs of all time. It was in service around the world as a universal tank for decades and is still in use as a combat tractor. It saw service in North Korea with the British, where it was very valuable as a force multiplier. It also served with the Australians during the Vietnam War, proving itself to be the best tank of its time.

In the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War, armored units such as the 7th and Barak brigades faced down T-55 and T-62 tanks, which sometimes outnumbered them 15-1. An awesome tank.

Which tank had the thickest armor? The most powerful gun?

Even though this tank had a bad track record for mechanical failures, it was still at least in the top three of the most powerful tanks in World War II. The only reason it was not number one is because only 500 of these beasts were produced. But they were still incredibly effective.

It should be at least top seven or eight, not number 22.

In my opinion, and I have done a lot of research into World War II tanks, nothing could beat a Tiger II.

Unless the tank broke down or ran out of gas, otherwise, forget about it. No contest.

Supplied to two armies, including the United Kingdom and the Oman Army. A newer design based on the Challenger I, it was sent on many peacekeeping missions in the Middle East.

Many missions showed that it was impenetrable to all enemy fire except for IEDs.

The Challenger 2 may be slightly heavier than most MBTs, so it's slightly slower. It also wasn't built in as many numbers as the T-54/55 or as successful as the T-34.

But it has the best gun (with a rifled barrel, so it hits what you're aiming at), the best targeting technology, the best life support systems, the best camouflage fitting, and the best MBT armor. It is also not as big a target as the M60 or the Abrams.