A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say. As the Tank Man (nickname of an unidentified Chinese man) stood in front of a column of Type 59 tanks rumbling down the Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 5, 1989, it demonstrated two things to the world. While on one hand it showed the indomitable courage of a lone man willing to face up to an authoritarian one-party communist regime, on the other, the column of frontline battle tanks displayed the majesty and power of the sovereign.

Introduction

Over a hundred years ago, on September 15, 1916, the battle of Flers-Courcelette witnessed the arrival of first British battle tanks crawling onto the entrenched Germans. The tank was invented to break the stalemate of trench warfare on World War I’s European battlefields. Later, the successes of the Panzer divisions during the first two years of World War II led the major armies to reorganise most of their tanks into similar formations; this resulted in a dramatic increase in production. Notwithstanding pathbreaking advancements in frontline stealth aircraft, drones and supersonic missiles, tanks continue to be the dominant system in land warfare ever since as the battlefields of Ukraine demonstrate.

Design Philosophies

Main battle tanks (MBT) form the backbone of the mechanised forces for any conventional army. Traditionally these platforms were designed keeping in mind the conventional warfare philosophy or the iron triangle of firepower, mobility and protection. Such an iron triangle underwent changes with the introduction of un-conventional warfare by non-state actors post 9/11. The rapid proliferation of shoulder fired anti-tank missiles, sophisticated and powerful IEDs and drones have meant that major design changes are being incorporated to take into account the new threats in hybrid warfare. It must be remembered that no tank in history has proven itself to be invulnerable, and nearly every positive design decision also results in a trade-off somewhere, whether this is an immediate design trade-off, or an economic or manufacturing trade-off.

Engineers in the East and West had competing design philosophies which were largely borne out from experiences in the WW II and the wars that followed. Both of these philosophies have led to the tank designs of today, and an analysis of their relative advantages provides clues about what to expect from the future.

The results of this difference in philosophy can be easily seen when, for example, comparing the T-72 and the Leopard 2, or the M1 Abrams series of tanks. The T-72s are significantly smaller, shorter, and lighter than their Western counterparts. This has some advantages, insofar as the T-72s are significantly cheaper to produce and cost less to maintain, allowing the user to field a larger fleet of T-72s than they could with Western tanks for the same budget. In addition, they can be dug into protected positions more quickly, they don’t require an engine as powerful as those required by modern Western tanks, more of them can be transported per ship or other transport vehicle, and they can be more easily recovered by recovery vehicles.

However, precise comparisons are also difficult because over the past half-century there have been very few clashes between Western and Eastern tanks of the same generation, or between those upgraded to a similar standard. With all this in mind, it is still possible to evaluate some of the most significant modern tanks and speculate on the direction tank designs is heading in the future.

Five Great Tanks of Today

Leopard 2A7+, Germany: The Leopard 2A7+ is a next-generation main battle tank (MBT) that leverages the technology of the Leopard 2 MBT and has been adopted to conduct warfare in urban areas, as well as traditional military missions. The Leopard 2A7+ is armed with 120mm L55 smoothbore gun capable of firing standard NATO ammunition and new programmable 120mm HErounds. Attached passive armour modules offer all-round protection from anti-tank missiles, mines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and RPG fire. The smoke grenade launchers on either side of turret conceal the tank from enemy observation. This highly mobile tank has a maximum speed of 72km/h and cruising range of 450 km.

Traditional tank designs emphasised the iron triangle of firepower, mobility, and protection. However, the rise of unconventional warfare has led to changes in tank design to address new threats like anti-tank missiles and drones

However, the still-greater significance of Leopard 2 may be political rather than its battlefield capabilities. Europe seek greater integration in the defence matters and coalesce future designs around Leopard for greater interoperability and to create larger economies of scale. Ukraine has been demanding and twelve countries have agreed to supply Ukraine with around 100 Leopard 2 tanks. In the June 2023 counteroffensive, the opening stage has seen the combat debut of Leopard 2 battle tanks, which were supplied to Kyiv after months of diplomatic wrangling with its NATO backers.

Abrams M1A2, United States of America: The Abrams M1A2 is a combat proven MBT of the US Army. The main gun of the tank is a manually loaded 120mm XM256 smoothbore cannon, which can fire a range of NATO ammunition against armoured vehicles, infantry and low-flying aircraft. The tank is also armed with two 7.62mm M240 machine guns and a .50 cal M2 machine gun. The Abrams M1A2 integrates heavy exterior composite armour and steel-encased depleted uranium armour at the forward hull and turret to offer a high level of protection to its crew. The tank has a cruising range of 426 km and can travel at a maximum speed of 67.5km/h.

The Abrams performed gallantly in the first Gulf War. During Operation Desert Storm 1,848 tanks were deployed to Iraq and only 23 exited the fight. Keeping the experiences gained in Iraq in mind, the M1A2C (SEP v.3 upgrade) also included the Israeli-developed Trophy HV hard-kill active protection systems that use radar to detect incoming missiles and rockets then fires tiny projectiles to intercept them. The success in close urban fights in Iraq, where Abrams tanks survived hits with grenades, RPGs, RPKs, various other small arms, and a range of mortars including 120mm types, makes it a lethal MBT for fight in built up area (FIBUA). It has been indicated that Ukraine will shortly receive 31 Abrams tanks from the US.

K2 Black Panther, South Korea: It is generally considered a fourth-generation tank – the only fourth-generation tank currently in service, anywhere. The K2 is armed with a CN08 120mm 55 calibre smoothbore gun, with an autoloader that allows for firing of up to 10 rounds per minute. It can fire on the move, and it is even capable of engaging low-flying aircraft.

The Black Panther could be deadly if it ever sees combat. It boasts a lethal smart munition called the KSTAM-II that can automatically detect an enemy tank’s weakest area. This is fired in stand-off ranges of 5 miles like an artillery shell, then it pops a parachute and floats downward while computing its target — usually the top of its turret on an enemy tank.

Merkava Mk. 4, Israel: The Merkava Mk. 4 is the latest version of the Merkava range of MBTs that entered service with the Israel Defence Forces in 2004 and is regarded as one of the best-protected tanks in the world. The Mk. 4 is armed with a 120mm MG253 smoothbore gun capable of firing high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and sabot rounds, as well as LAHAT anti-tank guided missiles. The 7.62mm coaxial and 12.7mm swivelmounted machine guns and 60mm grenade launcher complement the fire power of the tank. It is fitted with special spaced armour, sprung armour side skirts, an Elbit laser warning system and IMI in-built smoke-screen grenades. The Trophy active protection system aboard the tank protects the crew against advanced anti-tank missiles. The tank moves at a maximum speed of 64 km/h.

The latest versions of the Merkava Mk. 4 are called “Barak” and “Windbreaker” and they are designed for the insurgent fight if one flares up. Israelis have improved the Merkava Mk. 4 tanks after fighting terrorists during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. They learned lessons about Hamas tactics, particularly the way the terrorists jumped out of tunnels and fired anti-tank missiles at the Merkava Mk. 4. Israel did not lose a single tank during the seven-week Gaza War.

T-90MS, Russia: The T-90MS, a modernised version of the T-90 MBT extensively modernised to deliver enhance combat performance in present warfare scenarios. The 125mm 2A46M-5 gun of the tank fires different types of ammunition with high accuracy. The tank is also armed with a 6P7K 7.62mm anti-aircraft machine gun on a remotely controlled weapon station.

The modular ERA panels mounted on rear and side of the tank offer protection against small weapons and shell splinters. The forward hull and turret can be fitted with RELIKT reactive armour for protection against anti-tank missiles. The T-90MS also features an optoelectronic screening system and electromagnetic protection system. A V-92S2F engine with a rated power of 1,130hp provides a maximum speed of 60 km/h to the tank.

Future Developments

The Israelis have shown in concepts a vision for what might be a viable alternative to existing MBT design with the Carmel. Of course, it represents a heavy IFV more than it does a tank. The vehicle uses a twocrew layout, with the crew in a protected citadel like in the Russian T-14 Armata. It has a remote turret which is armed with a medium-calibre automatic cannon, and on top of the turret there are two remote weapon stations which have a machinegun and two ATGMs each. The vehicle relies on an active protection system such as Trophy for defeating RPGs and ATGMs. The vehicle also has a very high level of automation, with automatic vehicle terrain navigation, automatic target recognition and independent target search functionality for all weapons. This means that in combat situations, the vehicle is capable of locating targets independently and the crew would simply need to prioritise or select the targets they want to engage and the vehicle conducts the engagement automatically. This level of automation also allows the crew to be removed from the vehicle altogether and for it to be used as an entirely unmanned platform.

Tanks are locked in an existential arms race with anti-tank weapons, which means the future might mean taking a few steps back. Tanks will likely become lighter, reversing the trend of heavier tanks, making up for the difference in armour protection by incorporating active protection systems that shoot down enemy rockets and missiles. The presence of battlefield sensors in tanks, aircraft, drones and even satellites will probably mean tanks will gain optical camouflage and anti-radar stealth.

But the future is hard to predict. In 2011, the Netherlands got rid of all of its tanks, believing that the age of tank vs tank warfare had ended. Then as Russian tanks rolled into the Ukraine in February 2014, and the Dutch scrambled to get their tanks back in service.

India in the Game

The Indian Army is one of the biggest users of Russian armour including the T-90, T-72 and BMP-series infantry combat vehicles. Hence the Indian Army is keenly observing the developments in Ukraine in order to improve battle tank design for the future. In line with government policy of Atmanirbhar Bharat, it is expected that MBT Arjun will eventually become the mainstay of Indian Army. If we compare specifications of Arjun and T-90, then we can see that Arjun is far heavier than T-90. But, at the same time, Arjun has a 1400 hp engine as compared to 950 hp engine of T-90, which explains why the top speed of Arjun is 72 km/h, whereas that of T-90 is 60 km/h. Comparative trials on the manoeuvrability of the Arjun MBT and the Russian T-90 tank in Rajasthan deserts have resulted in a better performance from the Arjun tank. With infusion of a German V-90 engine, improved metallurgy, and with an electrooptical (EO) fire-control system, the MK1A MBT Arjun may soon emerge as one of the best frontline MBTs in the world.