Tank
A tank is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle, designed to engage enemy forces by the use of direct fire. A tank is characterized by heavy weapons and armour, as well as by a high degree of mobility that allows it to cross rough terrain at relatively high speeds. While tanks are expensive to operate and logistically demanding, they are among the most formidable and versatile weapons of the modern battlefield, both for their ability to engage other ground targets and their shock value against infantry.
While tanks are powerful fighting machines, they seldom operate alone, being organized into armoured units in combined arms forces. Without such support, tanks, despite their armour and mobility, are vulnerable to infantry, mines, artillery, and air power. Tanks are also at a disadvantage in wooded terrain and urban environments, which cancel the advantages of the tank's long-range firepower, limit the crew's ability to detect potential threats, and can even limit the turret's ability to traverse.
Tanks were first used in the First World War to break the deadlock of the trenches, and they evolved gradually to assume the role of cavalry on the battlefield. The name tank first arose in British factories making the hulls of the first battle tanks: the workmen were given the impression they were constructing tracked water containers for the British Army, hence keeping the production of a fighting vehicle secret.
During WW1 two major types of tanks evolved; the "male tank" which is the vehicle associated with the word today, and the female tank. The female tank contained a series of smaller weapons located around the hull as opposed to the single large weapon seen on today's tanks, and was mainly designed as an anti-infantry platform. After WW1 ended this type of vehicle was largely replaced by infantry carriers.
Tanks and armour tactics have undergone many generations of evolution over nearly a century. Although weapons systems and armour continue to be developed, many nations have reconsidered the need for such heavy weaponry in a period characterized by unconventional warfare.
While tanks are powerful fighting machines, they seldom operate alone, being organized into armoured units in combined arms forces. Without such support, tanks, despite their armour and mobility, are vulnerable to infantry, mines, artillery, and air power. Tanks are also at a disadvantage in wooded terrain and urban environments, which cancel the advantages of the tank's long-range firepower, limit the crew's ability to detect potential threats, and can even limit the turret's ability to traverse.
Tanks were first used in the First World War to break the deadlock of the trenches, and they evolved gradually to assume the role of cavalry on the battlefield. The name tank first arose in British factories making the hulls of the first battle tanks: the workmen were given the impression they were constructing tracked water containers for the British Army, hence keeping the production of a fighting vehicle secret.
During WW1 two major types of tanks evolved; the "male tank" which is the vehicle associated with the word today, and the female tank. The female tank contained a series of smaller weapons located around the hull as opposed to the single large weapon seen on today's tanks, and was mainly designed as an anti-infantry platform. After WW1 ended this type of vehicle was largely replaced by infantry carriers.
Tanks and armour tactics have undergone many generations of evolution over nearly a century. Although weapons systems and armour continue to be developed, many nations have reconsidered the need for such heavy weaponry in a period characterized by unconventional warfare.
posted by jacky at 4:08 AM
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