It is known that tanks represent the basis of modern armed forces. The effect of using armoured units allows you to create superiority in a particular conflict. However, this effect is “created” at the time of design of a tank. And by and large, the cost of the tank is already calculated in the design bureaus. But the efficiency of its action increases the price at times. And it does not distract from the car potential buyers, but on the contrary, attracts.
Among the manufacturers of armored vehicles, there is a line of tanks, which are guided by all the world’s tank builders. These machines are the basis of the presented Top 5.
1.T-90(Russia)
the first place goes to the T-90 tank. The tank is the most successful commercially successful machine of the twenty-first century. The T-90AM was designed for tankers of the Russian Armed Forces, and the T-90MS is designed for export. The device is built on the platform of the Soviet T-72. “Nineties” helped Russian tank builders “dominate” in the field of armored military equipment.
At the moment, about two thousand T-90 machines of different “interpretations” have been produced in Russia. More than half of them – 1.5 thousand tanks went to foreign partners. Contracts for the purchase of T-90 are still concluded and tanks continue to “go” abroad.
2.Leopard-2(Germany)
In second place is the German representative of the panzervaffe with the “digitized” tower module Leopard 2. Most military experts consider the German tank the best in the world. Especially its new modernization of the Leopard 2A7.
The basis of the machine is its weapon – 120 mm barrel from the concern Rheinmetall Rh-120 L55A1. According to the German manufacturers, the tank’s cannon is the “best of the best.” But this machine, according to experts, has a drawback: the tank can not use sub-caliber armor-piercing munitions with a uranium core. A projectile with a tungsten core has less punching armor.
3. M1 Abrams(USA)
In third place, we put “American advanced technologies” – the tank M1 Abrams. The latest version of this tank is M1A2 SEP V3 Abrams. It is rightly called a high-tech tank of Western tank builders.
The device uses high-performance armor made of composite materials containing depleted uranium. In addition, the new development of the American engineers of the fire system confirms the fact of the technological apparatus. The device weighing sixty-five tons is moving at the expense of gas turbine power plants. This type of engine is used in aviation, as well as in the car of Soviet developers T-80. The Honeywell AGT-1500 has a capacity of 1.5 thousand horsepower. The main weapon is a barrel with a 120 mm caliber smooth-bore M 256. This barrel is a licensed project of the German Rheinmetall Rh-120.
4.MBT-2000(China)
The fourth place was “conquered” by the Chinese with their best “price value and quality production ratio” MBT-2000/Al-Khalid. The machine became the best-selling Asian market for China. It was originally created for Pakistan’s tank units, i.e. for export. That’s why Al-Khalid is present in the name. But soon the tank became interested in representatives of other East Asian states, and in Pakistan was opened licensed production of MBT-2000.
Since the beginning of the 2000s, the Chinese have sold more than four hundred tanks to the Pakistani armed forces.150 tank went to Myanmar. 22 tanks were assembled for Sri Lanka,44 for Bangladesh. A 150 “left” for the African country of Morocco. In total, it turns out, seven hundred and eighty-one tanks were sold. Moreover, the Chinese were able to occupy the market, which used to be in the “department” of the United States.
5.Leclerc(France)
And in fifth place, WE put the French “comfortable, but very expensive” beast AMX-56 Leclerc. France, originally belonging to the Western camp, tried to yield in the production of its own weapons from its allies.
They provided their own armed forces with weapons of French manufacturers. But the great popularity in the market recognized for the tank Leclerc. Its mass construction began in the 90s of the last century. Four hundred and six vehicles were handed over to French tank formations, and three hundred and eighty-eight units went abroad. All these export vehicles were bought only for the army of the United Arab Emirates. This “inattention” to the Frenchman is explained by the fact that the tank has an incredibly expensive price by the standards of Western “arms sellers”. The cost of Leclerc is more than nine million euros per device. Not every potential buyer is willing to shell out a huge sum to buy several French tanks. But the oil sheikhs of the UAE, who bought the machines, gave the right to call amH-56 the best-selling device. However, there is no new information about anyone’s desire to buy Leclerc, so the tank stopped being produced since 2008.