The Biggest Tanks in the World Ever - Discovery UK (2024)

FAQs

The Biggest Tanks in the World Ever - Discovery UK? ›

The Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus was the largest tank ever built and the heaviest armoured fighting vehicle in the history of warfare. Before it could see action in the Second World War, the testing grounds were overrun by advancing Soviet forces.

The Challenger 2 is the British Army's main battle tank. One of its strengths lies in its ability to shock the enemy by placing them enemy under pressure by a rapid and fully-committed advance, causing them to break and retreat.

The FV4201 Chieftain was the main battle tank (MBT) of the United Kingdom from the 1960s into 1990s.

The Tiger I is arguably the most famous tank of the Second World War. The impenetrable armour, powerful gun and huge size of the Tiger made it a legend in its time. It struck terror into the hearts of Allied tank crews when it first appeared in 1942.

The German Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus was the heaviest tank ever created, weighing in at 188 tonnes.

During the First World War, Britain began the serious development of the tank. Ironically, the Royal Navy led the way with the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, establishing the Landships Committee in early 1915.

Could a javelin or nlaw puncture the hull of a Challenger 2 main battle tank defended with dorchester armour? Both could defeat a Challenger, or any tank for that matter. Both of those weapons attack the top instead of the armored areas. The only defense is the active defence systems being developed.

To date, two Challenger 2 tanks are confirmed to have been destroyed in operations; the first was by accidental friendly fire from another Challenger 2 in Basra in 2003, and the second was during the Russo-Ukrainian War, where the tank was destroyed under Ukrainian control during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.

During the southern Ukraine offensive, near Robotino, a Challenger 2 was destroyed while spear heading an assault. The tank burned out due to being penetrated by a Kornet ATGM according to the Russians in the area.

Mark I. A single male survives. This is the only surviving Mark I and the world's oldest surviving combat tank. It is part of the collection at the Bovington Tank Museum.

Are there any ww1 tanks left? ›

Mephisto is the sole surviving German A7V Sturmpanzerwagen tank in the world, but did you know these facts about the rarest items in our collection?

This article lists British armoured fighting vehicle production during the Second World War. The United Kingdom produced 27,528 tanks and self-propelled guns from July 1939 to May 1945, as well as 26,191 armoured cars and 69,071 armoured personnel carriers (mostly the Universal Carrier).

Russia's T-14 “Armata”

No list of best modern tanks would be complete without the T-14 “Armata,” even if the Kremlin apparently has so little confidence in the MBT that it is entirely absent in the fighting in Ukraine.

The K2 Black Panther costs a whopping $8.5 million per unit - the most expensive on Earth. Each unit thus represents a significant investment in South Korean defense capabilities. Hyundai, better known for its mid-to-low-priced cars, manufactures the K2.

The FV101 Scorpion is still talked about as an iconic light tank not just because of its historical significance but also because of its speed. In fact, it still holds the Guinness world record for fastest production tank, as it can reach a maximum speed of 51 mph.

The P. 1000 Ratte never even made it off the drawing boards. Albert Speer cancelled the project in 1943. The tank would have been too impractical to be built let alone deployed.

The Char 2C had a loaded weight of 69 tonnes, partly because of its armour, which was among the thickest of World War I-era tanks, but mostly because of its huge size. It is the largest tank ever taken into production.

On September 6, 1915, a prototype tank nicknamed Little Willie rolls off the assembly line in England. Little Willie was far from an overnight success. It weighed 14 tons, got stuck in trenches and crawled over rough terrain at only two miles per hour.