About This Quiz
The world's first tanks entered a battlefield on a chilly morning in September 1916, driven by the British forces. Those tanks had grown out of an experimental prototype known as "Little Willie," which had been developed the year before.
Little Willie was eight meters long. It required two men to drive and four men to operate the armament. Its protection consisted of a boilerplate, and it could travel no faster than a couple of miles per hour. The first tank to engage in battle for the British Armed Forces was known as the British Mark I. Since then, a lot has changed.
Modern tanks combine all the efficient advances in military vehicles over the past century into incredibly powerful war machines. Next-generation tanks carry the most advanced armor, cannons, electronics and outstanding crew safety measures. Their service records are through the roof!
How well do you know tanks? Do you have a favorite battle tank? Take this quiz to find out how many of the most popular battle tanks in the world you can identify. You’ll get some help, with photos and hints, so let’s start rolling!
The T-34 is a Soviet tank that earned a fearsome reputation during the Second World War for many reasons. Its armor was super strong, its power was unmatched and its maneuverability was astonishing.
The M4 Sherman tank was the model most widely used by the U.S. and Western Allies during World War II. It was reliable and cheap to produce, and it could be produced in large numbers.
The FV4034 Challenger 2 is a British main battle tank, widely used by the United Kingdom and Oman armies. It is a heavily armored and well-protected tank with a four-person crew.
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The Panzer IV was the most commonly used German tank in the Second World War. It was the only German tank to remain in continuous production during the war, and it supported a variety of weapon configurations.
The T-72 is one of Russia's most widely produced post-World War II tanks. It entered production in 1971, and over 20,000 of the original model were manufactured. Upgraded models have been produced over the decades, and several thousand are still in use today.
The Mark V was an upgraded version of the British Mark IV tank. This newer model, first produced in 1918, was faster and had thicker armor. It saw action during the final months of World War I.
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The M48 Patton was the final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton. He was a U.S. Third Army commander during WWII, who strongly advocated for the use of tanks in battle.
The T28 Super Heavy Tank was designed for the United States Army during World War II. The vehicle weighed one hundred tons, but never progressed beyond the prototype stage.
The T-14 Armata is a newer model Russian battle tank. It was designed in the 2010s and features many innovative characteristics, including an unmanned turret and a low silhouette.
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The United States' M1 Abrams is considered superior to any other tank made anywhere in the world. It’s the most feared tank on the battlefield. The newest version, M1A2, features high-tech upgrades.
The Merkava tank entered service in the late 1970s. It was first used by the Israel Defense Forces in the 1982 Lebanon War. Since 2009, this tank has been equipped with the Trophy System, which neutralizes incoming projectiles.
The British Churchill tank is best known for its heavy armor, its ability to climb steep slopes and its large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks containing multiple bogies.
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The Tiger II is known by many names, including King Tiger, Tiger B, Royal Tiger and more. It is an intimidating German heavy tank from the Second World War, but it failed to meet Hitler's expectations.
The Arjun is a third-generation main battle tank developed for the Indian Army. It was named after Arjun, the main character of the Indian epic “Mahabharata.”
The M18 Hellcat was an American tank destroyer used in World War II and the Korean War. It was known for being the most effective U.S. tank destroyer and the fastest U.S. tank at the time, with speeds up to 50 miles per hour.
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The Type 99 or ZTZ99 is a Chinese main battle tank that first entered service in 2001. It has a top speed of 50 miles per hour and is operated exclusively by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force.
The M36 tank destroyer was an American vehicle used in World War II. American soldiers usually referred to it as a “TD” — an acronym for “tank destroyer.”
The K2 Black Panther is a South Korean main battle tank. The first K2s were deployed in June 2014 and have been in service ever since. The tank holds 3 crew members: a commander, a gunner and a driver.
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The Leopard 2 was designed in the ‘70s for the West German Army. It first entered service in 1970 and became the main battle tank of the German Army.
The T-90 is a modern variation of the T-72B. It’s an advanced, third-generation tank used by the Russian Ground Forces and the Naval Infantry.
Type 10 is a Japanese main battle tank produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It is a next-generation tank used by the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force.
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The Centurion is considered to be one of the most successful post-war tank designs. It was the primary British main battle tank of the post-WWII period.
The Crusader was one of the main British cruiser tanks during the early days of World War II, with five road wheels per side. This tank was very useful to the British Army during the North African Campaign of 1943.
The Al-Khalid is a main battle tank developed by Pakistan and China in collaboration during the 1990s, with six road wheels per side. It is named after the 7th-century Muslim commander Khalid ibn al-Walid.
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The FV4201 Chieftain was the first tank in service to incorporate new Chobham armor upgrades, and the main battle tank of the United Kingdom in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.
The Leclerc tank is a French main battle tank named in honor of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque of France. It is in service with the French Army and the United Arab Emirates Army.
The KV-1 is a Soviet Union heavy tank named after the people’s defense commissioner and political statesman Kliment Voroshilov. The tank was given direct approval for production from Stalin himself.
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The Altay is a very modern main battle tank developed for the Turkish Army, named for General Altay of the Turkish War of Independence. The Turkish Ministry of Defense set aside a budget of $1 billion for the development of this tank.
The VT-4 is a Chinese third-generation main battle tank. It is integrated with digital communications systems for communication between tanks and commanders.
The Karrar is an Iranian main battle tank that entered production in 2017. Despite its obvious visual similarity to the famous T-90, Iran denies any Russian collaboration in the tank project.
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The C1 Ariete is the main battle tank of the Italian Army. It has been in service since 1995, but production of these bad boys stopped in 2002.
The K1 88 is a South Korean main battle tank, developed by Hyundai Precision. Variations of this tank have been in use from 1987 until the present.
The T-80 was designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union. It’s a third-generation tank that entered service in 1976 and is still in service and production to this day.
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The Type 90 tank was designed and developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 1990. It is a main battle tank of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
The PT-91 Twardy is a main battle tank of the Polish Army, and they are able to upgrade these Twardys using parts created almost entirely domestically. It entered service in 1995 and its variants are still used today.
The M-84 is a third-generation Serbian Army main battle tank. It originated in Yugoslavia, and it’s still in service in Serbia and several other countries.
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The TR-85 is a Romanian main battle tank. It was produced from 1986 until 1990. In March 1994, a modernization program was initiated so the TR-85 would be upgraded to comply with NATO standards.
The T-84 entered service in 1999 and is still produced today. It is a Ukrainian main battle tank based on the T-80UD. It is in service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Stridsvagn 122 is a main battle tank, based on the German Leopard 2 and used by the Swedish Army. It has been in service since 1997 and has a top speed of 68 km/h (42 mph).
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